Legoland scouting Atlanta sites. Is a wax museum next?

By Rachel Tobin Ramos

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Legoland Discovery Centre – a small indoor attraction based on the tiny plastic brick children's toys from Denmark – is being planned for metro Atlanta, a broker said Friday.

The company that will develop it – Merlin Entertainment Group of the United Kingdom – may also seek to bring its wax museum brand -- Madame Tussauds -- to Atlanta, said Howard Samuels, the company's national broker with Samuels & Co. in Los Angeles.

The location for the Legoland attraction – which would charge admission of $15 for kids and $19 for adults – is still in negotiations, Samuels said. The attraction would include an Atlanta skyline made of Legos.

Sites being considered are Atlantic Station near Midtown, North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Buckhead and downtown Atlanta, he said, as well as other sites that "meet our criteria."

Criteria include being near other "family-oriented co-tenants" with good dining nearby. Samuels said he is in negotiations, but he wouldn't say whether a letter of intent has been signed.

The indoor attraction would be about 35,000 square feet – the size of the recently closed ESPN Zone restaurant in Buckhead.

It would include several rides, a large play area, a café and a gift shop, and be available for private parties.

There is only one U.S. location of Legoland Discovery Centre, which is in Schaumburg, a Chicago suburb. A Legoland amusement park is in Carlsbad, Calif., near San Diego.

Mike Pastor, the general manager of the Schaumburg location, said the average age for visitors is about 7 years old, but the attraction brings in kids ages 3 to 12.

The Chicago outpost opened in July 2008. "We've met our budget goal so far and exceeded what we expected," he said.

Samuels said these attractions are built with the expectation they could get 400,000 to 600,000 visitors annually. The company does not disclose development costs.

Merlin Entertainment operates about 60 attractions in 13 countries. A London spokeswoman wouldn't confirm details about Atlanta, but she did say Merlin is looking to add U.S. locations for several of its brands, including Sea Life.

In general, Merlin seeks economic development incentives to help offset the capital costs for the attractions, Samuels said. But without a lease in hand, it has yet to pursue public incentive funds, he added.

The Legoland attraction is set to open in the spring of 2011, he added.

A Legoland and/or Madame Tussauds would add more feathers to Atlanta's hat as a tourism destination in the Southeast.

A pirate museum and college football hall of fame were recently announced as well.

William Pate, president of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, said it would be nice to have another place for young kids, along with the Imagine It Children's Museum of Atlanta and the Georgia Aquarium.

"It really fits in to our diversified portfolio of tourist offerings," he said, referring to the varied tourism sites now downtown, plus the ones that are coming, such as the National Health Museum.

He believes a Legoland indoor park, because of its uniqueness, would also be another magnet for tourists who drive from Birmingham, Nashville and Knoxville, for example.

Staff writer Kristi Swartz contributed to this article.