LITTLE CAESARS ARENA JOINS LEGOLAND MINILAND

The NHL's Redwings and NBA's Pistons have a new home in Detroit at the recently opened Little Caesars Arena in the city's downtown.  That isn't the only cityscape Little Caesars Arena is altering though … a reproduction of the sports stadium has just joined Comerica Park, Ford Field and other Detroit landmarks within the Miniland display at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan.  Being huge fans of our local sports teams, my kids and I were excited to be invited to the unveiling of this Little Caesars Arena model made entirely from LEGO toys.



We had a chance to meet Clint Parry, LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan's own Master Builder, who constructed this miniature LEGO reproduction of Little Caesars Arena. To call this a "miniature" model though may be an understatement though as this replica is 6 feet long and consists of more than 30,000 bricks.  Parry spent 60 hours designing the model and more than 100 hours building it.

Some of the details he shared with us about this LEGO version of Little Caesars Arena is that it has more than 1,000 windows and 600 mini-figures within its layout. You could peek inside to see a hockey game being played on the ice rink during our visit, but Parry told us that this floor plan can be switched out to show mini-figures playing basketball on a hardwood court as well. So both the Red Wings and Pistons can be featured in this model of the home arena they share by switching some pieces in and out.

In addition to updating the Miniland with Little Caesars Arena, LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan also created a mock parade taking place. The annual Thanksgiving Day parade down historic Woodward Avenue in Detroit has been going on since 1924 and has become known as "America's Thanksgiving Parade." It was a nice touch to have it added to the Miniland display during the holiday season.

My son was really impressed with the Merlin balloon that was incorporated into the Miniland's parade.  He brought up how much he liked it a number of times during our visit and on the drive home. By the way, Merlin Entertainments, which is the #1 company in Europe for operating entertainment attractions and the world's second largest attraction operator behind Disney, runs LEGOLAND locations so that parade balloon is also an Easter egg for their brand.

For the holiday season, Miniland has also received a coating of snow to give it a white Christmas feel. Check out one of my favorite place in Detroit, the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle, covered in snow. I wonder if it will look like that in real life when my wife and I head over there next week for an annual Christmas party we always go to.

After the unveiling of Little Caesars Arena and walking around the Miniland, the kids spent some time making a LEGO build of their favorite Detroit sports team logo. Of course they picked the Old English D because they always see on the baseball caps I wear. Though I have to say the Detroit Lions logo template other kids were making with LEGO bricks looked really sharp.

While at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan for the Little Caesar Arena LEGO model unveiling, we also had some time to enjoy the other features that there are to enjoy there.  We watched a 4D cinema show about the Legends of Chima, took a spin on the Merlin's Apprentice ride, battled beastly trolls and sneaky skeletons on the Kingdom Quest ride, and built LEGO cars that we raced on a test track. It is always a good time when our family visits LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan is located at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, Michigan's largest indoor outlet mall, in the northern metropolitan Detroit suburban community of Auburn Hills. For more information about this family friendly play spot, head over to michigan.legolanddiscoverycenter.com.

LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTER MICHIGAN TO UNVEIL GM RENCEN LEGO MODEL AT NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Michigan will unveil its first MINILAND LEGO® brick model, which will be of the iconic GM RENCEN, at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at 2 p.m. on Monday, January 18, 2016. Measuring approximately six feet by six feet wide and standing six feet tall, the model will be on display at NAIAS until Sunday, January 24th.  The GM RENCEN (aka Detroit Renaissance Center) was selected as the Metro Detroit area’s favorite landmark from among dozens of beloved Detroit attractions, buildings and landmarks through a public vote that LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan sponsored and will eventually be displayed permanently in the highly anticipated MINILAND exhibit when the attraction opens later this year at Great Lakes Crossing outlet mall in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The NAIAS is considered to be one of the most prominent automotive events in the world drawing more than 850,000 attendees and 5,000 members of the media from more than 60 countries each year.

"As an iconic symbol of Detroit's history and innovation in the automobile industry, we are honored to debut our LEGO model of t he GM RENCEN at the Motor City's preeminent event of the year," Hayley Anderson, general manager for LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan  told A Geek Daddy. "Being included in the North American International Auto Show is a unique and exciting opportunity that will allow us to share our model with the community and region."

The first MINILAND model for LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan - GM REN CEN unveiled 1/18.16

Situated along Detroit's international riverfront, the GM REN CEN is an iconic collection of seven interconnected skyscrapers that are owned by and serve as the world headquarters for General Motors.  The central tower, the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, is the tallest building in Michigan and the tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.

“On behalf of the tenants, employees, businesses and visitors at the GMRENCEN, we’re honored to be chosen as metro Detroit’s top landmark in the future LEGOLAND Discovery Center,” Claudia Killeen, General Motors manager of Renaissance Center Development communicated to A Geek Daddy. “With its unique cylindrical design and glass exterior, we have no doubt that the GMRENCEN will make a great addition to the Detroit MINILAND.”

