A lot of yards look about the same. You’ve got grass, flower beds, and maybe an island. How do you give your home yard a little pizzazz?

Park Strip

Put something in besides grass. Grass is pretty boring. A couple of large boulders can go a long way in the park strip. In addition, you might plant some unique trees or shrubs. You will definitely have an average yard if you go with grass and a few basic trees. How about a Monkey Puzzle Tree or Alpine Fir in the park strip? Putting in some larger items in the park strip sets a nice foreground for the rest of the yard.

Flower Beds

Raise them up at least six inches high. Taller and larger flower beds look a lot better than plain flat ground. Just make sure that you are willing to spend the time to keep them maintained properly.

Plant lots of flowers. People often make the mistake of skimping on plants. The flower beds should be packed with color.

You should also create centerpieces with hardscape features like boulders, bronze statues or wood items (to name a few). This adds a new element of texture and makes the design much more interesting.

Themes

A high mountain top would have a different theme than a tropical forest. You need to decide what kinds of plants you like best overall. Then, stick with the theme. Try your best to mimic nature because nature is much more beautiful than man made yards. Finding pictures of plants you like in magazines is an easy way to find out what you like. You could also spend time at the local nursery.

Final Tips

Pick at least one unique feature you love and surround the yard with the theme of this. It will go a long way in providing you ideas. Incorporate as much foreground and background as possible. To do this, bring larger items to the foreground and diminish others in the background. Finally, don’t just copy all your neighbors. It won’t really be yours.

Walt Disney had a dream to create the perfect Disney World. Disney had already built Disneyland in California but wanted to learn from his experiences and create the perfect environment. A true World of Disney. Sadly, Walt Disney never saw his vision come true. Construction began in 1967 the year after Walt died.

The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is the most visited theme park in the world with over 16 million guests in 2006. It is now just a part of the huge area of Disney theme parks, water parks, shopping, Disney resorts and entertainment which we know as Walt Disney World. Here are some fun Magic Kingdom secrets!

1.Magic Kingdom park opened on October 1st 1971. It was the first park to open in Walt Disney World.

2.It borrows the concept of it’s design from Disneyland California. Visitors enter the park on Main Street. Cinderella’s Castle dominates the view. When you walk down Main Street you have no idea that the buildings are not full size. Disney uses a technique of forced perception to create the illusion. Guests are unaware that the second and third stories of the buildings on Main Street are not full size. The 189 feet tall Cinderella’s Castle looks much taller because of the design of the buildings on Main Street and also the design of the castle itself.

3. Disney actually wanted to have reduced crowds on opening day in 1971. Having learned from the difficulties of the opening day of Disneyland, they wanted to be able to correct any operating difficulties and last minute problems before the mass of guests started arriving. This is why they chose a date in October to open Magic Kingdom. Even the official Magic Kingdom opening ceremony and media events were delayed until later in October so that everything could be as perfect as possible.

4. Under the Magic Kingdom there is a massive network of underground tunnels and corridors known as Utilidors. The story goes that Walt Disney was upset when he saw a Frontierland Cowboy walking through Tomorrowland at Disneyland. He wanted the perfect Disney World park without guests ever knowing how the park operated. So the Utilidors were incorporated into the design of the Magic Kingdom to allow all the behind the scenes functions to continue without the Disney theme park guests ever knowing how it was done.

5. When the Magic Kingdom park opened, two Disney resort hotels also had their debut. They were Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Resort. Guests were amazed that the Disney World monorail actually runs through the Contemporary Resort lobby.

6. The Magic Kingdom ticket price on opening day was $4.95. The price of a one day Magic Kingdom ticket today is $67.

7. It is almost impossible to get a table at Cinderella’s Royal table which is the restaurant located in Cinerella’s Castle. Advance Dining Reservations open up 180 days ahead and sell out within minutes.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom contain many secrets both past and present - enjoy exploring the most magical place on earth.

Every year, millions of people in the United States and around the world flock to amusement parks to see exciting entertainment and to ride their favorite rides. Theme parks have long-been considered one of America’s most wholesome places for family fun. However, not all trips to amusement parks are the fun-filled, safe family outings we’d like them to be. Unfortunately, what has always been considered a wonderful form of entertainment for all ages carries with it the very real possibility of serious injury or even death.

In the United States, no official source is keeping a complete national record of theme park accidents, and in many states such as Florida, theme parks are not legally required to report accidents involving injuries.

However, based on reports and estimations, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has published a study stating that there are approximately 5,000 amusement park ride-related injuries each year, and that there were 67 fatalities from rides in 2004 alone. The CPSC cites a number of factors involved in the number of injuries and deaths reported including mechanical failure, design defects, poor maintenance, operator behavior, and consumer behavior.

The laws surrounding the amusement park industry are numerous, complex and vary from state to state. Regulation and inspection of amusement rides are left up to the state or local municipality. Most states do provide some sort of amusement ride regulation; however, consumers really have no way of knowing exactly how many people have been injured at parks such as Universal Studios Florida and Disney World.

As a matter of fact, the largest amusement parks in Florida are exempt from state regulations that require all injuries be reported and are exempt from the regulations that allow the state authorities to shut down and inspect the rides. Nonetheless, the Disney Company voluntarily submits to safety inspections on a regular basis.

Because the laws in this industry are so complex, the expertise of a personal injury lawyer with experience in this arena may be necessary to fully understand your rights as a guest of the amusement park should you be injured. There are three types of law involved with liability for amusement park accidents: negligence (tort) law, product liability law, and premises liability law.

