The new attraction will also kick off its search for a new crew of Mini Model Builders to represent the greater D.C. area!

Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in location-based entertainment with brands including LEGOLAND^®, Madame Tussauds and SEA LIFE^® Aquariums, announces today the planned opening for a brand-new LEGO^® Discovery Center in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Opening in summer of 2023, the 32,000-square-foot family attraction will be inside Virginia’s Springfield Town Center and will be a must-visit for locals and visitors with children between the ages of 2 and 12.  

LEGO^® Discovery Centers (previous LEGOLAND^® Discovery Centers) will offer highly interactive indoor LEGO^® play where families are free to play, explore, create and laugh together. The Springfield location will offer new experiences designed to allow more family learning-through-play activities, with immersive interactive activities and workshops for children and their families to indulge their imagination with their own LEGO creations. 

Next-generation LEGO Discovery Centers have been reimagined with a brand-new look and design, allowing more family learning through play activities. Throughout the new LEGO Discovery Centers, a team of playmakers and Master Model Builders will work to inspire guests through fun, interactive LEGO^® Creative Workshops while continuing to offer the already popular, highly interactive, indoor LEGO play experiences. 

“Our partnership with the LEGO Group continues to deliver fantastic opportunities for families and we are thrilled to be celebrating the next step in bringing our next generation LEGO Discovery Center to Washington, D.C.,” said Chief Strategy Officer for Merlin Entertainments Justin Platt. “By working closely with the LEGO Group’s team to design and build this next generation of the LEGO Discovery Centers, we continue to strengthen the attraction offering for future guests, delivering the ultimate LEGO indoor activity experience to even more families for them to enjoy together. Washington’s eagerly anticipated opening will follow the highly successful Brussels attraction launch in Belgium, Europe, earlier this year, and we’re delighted to bring this brand-new look and design to families with children in North America.”  

The exciting offerings awaiting families include a state-of-the-art LEGO Space digital experience, called “Space Mission,” where children and families can build their very own space rocket out of LEGO bricks – and then digitally scan their build, launch and fly it in space dodging aliens and landing on other planets in the LEGO space solar system. Guests can also enjoy a unique train ride on the Imagination Express, where families embark on an interactive adventure, using magic devices to collect points, and a preschool-focused LEGO^® DUPLO^® area with dedicated indoor play for younger children, filled with a dinosaur-themed carousel and slides.  

“PREIT’s overall vision is to transform Springfield Town Center into a vibrant, multi-use hub and take advantage of its unrivaled location to create the preeminent family entertainment destination in the DC market,” said PREIT (parent company of Springfield Town Center) Chairman & CEO Joseph F. Coradino. “LEGO Discovery Center fits this vision perfectly and will not only fulfill this need for the community but serve as an attraction for visitors to the greater DC area.”  

Not only is LEGO Discovery Center coming to Springfield in 2023, but the search is now on for Mini Model Builders! The children are in charge at the LEGO Discovery Center, and these chosen Mini Model Builders will be selected to be the very first to test and advise the team on how to make a visit to the LEGO Discovery Center an even more awesome experience. These Mini Model Builders will also get exclusive behind-the-scenes previews and early access to the LEGO Discovery Center, plus free access for an entire year. Children must be between the ages of 4 -12 to enter and will need to create their own original LEGO build. The final team will consist of 6 Mini Model Builders and will be led by Merlin Entertainments’ Global Master Model Builder, Alec Posta. To enter, eligible children and their parents can visit legodiscoverycenter.com.

LEGO Mini World is the heart of the new LEGO Discovery Center where guests will not only find familiar landmarks and scenes from the Washington, D.C. area and beyond, but also whimsical scenes from both reality and fantasy created from more than 1.5 million LEGO bricks! Other features include a build-your-own Mini Figure experience, a 4D movie theater, where guests feel the wind, water and other effects during the show and an Imagination Express Ride.   

More information, including how guests can purchase tickets, will be coming soon.  

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