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| - If I'm lucky enough to live to be 90 and still have great manual dexterity, I will play with Lego. After spending over three happy hours in that multi-coloured mecca of construction toys, I'll be getting my own boxes of it out of the loft.
I'd advise to book your tickets online as it's cheaper than walk-ins (you save up to 40% this way).
After paying at the entrance you first take your turn posing in front of a green screen - for the ubiquitous horrendously expensive photo to 'commemorate' your day. If you're sane, just enjoy seeing the mock ups and then walk on by. Or pay close to a tenner for it, your call.
You catch a lift up to the upper floor, where you wait for 'Professor Brick' to arrive and take you on a brief, though amusing, tour of his Lego factory. Once that's finished you can jump on the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride and shoot at some baddies, scoring points along the way.
Miniland is a superb showcase of local buildings and tourist attractions - from Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, all built out of Lego - that was a highlight for me.
The main play hall is packed full of activities for young and 'young at heart', with a 4D cinema showing a film every 10 minutes, Lego City: Forest Pursuit and Merlin's Apprentice rides and a Build & Test centre for you to make and race your own vehicles.
On the far end of the room are the Earthquake Tables where you can test your architectural skills, building towers and then pushing a button to see if they can withstand some serious shaking.
There's a café and lots of seating here, for weary parents and guardians to order a well earned drink (non-alcoholic only, unfortunately) and snacks for their pestering broods.
If you can drag your kids away from this area, there's just the Ninjago Laser Training Camp to get past before you descend in the lift...to 'the Shop'.
Firstly it's not a shop. It's a floor-to-ceiling holy temple of plastic amazingness. If only I could afford the £275 Lego Star Wars Death Star...
Consider this a warning, you will be hounded to insanity by your young'uns in here - I don't think I saw one adult make it out without a detour to the tills.
Expense aside, I thought this place was amazing. The possibilities for creativity are endless, so bring your kids here and you'll likely have as much fun as they do.
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