For the first time since opening in May 2012, LEGOLAND Water Park at LEGOLAND Florida Resort received its first major expansion. The announcement marked an important milestone for the water park, which had operated with the same core attractions since its original opening alongside the main theme park.
The new Creative Cove area was positioned between the existing LEGO Wave Pool and Build-A-Raft River, creating a natural flow through the water park that encouraged families to explore the entire facility rather than clustering in one section.
Build-A-Boat: A First-of-Its-Kind Experience
The centerpiece of the expansion was Build-A-Boat, a hands-on activity center where kids could design and construct their own LEGO watercraft, then race them down a channel against other young builders. This was a genuinely innovative concept for a water park — combining the creative building experience that LEGOLAND does better than anyone with a competitive water play element.
The theming drew directly from the LEGO City Coast Guard building sets, giving it a coherent story that fit naturally into the broader LEGOLAND Florida universe. Kids could build boats using the same brick-building principles they might have experienced in the theme park, then immediately test their creations in the water channel.
The activity also provided genuine educational value — teaching kids about buoyancy, water resistance, and iterative design as they adjusted their boats’ shapes to perform better in the racing channel. Parents appreciated that their kids were engaged and learning while having fun in the Florida sun.
Imagination Station: Water Play for Little Ones
Adjacent to Build-A-Boat, the existing Imagination Station continued to offer a toddler-friendly attraction where young children could build bridges, dams, and other structures using colorful DUPLO bricks. The water-play element added an extra dimension to the creative building experience, making it a standout for families with children under 6.
Park Improvements Beyond the Rides
The expansion also included several quality-of-life improvements that guests had been requesting:
- Additional dining options — More variety and seating capacity to reduce midday crowding at food locations
- Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the entire water park — a first for the property, allowing families to share photos and check wait times without burning through mobile data
- Increased seating capacity — More lounge chairs and shaded areas to accommodate growing attendance
These additions reflected LEGOLAND Florida’s broader push to improve the overall guest experience beyond just adding new attractions, recognizing that families spending a full day at the water park needed comfortable spaces to rest and refuel.
When the Expansion Opened
The Creative Cove expansion, including Build-A-Boat, opened for the 2016 season on Saturday, March 12. The opening was celebrated with a special ceremony, and the new attractions quickly became some of the most popular in the water park.
LEGOLAND Water Park Today
The Build-A-Boat expansion has remained a highlight of LEGOLAND Water Park in the years since its 2016 opening. The water park operates seasonally — typically March through October — and remains one of the most family-friendly water parks in Central Florida, particularly for families with children ages 3-12.
If you are planning to visit, note that the water park requires a separate ticket from the main LEGOLAND Florida theme park, though combo tickets are available. The park often reaches capacity on hot summer weekends, so arriving early is recommended.
This article covered the February 2016 announcement of LEGOLAND Water Park’s Creative Cove expansion, which opened March 12, 2016.