According to the International Association of Amusement Park Attractions (IAAPA), going on amusement park rides is one of the safest forms of recreation in America. The organization states that you are more likely to be injured when you play sports, ride a horse, or even ride a bicycle. Their statistics show the occurrence of death on a ride to be approximately 1 in 250 million riders.

Regardless of the statistics, accidents do happen, and if one happens at an amusement park, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and possibly receive compensation for your injury.

Legoland California is a 128-acre theme park located in Carlsbad, near San Diego. It is the third of four Legoland parks and is the only Lego theme park in the United States. Geared to children between the ages of 2 and 12, it features more than 50 interactive rides, shows and attractions as well as Lego-themed restaurants and shops. The park is also beautifully landscaped with 1,360 bonsai trees and other plants from around the world.

The current team of model builders at Legoland California design, build and maintain the more than 15,000 Lego models that make the park a one-of-a-kind vacation destination. Models in the area range from the 20-foot-tall Stratosphere tower to the intricate sculpture of an MGM icon, made from 1,250 Lego bricks. The largest Miniland hotel, the Venetian, is comprised of more than 20 individual models. The park is divided into nine themed areas listed below:

1. “The Beginning” is the entryway into Legoland California and features “The Big Shop”. This 8000-square-foot store offers the largest selection of Lego items in the United States and includes Legoland signature products along with harder-to-find sets.

2. “Dino Island” is the prehistoric area of the park where kids can dig for ‘fossils’ at the “Dig Those Dinos” sandy playground. It is also home to The “Coastersaurus” roller coaster.

3. “Explore Village” features several adventurous rides including the Jeep tour, “Safari Trek” to see life-sized Lego animals. Guests can also explore the village on the “Legoland Express” train or the “Fairy Tale Brook” boat ride. This area also features a ventriloquist show at the “Playtown Theater” and the “Playtown” and “Water Works” play areas.

4. “Fun Town” is a scaled down town where kids can learn to fly at the “Flight Squadron” or captain a boat at “Skipper School”. In the popular ride, “Volvo Driving School”, children can drive small electric cars made to look like Lego cars around a small road network and gain a mock driving license. They can also race fire trucks at the “Fun Town Fire Academy”, learn about fire safety at “The Big Test” stage show and find the 7 Lego keys to save Johnny Thunder at the “Adventurer’s Club”. Guests can also take the “Lego Factory Tour” to see how the famous building blocks are made.

5. “Pirate Shores” features water attractions designed around the ever-popular pirate theme. In “Splash Battle”, the only ride of its kind in the United States, kids can navigate pirate ships, complete with water cannon, on a high sea adventure. Exploding volcanoes and roving bands of pirates add to the adrenaline thrills. Other rides include “Captain Cranky’s Challenge” and the “Treasure Falls” mini-flume log ride with two plunges. Kids can also splash around at the “Swabbies Deck” and “Soak-N-Sail” water play areas.

6. “Knight’s Kingdom” is a medieval themed area home to “The Dragon” indoor coaster in the Knight’s Kingdom Castle. Cross a medieval moat become a knight in training in “Knight’s Tournament”, where cutting edge robotic technology meets medieval Lego fun. Guests can also participate in a “Royal Joust”, enjoy the “Enchanted Walk” walk-through attraction and explore the multi-level play areas of “The Hideaways”.

7. “Miniland USA” is the heart of Legoland California where mini versions of famous US landmarks are located. Guests can take a walking tour of all the landmarks or board the “Coast Cruise” for a boat ride around the sites and shores of Miniland. Also featured here is the” Block of Fame” art gallery which houses 3-D busts of famous figures.

8. “Imagination Zone” welcomes guests with several over-sized models and also features the Lego Racers 4-D movie at the “Lego Show Place”. Rides include the “Lego Technic Test Track” coaster, the “Aquazone Wave Racers” and the spinning “Bionicle Blaster”. Kids can also enter the Imagination Zone and play Lego PC games at “Maniac Challenge” and design their own creations at the “Build & Test” and “Bionicle Evolution”.

9. The “Land of Adventure” is Legoland California’s newest area which opened in March 2008. It features the “Lost Kingdom Adventure” where guests are taken on an adventure ride, armed with laser guns, to recover a stolen treasure and uncover a forgotten empire. Riders board Jeeps and travel through nine different scenes along the way, including a spider’s lair, professor’s lab, mummy relics and a skeleton band that requires riders to hit the correct targets to make the bones “pull themselves together” and become musicians.

At “Pharaoh’s Revenge”, children and parents journey through ancient temple ruins to recover a pharaoh’s stolen treasure while launching thousands of foam balls at targets and each other. “Beetle Bounce” boosts children to even bigger heights, nearly 15 feet to be exact, as they are launched up one of two obelisks nearly touching the gigantic Lego beetles above them. Other rides include the new “Cargo Ace” airplane ride.

Legoland California is open 7 days a week during the months of June, July and August and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the school year. The park is not as busy as others, so unless you can visit on a weekday during the school year, your selection of specific day won’t matter all that much.

The nice thing about Legoland California is that it is an amusement park that is truly dedicated to wholesome family fun and the crowd is typically younger than you’ll find at Disneyland or Universal Studios. Food is pricey, but there are several healthy choices such as pretzels and fruit in addition to standard fattening park favorites. You can also find discounted tickets easily with an online search so be sure to shop around for the best price when planning your trip.

This California attraction makes for a great family vacation destination. It offers something for the kid in all of us and allows one to experience, or re-experience, the joy of just playing for the sake of playing. From mild to thrilling, most every ride and attraction gives guests the opportunity to take control of their adventure and to use their imaginations to create whatever fun trip they wish. Be sure to include Legoland California on your next trip to the Golden State.