Trending: Vaughan LEGOLAND slams the door on adults without kids

Citynews.ca
Sept. 28, 2015
By Thomas Bink

So when I was a kid, visiting LEGOLAND in Germany was one of the real highlights of my young life.

As a dabbler in the fine art of Lego, I’d built some impressive things - a Starship Enterprise, a skyscraper, a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge. But those were nothing compared to what I saw in that massive park near Ulm. Paddling down a makeshift river, I saw replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the Sphinx. It was truly awesome and inspiring. It was an unimaginable visual overload.

Since the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre opened in Vaughan Mills, I’ve been aching since it opened a couple years ago to sneak off for an afternoon and relive some of those memories and get inspired by the next generation of Lego builders.

Unfortunately, I can’t. Because I’m over 18 and I don’t have kids.

That’s exactly what a woman visiting Toronto discovered when she was turned away from entry late last week.

“I know plenty of adults who go to Disneyland who aren’t kids and don’t have kids and they aren’t turned away, embarrassed and humiliated,” Alice DeFriez told CTV News.

It’s true. According to the Discovery Centre’s website, only adults with children are allowed to enter the exhibit during business hours. They do have occasional Adult Nights specifically for those over 18; the next one is Sept. 30 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“It’s a child attraction so we do have this in place to protect the families and the children that visit,” said a marketing manager at LEGOLAND, according to CTV News.

“What harm is an adult doing?” DeFriez retorted. “I bet an adult Lego enthusiast such as myself would get more out of it than a child.”

She’s got a point. I can’t imagine there’s a big difference in the viewing habits of an adult who is supervising a child than those of an adult who is there alone.

And what’s next, will we limit adult access to Ripley’s Aquarium? Canada’s Wonderland? Even the Toronto Zoo? All of those facilities are geared towards kids, too.

I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve just aged another 10 years.