Peppa Pig Theme Park is now open in Florida and we are surprising our daughter this weekend. This park designed for “little piggies” is just steps away from LEGOLAND Florida in Winter Haven. This will be our 1st time here, and Becky and our daughter’s 1st time at LEGOLAND. And we’re staying at the LEGOLAND Hotel for the weekend!
***Update – We made a quick 2nd visit. Click Update January 15, 2023 to go straight to our update. Otherwise, keep reading about our 1st trip to Peppa Pig Theme Park.
Planning Peppa Pig Theme Park
Our daughter is off from school Friday and Monday this weekend and we plan to make the best use of it. Originally we were thinking about Disney World, but her new annual pass is blacked out this weekend. And we had thought about taking her to LEGOLAND previously and just haven’t made it happen yet. But, now that Peppa Pig Theme Park is open and she is blacked out, this should be a perfect weekend. You can read more about the park here: Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida.
Normally we look for a timeshare property close to where we want to go. But, we splurged and bought a vacation package staying at the LEGOLAND Hotel for 3 nights. With the package, we’ll be able to go to Peppa Pig Theme Park and LEGOLAND Florida Theme Park over 2 days. Unfortunately the weather is throwing a wrinkle in our plans. A big storm is passing through Florida Saturday morning. However, Peppa Pig Theme Park doesn’t look to be a full day park, so we’ll shoot for Saturday afternoon. Then on Sunday, we’ll walk over to LEGOLAND for the day. To see more about our adventures at LEGOLAND, check our separate post: LEGOLAND Florida is Amazing and Awesome!
LEGOLAND Hotel
Since the storm’s passing through Florida this morning, we’re waiting until it clears before heading to Peppa Pig Theme Park. Which means we get to spend more time at the LEGOLAND Resort and thought it would be good to talk a little about it. LEGOLAND Florida Resort is made for kids 12 and under including their hotels.
You get to pick from 5 different themed rooms. And even though there is a new pirate-themed hotel next door, we picked the Pirate theme. And our daughter loves it from day one. Not only is it pirate-themed, but there is a separate kid’s sleeping area with bunk beds. It also has a trundle bed to easily sleep 3 kids. And she has her own TV with free Lego movies to watch in addition to all the kid’s channels. But if that wasn’t good enough, there is a treasure hunt included. She has to figure out 3 clues for the combination to the treasure chest. And when she opens it, there are 2 Lego mini-figure packs, 2 apple juices and a Lego magazine. Score!
And that was just the beginning of our stay. The hotel itself has 2 restaurants and the adjoining pirate hotel has 1. And they all are very good with large portions and reasonable prices. And breakfast is included each day with our stay. But the thing that was great is how many kid’s activities they have each night. Not including the different areas our daughter (and Becky) can build with Legos. Everything is awesome and not to mention they have disco elevators! For more information, check out: LEGOLAND Hotel | Vacation Planning | LEGOLAND Florida Resorts.
Entering Peppa Pig Theme Park
After having a great breakfast at the hotel, the storm is clearing and we head to Peppa Pig Theme Park. Instead of the mere steps to LEGOLAND, we have to walk past the LEGOLAND entrance to the parking lot. Once at the parking lot we turn left and we can see the entrance to the park. At the gate they scan our tickets and we look for a map or information. We find their Guest Services is through the door on the immediate left. It is a small room with a lady at a desk. She gives us a map and a list of show times, in addition to buttons for our 1st time here. After getting the information we want, it’s about 12:30PM and we have until 5:00PM today to explore this park. So, we decide to check out the rides first.
A Roller Coaster and Balloon Ride
The lady in Guest Services said the most popular ride is Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster, so we go there first. The wait time out front says 25 minutes so we jump in line. The line quickly goes into Peppa Pig’s House and the other side, it’s time to get on the ride. It actually takes us half the time to get on the ride. Becky and our daughter get the last car so Paul waits for the next trip. Which works out great, because we swapped parents and our daughter gets to ride twice in a row. And though it’s a small coaster, it’s surprisingly fun. Our daughter loves it, but off to more rides.
After the roller coaster, we go to Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride. This ride is in the Fun Fair area that includes free games like Hoopla Ring Toss and Tin Can Tumbler. But we go straight to the ride, and we get on in 5 minutes. And unlike the roller coaster that has a 36″ minimum rider height, there is no minimum for this ride. The “balloon” we are in has plenty of space for the 3 of us and goes up and down while it spins around. The movement is similar to Dumbo at Disney World but without controls, though we all enjoy it.
After the balloon ride, we pass Mr. Bull’s High Striker also in the Fun Fair area. It’s a kid-friendly drop ride that only has a 34 inch minimum height requirement. But our daughter doesn’t want to do it. We can understand as having a drop ride for preschoolers is a little intimidating. We see other kids doing it, but our daughter says no.
A Boat Ride and Dinosaur Adventure
As we head to the other side, we pass the Muddy Puddles Splash Pad. This is probably a premier attraction on warmer days, but since the storm passed it’s cold. The outside temp has dropped to the low 60s and it’s still cloudy and very windy. So, we say no to this though our daughter asks to do it. However, just past the splash pad is Grandad Dog’s Pirate Boat Ride. We also get on this ride in 5 minutes though they separate us into 2 boats. This ride simply goes in a circle but you get a small chance to get wet. A cute little ride also with no minimum height requirement. Just a note, kids can ride some rides alone if older or taller. Check the ride signs.
Just pass the boat ride is Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Adventure. On this ride, you ride on a dinosaur over a rail through a pre-historic adventure. Though this ride appears silly, it is surprisingly probably the most fun. There is a minimum height requirement of 34 inches and 43 inches to ride alone. Which is a good thing for small kids, but our daughter is big enough to ride alone. This is also good because it would be tight for two of us, so we all get to ride separately.