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan will be a 32,000-square foot indoor attraction featuring millions of LEGO bricks and themed exhibits including a 4D cinema, two interactive rides, large soft play areas and much more.  One of the highlights of any LEGOLAND Discovery Center is its MINILAND which feature miniature LEGO brick landscapes inspired by the community where it is located.  LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan will have a MINILAND featuring Metro Detroit buildings, attractions, and other notable landmarks that will include in addition to GM REN CEN, the Spirit of Detroit statue, Belle Isle, Motown Museum, Fox Theater, Guardian Building, Comerica Park, and the giant Uniroyal Tire.

For more information about LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan visit their Facebook page - www.facebook.com/legolanddiscoverycentermichigan.  Follow A Geek Daddy on Facebook too to stay updated on all the new content and contests we post on our blog - www.facebook.com/ageekdaddy.

Congratulations GM REN CEN on being named "Metro Detroit's Favorite Landmark" for a LEGOLAND MINILAND Display

The soon to be opening LEGOLAND Discovery Center at Great Lakes Crossing outlet mall in Auburn Hills, Michigan has announced the Renaissance Center, also known as GM REN CEN, as Metro Detroit's favorite landmark to be transformed into a LEGO building block model as determined by a public vote.  Along with 10 other popular local landmarks selected in a prior round of voting, the GM REN CEN model will be constructed from LEGO bricks and displayed in the MINILAND section of LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan when the attraction opens in 2016. The GM REN CEN model will be unveiled at a special ceremony and displayed onsite at the Renaissance Center next Spring prior to the opening of the LEGOLAND Discovery Center.

Situated along Detroit's international riverfront, the GM REN CEN is an iconic collection of seven interconnected skyscrapers that are owned by and serve as the world headquarters for General Motors.  The central tower, the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, is the tallest building in Michigan and the tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan will be a 32,000-square foot indoor attraction featuring millions of LEGO bricks and themed exhibits including a 4D cinema, two interactive rides, large soft play areas and much more.  One of the highlights of any LEGOLAND Discovery Center is its MINILAND which feature miniature LEGO brick landscapes inspired by the community where it is located.  LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan will have a MINILAND featuring Metro Detroit buildings, attractions, and other notable landmarks that will include in addition to GM REN CEN, the Spirit of Detroit statue, Belle Isle, Motown Museum, Fox Theater, Guardian Building, Comerica Park, and the giant Uniroyal Tire.

"Not only is the GM REN CEN an iconic part of the Detroit skyline, but it is a symbol of Michigan's industry, culture and spirit of innovation," Hayley Anderson, general manager for LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan, communicated to A Geek Daddy.  "We are thrilled to have engaged so many members of our community in choosing local landmarks for MINILAND and are excited to debut our GM REN CEN LEGO model at the complex early next year."

For more information about LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan visit their Facebook page - www.facebook.com/legolanddiscoverycentermichigan.  Follow A Geek Daddy on Facebook too to stay updated on all the new content and contests we post on our blog - www.facebook.com/ageekdaddy.

Vote for a Michigan Landmark to be included in LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTER MICHIGAN'S MINILAND

Which Michigan landmark would you like to see recreated out of LEGO building blocks?  The operators of the newly opening LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTER MICHIGAN at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets are asking local residents to help select one of the area's beloved landmarks -- historic buildings, big bridges or famous statues -- should be built from LEGO bricks and featured in the MINILAND exhibit when the attraction opens in the Spring of 2016.  Inspired by the metro Detroit region's sights and culture, MINILAND will be a miniature LEGO brick landscape of local buildings, attractions and other notable landmarks.

The first round of MINILAND voting will allow fans to write-in their favorite landmarks, and will run through the LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTER MICHIGAN Facebook page from Monday, October 12 - Monday October 26.  The top ten most popular landmarks will be announced on Wednesday, October 28th and a final top landmark will be determined through a second round of voting running from Monday, November 2 through Monday, November 16.  The winning landmark will be announced on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 and shall be unveiled prior to LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTER MICHIGAN's grand opening.
 
LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTER MICHIGAN will be a 32,000-square-foot indoor attraction featuring millions of LEGO bricks and themed exhibits including a 4D cinema, two interactive rides, large soft play areas and much more.  For more information, check out our post featuring A Geek Daddy's participation in the attraction's ground breaking ceremony.

So what are your thoughts on what to select to represent metro Detroit in MINILAND?  Comerica Park, the Spirit of Detroit statue, the Renaissance Center building?  As a kid, I always marveled at the giant tire situated along I-94 so the Uniroyal Tire has my vote!  Feel free to shout out your ideas in the comment section below and don't miss out on voting on Facebook.