Legoland is our favorite park in California. We love the staff, the rides, the food, and the hotel, but we never make enough time for the water park. With so much to experience in one day, I usually feel like we need to choose between spending the whole day at the water park or the whole day in the main section. Last week, though, we found the perfect balance between the main park and the water park. Here’s how we explored Legoland Water Park the bucket list way. We arrived when the park opened and got the lay of the land by doing the Coast Cruise first. It was overcast since it was early morning, which gave us the best viewing opportunities without fighting with the bright California sun.

We went on the busy rides like Ninjago first to avoid major lines later in the day. Athena already has her top five favorite rides so we made sure to experience all of them before lunch. She loves Ninjago, Aquazone Wave Racer, Coastersaurus, Beetle Bounce, and Driving School. Aquazone Wave Racer is one of my favorites too so it’s always on our list.

Then we went to the hotel for lunch to get a rest from the park in the middle of the day. Skyline Cafe has delicious food and kids can build with Legos at the table while they wait. Without even looking at the menu, I pick the BBQ Chicken Flatbread every time and Athena gets the Mac & Cheese. We’d drive down to Carlsbad just to dine at Legoland Hotel.

We changed into our bathing suits at the hotel and put the rest of our stuff in the car so we wouldn’t need to get a locker. By then, the sun had come out and the water was warm at the park.

Most people visit the water park in the morning and they are too tired or too cold to enjoy it in the afternoon, leaving us with many of the slides to ourselves.

We had time for every slide and the lazy river without feeling rushed or crowded. Athena’s now tall enough to go on every slide so we both have a blast. Gone are the days of waiting within arm’s length of her at the kiddie pool or only going down tiny slides. She’s my little adventure seeker and she loves them all. Our favorite ride at the water park is Orange Rush, a giant orange raft that slides and spins riders past the Water Park Tower on a giant orange half pipe.

If we had of gone to the water park in the morning, I’m certain we would have gone home by mid-afternoon. By visiting the main park in the morning, taking a break at the hotel for lunch, and then splashing it up at the water park in the afternoon, we managed to stay until 5 pm without feeling too cold or too tired. It was the best bucket list way to experience all that Legoland has to offer.