A quick bit of Lego trivia essential for any Lego fan: Did you know that ‘Lego’ is never pluralized? Legoland Discovery Center Chicago Master Builder Greg Nuse explains that Lego is the brand and the bricks are the product.
“I didn’t know until I started working here,” Nuse says. “But it’s not building with Legos, it’s building with Lego bricks.”
Read on for more fun facts about the brick-tacular Legoland Discovery Center Chicago from the Master Builder himself — and get the inside scoop for your next family trip to Schaumburg!
Full-family fun
It’s not always easy to plan a day trip for the family where everyone is sure to have a good time, but Nuse is quick to point out that Legoland Discovery Center Chicago is always a hit for the young at heart.
“We are a family attraction where the adults and children are encouraged to enjoy the day together,” says Nuse, explaining that they offer movies, displays and various build zones in which parents, grandparents, caregivers and kids of all ages can participate. “People will often show up not expecting to have a good time, only to be surprised!”
Big fun in Miniland!
Nuse shares that one of the most popular displays at Legoland Discovery Center Chicago is Lego Miniland. Made up of over 1.5 million Lego bricks, the large interactive model of the city of Chicago features iconic buildings and tourist attractions, with an impressive level of detail to the tiniest of details.
The popular tourist draw encourages guest interaction via various buttons for guests to turn on fire truck sirens and bring different aspects — such as construction sites — to life. You can learn more about Chicago’s famous sights in the process, too.
“We have tablets where guests can learn educational snippets about each respective landmark featured and why each is significant, and more fun factoids like how many Lego bricks it took to build,” says Nuse.
Build it, love it!
Legoland Discovery Center Chicago features six different build areas for guests to create to their heart’s content, featuring plenty of Lego bricks and a variety of sizes and shapes.
Which build sites are on Nuse’s must-see list?
“We have one build site where guests can build and test race cars to see if their creation will survive the ramp. It’s really fun and probably one of our most popular areas and where most people end up spending about half of their time in the facility enjoying themselves,” says Nuse. “We also have a Duplo section for the little ones. It’s a nice, quiet corner where parents can sit with their smaller kids and build with oversized Duplo bricks.”
And of course, be sure to make time for Nuse’s favorite display: a build section with giant, soft Lego bricks!
“You can build massive-scale Lego creations, like a house that’s big enough for kids to go inside of,” says Nuse. “I remember coming here as a guest before I started working in my role, and this is where I spent most of my time, just building with the giant bricks!”
Learn more about the Legoland Discovery Center Chicago and plan your own visit at legolanddiscoverycenter.com/chicago.
