Making a family day of the LEGO® Americana Roadshow

This post brought to you by GGP at Providence Place. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Kara Carrero.

Any time our family can hop on a train and head out for a day trip, we have our stroller, carriers, and backpacks ready! So when we were asked to attend the LEGO® Americana Roadshow in Providence, RI this weekend, we geared up for a great time. In fact, my learning-to-love-LEGO® preschooler, my toddler, and my husband alike were in awe with me over each of the enormous scale models of some of our nation’s most treasured landmarks.

While we thought about picking up and leaving bright and early around 5 am, our family realistically doesn’t function until later. In fact, I always joke that if you ask us to be somewhere as a family unit before 10:30 am

In fact, I always joke that if you ask us to be somewhere as a family unit before 10:30 am, chances are slim that we’ll make it on time.

So instead, we hopped out of bed and out the door around 9 am to catch the bus, subway, and train to Rhode Island to enjoy all that Providence Place had to offer.

After a surprisingly quick (and also inexpensive) trip on the commuter rail from Boston to Providence, we walked out of the station doors that said “Capitol – Providence Place” and could actually see the Providence Place Mall from there. Get directions to Providence Place

A 3-minute walk and we were in the doors. 

We were pretty excited about the opportunity to show our oldest her first Build-A-Bear store and even scout out a date night there for ourselves since they have IMAX, Dave & Buster’s, and a Fire and Ice (my husband loves Mongolian food and misses eating it weekly when we lived in Oklahoma).

With 9 levels, there was a lot to explore there as a family and something that entertained each of us on our day out.

Making the most of the LEGO® Americana Roadshow with little ones

So the best part of this event is that it was in a mall.

I know we have done so many outings with our kids and they tend to get bored or disinterested after a while. But because the exhibits were positioned throughout the mall, it gave us reason to walk around and look at other stuff. Which actually kept my 3-year-old completely enthralled with the experience.

And there’ nothing a little ice cream from Johnny Rockets can’t fix for a preschooler.

Beyond just utilizing the Providence Place stores, eating at the food court, and cashing in on the opportunity to walk out all their energy, use the Roadshow as a fun and engaging learning experience!

• Make it a challenge to see how high they can count.

• Especially if your kids can’t read, have them guess how many hours each monument took to build (there are signs at each one mentioning how long & how many people it took to build them).
• Do the scavenger hunt in order to get your own poster to take home.
• Bring some coins to let your kids gently toss them into the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials
• If you dare, make a challenge your kids to some trivia. It can be a simple or difficult as you wish. Little kids like mine can guess how big the real thing is, learn about historic events, and can be asked to spot details about the bricks. My daughter loved that the Liberty Bell actually had a ringer and that Jefferson & Lincoln were actually built into the inside of their memorials.

• If your kids are a little older ask them some trivia relating to each Monument (examples below)
  • When and why did the White House get its name?
  • The Declaration was signed in Independence Hall. Whose signature is most prominent on the document?
  • Abraham Lincoln was President during what war?
  • What document did Thomas Jefferson write?
  • Who gifted America the Statue of Liberty? (What country)
  • Name a Supreme Court Justice.
  • Who rode to warn that the British were coming after seeing a signal in Old North Church?
  • Why is the real Washington Monument two different colors?
  • Has the crack always been in the Liberty Bell?
  • The US Capitol dome was actually built on top of a smaller dome; true or false?

What to Expect at the LEGO® Roadshow

First and foremost, it’s all completely free. 

And because LEGO® attracts from people ages 1-99+ it is something that is truly enjoyable for all. Our 1-year-old enjoyed looking at several of the smaller glassed showcases that were above and beyond the 10 highlighted American landmarks.

So it makes for a fun day out where the family can shop the mall, burn off some of the pent-up energy that Northern winters bring, and see these awesome works of LEGO® art! Thaw out and check out the New England stop for the roadshow anytime between now and March 6.

There is also a Make-and-Take event where kids will get a monument to build and take home. In Providence, the event is 2/27-2/28 from noon to four building Old North Church.

A play place is set up with both small bricks and Duplo blocks for kids to come and enjoy themselves. And of course, they can also check out what’s new in the LEGO® store next door. We built building and watched many other kids race their LEGO® creations down ramps.

The exhibit also bring with it opportunities to win! So prepare yourself for counting and brush up those math skills in order to participate in a guess the number of bricks contest. And since you’ll already be snapping photos, don’t forget to enter the online contest. the easiest way is posting on Instagram!  You must include @providenceplacemall, @LEGO, and #LEGOAmericana.

CHECK OUT OUR MINUTE HIGHLIGHT REEL OF OUR FAVORITE PART OF VISITING THE ROADSHOW AT PROVIDENCE PLACE