LegoLand Discovery Center in Grapevine, TX

LegoLand is located in Grapevine Mills mall across from Sea Life.  There is a Lego store attached to the attraction as well. 

When we went to visit, the place was packed!  We were told that it was usually like that except during the day when kids are in school.  If you have small kids, it is probably best to plan to go during school hours. 

There is plenty to do at the center.  There are a few rides like Kingdom Quest, Forest Pursuit, and Merlin's Apprentice.  The lines were long.  Had they not been, we could have gone on the rides a few times, instead of just one.

A 4D movie plays every few minutes, and you can watch that several times.  I thought the movies were quite entertaining. 

There is a soft play area with slides and tunnels... And very important, your child must have socks to go inside!!  We arrived without socks, so my kids were turned away.  We were told that socks could be purchased in the Lego store for $1.  If you don't want to miss this, or pay $1 for socks, make sure you are prepared.

Legos are everywhere to play with.  There is a race track where you can build and race a car, a princess palace, a Duplo area, and earthquake tables.  Learn new Lego skills, or improve your current skills. 

Special tip: Sign up for the Lego Club magazine to receive occasional coupons for discounted admission!!

Cost:

Adult (13 and over): $20.57

Child (12 and under): $16.24

Online Adult: $17.48

Online Child: $13.80

After 5PM Adult: $19 (online $14.61)

After 5PM Child: $15 (online $14.61)

Early Entrance Adult and Child: $24.90

Rainforest Cafe in Grapevine, TX

Rainforest Cafe is not only a restaurant, it is an adventure!  Animated animals are around every corner.  There are elephants, monkeys, gorillas, butterflies, fish, and a crocodile.  The waiters are safari guides.  The atmosphere is so realistic that it terrified our youngest child on our first visit.  She now loves it.

The names of the various food dishes are Amazonian types... The most exciting dish of all is the volcano that you can order for dessert.  It comes with a sparkler on top to make it look like it is exploding.  This is perfect for a birthday surprise =)

The Rainforest Cafe in Grapevine is inside the big Grapevine Mills mall, so you could stay for a little shopping as well. 

Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX

Great Wolf Lodge is by far the best place I have ever spent the night!  I am not sure if a small post is sufficient to describe just how and why I feel this way, but I am going to make an attempt.

Reason #1: MagiQuest is the ultimate family togetherness game!  We spent hours on our quest through the lodge searching for clues with our wand.  We completed our quest before we left on the 3rd day of our visit, and we felt fulfilled.  We plan to go back soon to attempt another quest.  It is so much fun!  (You can do a quest without spending the night at the lodge, by the way)

Reason #2: We never had to leave the lodge for anything.  There was plenty to do every day.  The Cub Club has daily activities for the family including bingo.  Kids can, also, color a picture, color a shirt, play in a play house, play games on the computer, or read a nature book. 

At night, there was story time, and the girls loved going down in their pj's.  We went to every story time and soaked up all of the entertainment. 

Reason #3: They have a full scale water park that includes indoor and outdoor activities.  We did as much swimming as we could during the day and saved the MagiQuest and story time for evening time. 

Reason #4: It is close to home!  A vacation close to home is great!!  No long drive or huge gasoline bill. 

We did not do the Wolf Walk.  This takes place early in the morning.  Since we stayed up late playing MagiQuest every night, we did not get up early enough for the walk. 

There is a spa as well, so you can pamper yourself while you are there.  We were not in the market to spend that kind of extra money, but it would have been nice to get a massage while we were there. 

There are other entertainment options such as an arcade, a Starbucks, shops and a Build A Bear station. 

Like I said in the beginning, you never have to leave the lodge for anything.  There are plenty of restaurants to choose from... And if you get tired of what the lodge has to offer, there are several things to do and things to eat just down the street at Grapevine Mills Mall. 

I hope we get a chance to stay at GWL again.  We all had a great time, and we can't wait to go back! 

Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine, TX

Tucked in a space at Grapevine Mills Mall, you will find Sea Life.  Stop for a visit, and you will be surprised at how much they were able to put into that space.  This aquarium is packed with sea creatures including sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, turtles, seahorses, eels, clown fish, and more!  After our visit they added an octopus.

If you want to learn something while you are there, you have several opportunities.  There are talks and feedings at regular intervals, so make sure to pick up a schedule when you arrive.  You can, also, hold a starfish or hermit crab in the rock pool.  We watched a film about conservation there on the upper level.  For a little extra money, you can take a behind the scenes look at the feeding and care of the animals.

Our favorite part was the 360 degree tunnel.  We stood in there watching the turtle, rays, sharks, and fish swimming for a long time. 

Overall, we had a great time, and I feel like we went away with a little more knowledge.  The staff was completely attentive and ready to teach us what they knew.  We stayed for about 4 hours, and we definitely got our money's worth.   

Cost:

Adults age 13 and up: $20.56

Children age 3 to 12: $16.24

Online Adult age 13 and up: $15.43

Online Child age 3 to 12: $12.18

After 5pm for everyone: $13.53

Behind the Scenes Adult: $5

Behind the Scenes Child: $4