Legoland attraction to open at Arizona Mills

The company that brought Sea Life Aquarium to Tempe's Arizona Mills has announced plans to open a $12 million Legoland Discovery Center in the mall by spring 2016.

Merlin Entertainments expects to start construction on the 60,000-square-foot attraction this June. It will be the company's seventh Legoland Discovery Center to open in the United States.

The attraction is designed for families with children ages 3 to 10 and features a Lego brick pool, building classes, a Lego ride, party rooms for birthdays and a 4-D cinema. The company describes it as a "highly interactive and educational two- to three-hour experience."

Like other Legoland attractions, the Arizona Mills center will include a "mini-land" exhibit with Lego models of Phoenix's skyline and landmarks from the surrounding area. Those buildings and landmarks are all nominated by the local community, according to an Arizona Mills press release.

The announcement comes as Arizona Mills, located near Priest Drive and Baseline Road, prepares for a summer renovation of its entertainment wing that the mall says will be centered on family-friendly experiences and dining.

The Legoland Discovery Center will occupy the former Sports Authority space near Sea Life Aquarium on the northern end of the mall. That section of Arizona Mills is also home to the GameWorks arcade and Harkins Theatres with an IMAX screen. Sports Authority has relocated to a different part of the mall.

Arizona Mills will designate about a third of the 1.2-million-square-foot shopping center as an entertainment district, with Legoland and Sea Life creating a mini theme park, said Gregg Goodman, president of the Mills, a Simon Company, which owns the mall.

"When you go to the hotels and resorts around Phoenix and ask the concierge where you can take your kids, you get a lot of recommendations for things that are outdoors but not a lot of activities," Goodman said. "We want to be that place, that family entertainment destination."

"Our objective is to cluster several complementary attractions together, as we are doing in Phoenix, offering even more reason for families with young children to spend an exciting day at Arizona Mills," Glenn Earlam, managing director of Merlin Midway Attractions Operating Group, said in a prepared statement.

Ticket prices at other Legoland Discover Centers typically run around $18 at the door or less if purchased online. Children under 2 years old are free.

Merlin operates Legoland theme parks in California and Florida along with five Sea Life Aquarium locations in North America. The company also has Legoland Discovery Centers in Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Boston, Toronto and Westchester, N.Y.