LEGO "Start Your Engines!"

LEGO "Start Your Engines!" at LEGO Discovery Center

If you have a kid who builds LEGO cars at home and then immediately crashes them into the wall to test their durability, this is their event. The LEGO Discovery Center in Springfield is running a vehicle-themed week where kids design their own LEGO cars and race them down a track against other builders. There are different building challenges throughout the day, and the staff helps younger kids who need a hand getting their wheels on straight. My son spent a solid 90 minutes rebuilding and tweaking his car to go faster, which is about triple his normal attention span for anything.

Beyond the racing, the rest of the Discovery Center is open too, so you get the 4D cinema, the DUPLO area for little ones, and all the regular build zones. The "Start Your Engines" theme adds a few extra stations focused on vehicles, speed, and engineering. It's not cheap at around $25-30 per ticket, but for the amount of time kids stay engaged, we felt like we got our money's worth. Weekday mornings are the least crowded if you can swing it.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Book tickets online ahead of time. You'll save a few dollars and guarantee your time slot.
• ✓Weekday mornings are much less crowded than weekends. If you can go Monday through Thursday, do it.
• ✓Plan for 2-3 hours. That's usually enough time to hit all the stations and race a few rounds.
• ✓Adults need tickets too, even if you're just watching. Every person entering needs a ticket.
• ✓The gift shop is right at the exit, so be ready for that conversation. Setting expectations before you go inside helps.
• ✓There's food at Springfield Town Center if you want to grab lunch before or after.