Merlin plans to build Legoland at Cypress Gardens (Orlando)

Our local LEGO club has been discussing this for some time. We are anxiously awaiting it - though it is a bit off the beaten path. I can't wait for it to open!!!

"Central Florida is about to add a new member to its theme-park club: Legoland.

A document surfaced Wednesday indicating that Merlin Entertainments Group, the British amusement operator that bought Cypress Gardens earlier this month, will announce tomorrow that it plans to convert the venerable Polk County attraction into a theme park based on Lego toy-building blocks.

The announcement would cap months of speculation that Merlin was scouting potential sites in Florida for a new Legoland on the East Coast to bookend an existing California park. The company also operates Legolands in Denmark, Germany and England.

Merlin has declined to discuss its plans for Cypress Gardens since news broke last week that it had purchased the site in early January for an estimated $22.3 million. It has said it will unveil details of its "future investment plans" at a news conference tomorrow morning at Cypress Gardens.

But an e-mail sent by a Polk County tourism official to county commissioners invited to tomorrow's announcement makes it clear that Merlin is planning a Legoland.

In the e-mail, which includes the warning "confidential until Thursday," Mark Jackson, a director with the Central Florida Visitors and Convention Bureau, tells commissioners that "Legoland Florida will be the fifth Legoland attraction worldwide" and that "Merlin's massive research in the area already indicated that the Legoland brand already has high recognition and a 90 percent intention to visit by families in their target market."

The tourism executive also reminded commissioners, should they be sought out for news-media interviews following the announcement, to trumpet positive points such as the fact that "Legoland is a family-oriented theme park, a great match for this area, the company's extensive knowledge and expertise in the attractions industry, and the team effort that it took to land this project."

The existence of the e-mail was first reported by the Lakeland Ledger. A spokeswoman for Merlin declined to comment on it.

Legoland is one of about a dozen brands owned by Merlin, whose other holdings include Madame Tussauds wax museums, Alton Towers, and the London Eye. The company is the second-busiest amusement-park operator in the world, behind Walt Disney Co., with combined attendance of roughly 35 million people.

Merlin is owned by the Blackstone Group, the private-equity giant that bought Orlando-based SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment last fall for about $2.5 billion. Blackstone also co-owns Universal Orlando alongside NBC Universal.

A number of high-profile business and civic leaders are expected to attend tomorrow's announcement, including Merlin Chief Executive Officer Nick Varney and Florida Gov. — and U.S. Senate candidate — Charlie Crist. Cypress Gardens, which originally opened in 1936, has been protected since 2004 by state-owned conservation easements that protect 30 acres of botanical gardens and leave 120 acres available for attractions and other tourism-related businesses.

For all the pageantry surrounding Legoland's arrival, its success is by no means assured.

In the tourism business, location is a crucial factor. And the former site of the botanical garden in Winter Haven is "somewhat of an odd place" to put a Legoland, said Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, a Cincinnati-based consultant.

"This is not going to be a cakewalk, that's for sure," Speigel said.

Located in a county with a population of about 600,000, Legoland won't have a large pool of people in the immediate area from which to draw local traffic, though Merlin no doubt hopes it will be able to lure residents from Orlando and Tampa as well. Tapping into Orlando's tourist traffic is no sure thing, either, as the park is at least a 45-minute drive from Walt Disney World, and even further from Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando.

Its geography — along with a staid roster of attractions — is a big reason why Cypress Gardens was plagued with poor attendance for years. The historic park endured multiple closures and failed reinvention attempts over the past decade, shutting its doors most recently in September when its former owner declared it had "exhausted every possible approach" to keep it open.

"People who come to Orlando have a pretty full plate," Speigel said. "To jump in a car, drive a couple of hours, it has to be really special."

Like Cypress Gardens, Legoland's other U.S. park is not in a big city. But unlike Winter Haven, Carlsbad, Calif., is located directly off an interstate highway — and it is midway between two even larger metro markets, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Boosters are clearly hoping to put Cypress Gardens' troubles behind it. Jackson, the Polk County tourism official, urged commissioners in his e-mail to "avoid any comments about past ownership and/or problems at the park."

Still, Merlin has a lengthy track record. And Legoland is a coveted property because of its appeal to families with young children.

"No question, knowing Merlin as we do, … they've considered all of these factors," Speigel said. "They know what they're dealing with in terms of the location."

by Jason Garcia "

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-legoland-cypress-gardens-20100120,0,3263083.story