Last Days of Summer at LEGOLAND Like the Locals and Vegan Food

What is the best time of the year to go to LEGOLAND? It may not matter, your kids might be in school already, but if they are not, mid to late August (not too late) when the tourist season seems to be winding down. The locals know you can truly enjoy the last days of summer at LEGOLAND.

LEGOLAND is not like Disneyland. It is not open late every night. It is only open late in the tourist seasons or holiday season. It is a park for the little kids. Sure there are things for the whole family to do, but the target customers are the 3 to 12 year old set and LEGOLAND stays open to a whopping 8pm at the end of the summer.

So this is how the locals do it. They wait. We wait until around 4 pm to head over. The water park is clear across the park, so we may head there first. Not only is the water park not crowded around 5pm when you finally get there, but they also have rewards that go WAY beyond a fresh splash of over-chlorinated baby pee water in the face.

They have beer and sugared churros with chocolate dipping sauce.

So we do a little session with the kiddos in the pool that has the DUPLO animals. The 3 year old can swim (walk) around by himself in here and I can get in the water with the baby!

Then we head over for a churro and a cold one. The little guy got to have his first churro. I tasted it and it was yum but I'm pretty sure it was made with dairy, so I probably wouldn't order again unless the guys want it.

The little beer hut, err churro stand is located between the exit and the Chima area. They try to start shutting down an hour before water park close which is usually an hour before the rest of the park closes, so get your beer on now because this place and SeaLife are the only spots on the map that sell beer and wine, and it definitely ups the fun and refreshing level for the grown-ups.

Then we head over to do some rides, eat some fries, and we have time, we'll walk through SeaLife. Meandering through LEGOLAND on a cool Southern California evening in the end of the summer, when all the locals go back to school is the best. It is less crowded, quieter, easier, more enjoyable than it is in the heat of the day. The only question we have is what's for dinner?

The BEST food for vegans at LEGOLAND is at Marketplace Restaurant where they have an excellent salad bar!

I ate this salad bar whenever I could afford it while I worked there (not really all that often but it was my go-to). The salads bar is really nice, sneeze-guarded, and always looked really clean. There are some raw veggies cut up with greens and pre-made salads, some of which is peppered with bacon, so beware if that's not your jam like it is not mine. It is a also a little pricey, but you can load up your plate, and have a roll with it... maybe even a soup, I can't remember....

Giant pink hibiscus at the water park.

Lately we have been leaving and having dinner at Veggie Grill right across the street on Palomar Airport Road. They are a completely vegan restaurant in the Costco parking lot.

We really enjoyed the last weekday and Friday nights, here at LEGOLAND while it was still open late. Good memories until next year, here.