The LEGO Americana Road Show 2015 (Slideshow)

Guess what? We went on a road-trip!

Gosh, I love me some road trips! I think I especially love them when my hubby springs an impromptu one on us. Well-timed because it’s always when I need a change of pace from the daily routine. It’s also a special kind of bonding time for us as a family. Oh, and the best part, no cooking for this mama!!! Woo hoo!

A couple weeks ago we decided to hit the road to a LEGO event at the Christiana Mall in Delaware. The Lego Americana Roadshow 2015 is a FREE traveling exhibit of large scale models of iconic buildings and national landmarks made entirely of, you guessed it….LEGOS! The roadshow has been touring the U.S. for a few months and Delaware was their last stop, so you know we couldn’t miss it. The buildings were impressive to say the least. Here’s a slideshow of the exhibit. I chose some Mozart background music to go along with the slides, it had a certain je ne sais quoi, which I thought paired well with these timeless landmarks. Lol. Enjoy!

Slideshow

We toured the exhibits, made a stop in the LEGO Store and had some fun in the play area. I had no idea their dad planned on getting them MORE Legos, then again maybe he had no idea he was going to do that either. Lol. Here’s a list of the 10 landmarks that were on exhibit (with their links embedded if you want more info).

The Landmarks

Independence Hall
- The LEGO Independence Hall was designed at a 1:12 scale, and is 14.3 feet long, 43.77 inches deep, and 87.68 inches tall. It took 3 builders 570 hours to complete.
The U.S. Supreme Court Building
- The LEGO Supreme court was built at 1:54 scale and is almost 10 feet long. It was built in 450 hours by 3 LEGO Master Builders.
The Liberty Bell
- The Liberty Bell display was built at a 1:1 ratio which means it was it’s actual size!! It included the “wooden” yoke at 54 inches wide and 49 inches tall. The height from the bottom of the clapper to the top of the yoke is 64 inches and the bell is 52 inches high. They even added the crack in the bell! Talk about realistic.
Statue of Liberty
- The original statue stands 305 feet tall from the foot of the pedestal to the tip of the torch. The LEGO Statue of Liberty is built at 1:25 scale and is over 9 feet tall. It took 320 hours to build by 3 Lego Master Builders.
The White House
- The LEGO White House is built at a 1:30 scale, and is 80 bricks tall, or 2-1/2 feet. It took 4 builders 825 hours to complete.
Washington Monument
- The LEGO Washington Monument is built at a 1:35 scale and is 503 bricks tall, or 15 feet, 10 inches. It took a team of 3 builders 250 hours to complete.
U.S. Capitol Building
The Lincoln Memorial
- The LEGO Lincoln Memorial is built at 1:25 scale an is 8 feet wide. It was built in 475 hours by four LEGO Master Builders.
Old North Church
- The LEGO Old North Church is built at 1:32 scale and is 3 feet, 11-1/4 inches long.
Jefferson Memorial
- The LEGO Jefferson Memorial is built at 1:51 scale and is 1.8 feet tall. It was built in 230 hours by 3 LEGO Master Builders.
There was also some miscellaneous LEGO displays.

Most of these national landmarks (the real ones that is) are located in the nation’s Capital, Washington D.C. with the exception of the Old North Church – Boston, the Pennsylvania Liberty Bell – Pennsylvania and the Statue of Liberty – New York.

Extending the Learning

We had 3 kids in tow so we were not able to fill out the activity quiz sheet as we toured so I took the quiz home and used it to extend the learning. We learnt more about building to scale and why. Here are the questions, answers and resources we used.

Independence Hall
- How many hours did it take to build the LEGO model of the Independence Hall?
  - 570 hours by 3 master builders!
The U.S. Supreme Court Building
- What inscription is over the west facing (“front”) entrance of the building?
  - Equal Justice Under Law
The Liberty Bell
- What is unique about the spelling of “Pennsylvania” on the Liberty Bell?
  - There is only one “n” in the first syllable
Statue of Liberty
- The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from what country?
  - France
The White House
- In what year was the West Wing added to the White House?
  - 1901
Washington Monument
- How many LEGO bricks tall is the LEGO Washington Monument?
  - 503
U.S. Capitol Building
- At what scale was the LEGO model of the US Capitol built at?
  - 1:29
Lincoln Memorial
- How tall is the statue of Abraham Lincoln inside the real Lincoln Memorial?
  - 19 feet
Old North Church
- On what date did Paul Revere make his midnight ride? (learn more HERE and HERE)
  - April 18-19, 1775
Jefferson Memorial
- The statue of Thomas Jefferson inside the real Jefferson Memorial is made from what material?
  - bronze

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NASA Video: What it means to scale and why scientists do it

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Of course the LEGO displays were quite a sight, the workmanship and detail that went into putting these creations together was nothing short of astounding. The Master Builders’ fingers must be very tired, hats off to them!

If you live in or ever visit the D.C. area however, it’s a whole other experience to visit these landmarks in person. We live in the D.C. area so we see them often, but we’ve not experienced all of them up close and personal as of yet. We’re making it our goal over the coming years to visit each and every one and then some…you should too!

We had a really good time bonding and just having fun. Daddy had a chance to visit his favorite store Cabela’s and when we were done in Delaware, we hopped, skipped and jumped on highway 95 to New York to visit with family! It was a splendid weekend. We all returned home refreshed and rejuvenated, well at least, I did. 🙂

I’m hoping the LEGO Americana Roadshow will be hitting the streets again in 2016, they may very well be in city near you! I’ll be sure to let you know, because you won’t want to miss it. 🙂