Tempe

LEGOLAND will be invading Tempe in 2016.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Phoenix will be Merlin Entertainment plc’s seventh LDC to open in the United States. It will join Merlin’s SEA LIFE aquarium at Arizona Mills.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center is an indoor attraction, based on the popular LEGO brick. Specifically designed for families with children 3-10 years old, LEGOLAND Discovery Centers offer a fun, highly interactive and educational two to three hour experience consisting of a range of LEGO play areas including a brick pool, master classes from the LEGO Master Model Builder, a fun LEGO ride, special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations, a 4D cinema, and of course, the popular MINILAND exhibit found in every LEGOLAND Park and attraction. MINILAND is designed to reflect the iconic buildings of each individual attraction’s location – at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Phoenix this will include both buildings from the city’s skyline and landmarks from the surrounding area, all nominated by the local community.

“The LEGOLAND Discovery Center concept has been a huge success across the globe, particularly as part of a family day out of shopping and dining. This, together with the fact that a large number of families with small children live within a two to three hour drive, makes Arizona Mills the ideal location for the attraction. We are sure visitors, both here and abroad, will embrace the center,” said Glenn Earlam, managing director of Merlin Midway Attractions Operating Group.

This significant addition will mark a transformative time for Arizona Mills as it prepares for an upcoming summer renovation to its entertainment wing that will be centered around family-friendly experiences and dining options. LEGOLAND Discovery Center Phoenix will expand Arizona Mills’ presence in the market as the state’s largest outlet and value retail shopping destination.

Plans and designs are already in place for the 60,000-square-foot attraction, and construction will begin in June 2015. LEGO models for the Phoenix attractions will be made in Merlin’s specialist studios around the world and shipped in during construction to be ready for the opening in late spring 2016.

Arizona Mills is located at the Arizona Mills interchange at the intersection of Interstate I-10 and US Highway 60 in Tempe.