Preschoolers rejoice: It’s time for a real-life party with Peppa Pig.
Peppa Pig Theme Park opens in Winter Haven, Fla. on Feb. 24, and the vibrant theme-park-meets-playground, designed for kids ages 6 and under, is the perfect place for any Peppa Pig fan and their family.
Guests enter the theme park, located at Legoland Florida Resort, through a giant rainbow gate and are immediately immersed in Peppa’s world. Play areas like the Muddy Puddles Splash Pad, packed with sprouting fountains and slippery slides, and Rebecca Rabbit’s Playground, a large open space filled with swings, climbing equipment and more, offer plenty of places for energetic preschoolers to run and explore.
“I feel like every single parent on the drive home from Peppa Pig Theme Park is going to have that adorable picture of the kid passed out in the car seat because this is just a beautiful park with interaction everywhere,” says Kelly Hornick, head of marketing and communications at Legoland Florida Resort and Peppa Pig Theme Park. “Here, the little ones get to have a day just for them: The entire park is really crafted with them in mind.”
The six made-for-kids rides scattered throughout the park only add to the fun.
There’s Peppa Pig’s Balloon ride, a ride in the sky in a hot air balloon that offers a view of the entire park. On Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Adventure, kids will wrangle a dinosaur and ride it along a prehistoric trail. And, on Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster, kids and grown-ups will enjoy a fun fast-paced ride to Peppa’s house in Daddy Pig’s red car.
The coaster, which goes just 14 feet in the air and doesn’t travel faster than 16 miles per hour, is perfect for a kid’s first roller coaster, according to Nick Miller, director of operations at the resort.
“It goes on two laps and has a really low height requirement — just 36 inches,” Miller says of the coaster. “We really designed it for the young ones, but I am hearing that their adults are enjoying it, too. It’s a perfect ‘my first roller coaster’ for kids.”
After a morning of playing, digging for buried treasure in sand pits loaded with shovels or playing free carnival-style games at the Fun Fair, there are plenty of ways to take a break.
At Miss Rabbit’s Diner, kids can order classics like macaroni and cheese or cheese pizza while parents order fare designed for older taste buds, like a smoked brisket sandwich or rice and veggie bowl with chicken. And everyone in the family can cool off with sweet treats like the Muddy Puddles Milkshake, a chocolate shake topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cookie or the Mud Cup — the park’s take on classic dirt cake.
Need an afternoon nap? There’s a theater for that.
The Cinema is a cool dark space filled with giant bean bags that could easily fit an entire family. While families relax and take a break from the Florida heat, Peppa Pig episodes play on a giant screen.
The giant bean bags appear again on the lawn of Mr. Potato’s Showtime Arena, where shows featuring Peppa Pig and her little brother George in fuzzy character-form take place throughout the day.
And those fuzzy pig characters are available for meet-and-greets. Peppa and George traverse the theme park throughout the day, waving and interacting with guests and stopping to pose for photos.
Hornick, a mom of two preschoolers, says the entire park was designed with young kids in mind.
“This park is about the preschooler’s ultimate day of adventure,” says Hornick. “We want every family to have the best day ever.”
The addition of Peppa Pig Theme Park to Legoland Florida Resort also makes the resort a multi-day destination. On site, guests will find Legoland Theme Park, Legoland Water Park and Peppa Pig Theme Park, along with three hotels Hornick describes as “awesomely themed.”
“We’re the first preschooler theme park in Florida, which is really exciting,” says Hornick. “When you look at what Legoland Florida offers, we’ve really nailed that 2-12 year old demographic. We’ve seen bigger kids get excited about attractions within Legoland Florida, but we saw this as a big opportunity to get the younger ones in.
The park is also designed to include every child. All of Legoland Florida Resort recently partnered with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) to become a Certified Autism Center. To earn the accreditation, park staff underwent training sessions to learn autism sensitivity and awareness.
Peppa Pig Theme Park’s opening day will be the kick-off of the designation at Peppa Pig Theme Park, Legoland Theme Park, Legoland Water Park and all three hotels on property.
“Through the partnership we also had IBCCES rank all of the attractions against the five senses,” says Hornick. “Different levels on the autism spectrum may mean you have an aversion to certain sights or smells or sounds — every child is a little bit different — so having these tools and having the ranks for each of the five senses at these attractions allows parents to have that information in advance and plan out their day according to how their child may react.”
In addition to placards at the entrance of each ride, information ranking each experience according to how it will affect each of the senses will be available on the park’s website and app.
The park has also taken steps to be wheelchair accessible. The Muddy Puddles Splash Pad is fully graded for wheelchair use, and Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride has a gondola large enough that kids who use wheelchairs can roll onto the attraction without having to transfer.
Peppa Pig Theme Park opens at Legoland Florida Resort on Feb. 24. Single-day tickets cost just over $30 if purchased online in advance. Admission can also be bundled with admission to Legoland Florida Theme Park, pricing for which starts at $135. Annual passes can also be purchased.
Hornick, who says she can’t wait to bring her own children to the theme park, says the addition to Legoland Florida Resort will allow families to spend even more time making memories at the destination.
“Peppa Pig Theme Park is this beautiful blend of attractions you dream about as a kid,” she says, “the ones you would wait in line for, but also the playgrounds where there are no lines and you can just have fun and be a kid. Especially lately, our kids just want to get outside and see their family and have fun and this park is the perfect place for that.”