Our daughter goes first, then Becky. The dinosaur rocks up and down as we pass some cut-out trees and a smoking volcano. Even though we are expecting preschool rides, this ride like the others have all been fun. After we leave, we pass a Pirate Island Sand Play area. Again, another great place on a warm and dry sunny day, but we pass it. So, we head to the last ride?
Tricycle Trail, Snacks and More
The last ride is Peppa’s Pedal Bike Tour and George’s Tricycle Trail. Kids just literally hop on a tricycle and do a lap or two at their own pace. There’s no ride attendant so kids can go as many times as they want around the track. The track is next to Miss Rabbit’s Diner which has outside seating. So, we grab some chairs while she goes around the track a few times. We peek in the diner, but decide to just eat some snacks we packed in our backpack. The tricycle track is not very wide in parts and at one point there is a back-up of tricycles. Some parents come over to separate the trikes.
The diner here is located next to the restrooms. The diner is the only food option in the park, though there are some food trucks by the exit. And we believe these are the only restrooms, though they are big. On the other side of the restrooms is the Cinema.
We peek in the Cinema where they are playing episodes of Peppa Pig on a big screen. The room has large beanbags for relaxing on while watching the show. However, it looks pretty full, so we decide to go next store to Mr. Fox’s Shop. The shop has a few snacks and Peppa Pig related toys and merchandise. It’s not a huge store, but has all the essentials. You can even get a copy of your photo from Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster which Becky buys. She leaves the store spending less than $25 which is nearly impossible at Disney World.
Granny Pig’s Garden and Playgrounds
We enter a sign that says Granny Pig’s Garden which is actually a large playground. In fact inside this area is 5 of the 10 attractions listed on their website. And we just let our daughter run around. Rebecca Rabbit’s Playground is in the center area where she can climb and crawl through “rabbit burrows”. There is also Peppa Pig’s Treehouse next to it that looks like cleverly themed playground equipment. On the other side is Grandpa Pig’s Greenhouse which also has some areas to climb and slide down.
Madame Gazelle’s Nature Trail is on the other side of the treehouse. We walk over some stones with some tracks trying to identify them along the way. On the other side of the treehouse is George’s Fort. It has a hedge maze you go through to get to the fort in the center. It’s not very large and in the fort is a frog that kids take turns sitting on. This is part of a Peppa Pig episode, so you get it or you don’t.
Next door is Mr. Potato’s Showtime Arena where Peppa Pig is supposed to make an appearance at 2:00PM. So, we pop over there to see what’s going on. Unfortunately because of the wind, the arena is damaged and the show is cancelled. It still is very windy and getting colder. We head back toward the center area with the shop and restrooms, etc. Becky takes our daughter on a small playground with a campervan and tent. After a few minutes, our daughter keeps asking to go to the Muddy Puddles Splash Pad. But, we decide to go back the hotel.
Summary of Peppa Pig Theme Park
Even though we were only at Peppa Pig Theme Park for a little over 2 hours, we did a lot. We rode 4 of their 5 rides easily in less than an hour and each was fun. And we only skipped 1 ride our daughter didn’t want to ride, but she did the tricycle trail. We ate some snacks while watching her ride around the loop. We checked out the diner, cinema and shop but only really spending time in the shop. Our daughter then ran around the large playground which is a collection of different attractions. Unfortunately the show got cancelled and we did not partake in the Muddy Puddles Splash Pad or Pirate Island Sand Play.
The weather was not good today, but we did what we wanted to and had a great time. Our daughter loved playing and would have liked to do more. We could see spending a few more hours here if it was a warm sunny day. This park has small contained areas you can feel safe letting your kids run wild for a while. And that is great for young kids that like playgrounds, playing in sand, or splashing in “muddy” puddles. This park is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon unless you have a diehard Peppa Pig fan. But if you have older kids, the good news is LEGOLAND is an easy walk away. And that’s where we’re going tomorrow. But our daughter says she definitely wants to go back to Peppa Pig Theme Park!
Update January 15, 2023 at Peppa Pig Theme Park
We are visiting LEGOLAND Resort with our friends Eddie and Suzie to celebrate their daughter’s birthday. We went to LEGOLAND yesterday, but starting the day at Peppa Pig Theme Park today. And today is still cold, but better than yesterday and very sunny. Eddie and Suzie got to the park when it opened at 10:00AM, but we we’re a little behind today. We arrive 50 minutes later to find they already saw a show and rode all the rides except one. Luckily, it was the only ride our daughter didn’t do last time, Mr. Bull’s High Striker.
Suzie is already in line and we let our daughter jump in line with her and her daughter. After about 5 minutes, it’s their turn. On this ride, up to 6 people can ride in a seated position. Minimum rider height is 34 inches and those less than 43 much be accompanied by a responsible rider 14 or older. On this kid-friendly drop-ride, it takes you up and down multiple times over a few minutes. And with Suzie’s daughter wanting to go, so does our daughter. The girls screamed the whole time and loved it!
Afterwards we let the kids loose in Granny Pig’s Garden and playground for about 30 minutes. After just about an hour at the park, everyone is ready to leave. This park is great for a couple of hours and maybe longer if we did the Muddy Puddles Splash Pad. But it was closed today because of the weather, which is good because it’s too cold. So, we head to LEGOLAND for more fun. It’s just a short 5 minutes or so walk between the 2 parks. To read about our visit to LEGOLAND including our experience on the newest ride, see Pirate River Quest Ride and More at LEGOLAND.