8 Scariest Rides At Legoland Windsor
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Legoland Windsor is generally considered a younger kids’ theme park, marketing itself as appropriate for children aged 3 – 12.
As such, the range of rides at the park can vary dramatically, with some rides designed for the older children (8+) not always being suitable for younger – especially if they are new to theme parks or sensitive to specific experiences.
We experienced this first hand when visiting the theme park with our nephew Frankie (8) and our niece Matilda (4).
Frankie was fine on everything. In fact, he loved it all!
On the other hand, Matilda was clutching my hand and crying during one ride as we’d not been able to prepare her for the experience, given that we’d not been to the park previously.
In hindsight, we’d have loved to have been able to see what rides might make her feel scared or nervous and either avoid them altogether or prepare her in advance.
Pro tip: There are plenty of specific ride POVs available on Youtube, so it may be worth watching these to determine whether they are suitable for your party or prepare guests you think maybe a little scared about what to expect.
Based on our own experience, we decided to put together this post of the eight rides we deemed the scariest (for various reasons) at Legoland Windsor.
1. Mia’s Riding Adventure
This is a ride that both Frankie and Matilda went on without any issues, but we could see how it might scare some younger children.
Mia’s Riding Adventure is a carousel-style ride with Mia (from the Lego Friends franchise) as your guide.
The horses go around in a circle and up and down. However, only one person is permitted on each horse, and therefore children (above the required height of 1.2m) can go on unattended.
As such, if your child goes on alone and gets upset, you’re not able to easily comfort them as you would on most other rides.
There is also a point during the ride where Mia disappears and reappears in front of you, which could startle some children.
2. Jolly Rocker
The Jolly Rocker is another pirate-themed ride and one of the most popular you’ll find at Legoland Windsor.
This ride is designed as a swinging pendulum which sees you board a pirate ship and rock from end to end.
Unsurprisingly then, this ride can be incredibly scary for those sitting at the top as you’ll soar quite high above the parks at specific points.
However, you can combat this somewhat by opting to sit in the middle of the ship instead. This will allow you to experience the ride but prevent you from going too high.
As with the previous two rides, Jolly Rocker has a minimum height restriction of 1m with an adult (16 or older) and 1.3m without.
3. Pirate Falls Treasure Quest
Pirate Falls Treasure Quest is a much-loved ride on a hot day, given that it’s a log flume ride.
However, smaller kids may find it scary, especially since there is a significant drop into the water, which will result in them (and you) getting wet.
As you might expect, given this ride’s name, it is pirate-themed, and while the pirate figures aren’t too intimidating, some younger kids may find these characters scary.
Much like The Dragon, not all children can go on this ride. Instead, everyone who rides needs to be above 1.0m, with only children above 1.3m being allowed to ride unsupervised.
4. The Dragon
The Dragon is a miniature rollercoaster which will see you soar past mythical creatures and alongside incredible castles – all made from Lego, of course.
However, as with most rollercoasters soaring alongside mythical creatures and castles, there are some lumps and bumps and dramatic stops along the way.
While there aren’t any loops or anything too terrifying, there are a few small drops which, alongside The Dragon theme, may scare some younger children.
All riders must be a minimum height of 1.0m, with children needing to be above 1.3m to ride without an adult.
Pro tip: If you think this ride might be a little scary for younger guests, consider checking out the Dragons Apprentice ride. It’s got the same theme but is designed for younger park visitors.
5. Viking’s River Splash
As the name suggests, Viking’s River Splash is a water-based ride.
This log flume sees you travel through an ancient Viking village before going up a very tall hill.
Once at the top, you’ll splash down into the water below and be soaked from head to toe in the process.
This can be a great experience on a hot sunny day, but not so fun if it’s raining or cloudy.
Pro tip: This is one of many water-based rides at Legoland Windsor. As such it’s always best to bring along a poncho and a change of clothes where possible.
However, getting wet may not be the only thing that puts off younger theme park goers since the format of this ride sees you go in a circular boat as a group.
This boat twists, turns and splashes around, and as such, you can be going backwards at specific points (including the significant drop at the end).
6. Haunted House Monster Party
This ride sees you invited inside Vampire’s Haunted Mansion for a monster party.
You’ll begin by walking through the mansion itself before taking a seat at the grand banquet table.
At this point, a staff member will bring the lap bars down, and Vampire will go ahead and reveal his greatest party trick, using a potion to turn the house upside down.
While you never go entirely upside down (since you’re only supported by a lap bar), this ride has been known to make some people feel somewhat nauseous.
This, combined with brief moments of darkness, can make it a little too scary for smaller children.
Children above 0.9m are permitted to go on this ride with an adult (above 16). Meanwhile, unsupervised children need to be above 1.3m.
7. LEGO® City Deep Sea Adventure
The LEGO® City Deep Sea Adventure submarine lets you see some amazing sea creatures, including sharks, stingrays, and even a few Lego Minifigures.
This experience can be scary for some guests for several reasons;
- The ride takes place in a confined submarine suitable for up to 14 people.
- The ride sees you come face to face with what may have previously been described as dangerous underwater animals (sharks, stingrays etc.)
- Strobe lighting is used at certain times.
The ride lasts approximately four minutes in total and has no height requirement; however, children must be 1.3m or taller to ride unaccompanied by an adult (16+)
Pro tip: If you’ve been to Legoland Windsor previously, you might recognise this ride under a different name since it was rebranded in March 2020, replacing Atlantis Submarine Voyage.
8. Spinning Spider
This ride didn’t affect the kids too much; on the other hand… Let’s just say I regret the ice cream I had roughly 20 minutes prior.
The Spinning Spider ride is one of the more unique ones at Legoland Windsor.
It’s a mixture of a teacup ride and a merry-go-round and, as such, can be pretty disorientating.
Ultimately, you’re spinning on three-axis;
- The wider circle, merry-go-round.
- The smaller area you’re in (containing roughly four other spiders).
- Your own spider from which you control by spinning the wheel in the centre.
All in all, it’s A LOT of spinning. Some of which you can control, but the vast majority of which you can not.
Therefore, if you think your party’s younger (or older) members may be put off by vicious spinning at speed or spiders, it may be best to skip this ride during your visit.
