Legoland New York

On May 29, 2021, the state of New York saw an exciting new addition with the opening of Legoland New York in Goshen! This is an amusement park that consists of 150 acres of seven Lego themed lands on a property of 500 acres, and it contains several structures and attractions made of Lego or designed to resemble Lego. In this blog post, I will be discussing the history of the park and the many things you can do there, in hopes that it will encourage all of you reading to go check it out. 

Plans for a Legoland New York began in 2015, with Haverstraw in Rockland County being chosen as the location, and a theme park, water park, and hotel being part of the proposal. Plans were immediately withdrawn due to resident concerns, but a year later, Legoland New York was proposed again for Goshen with the hotel and theme park but no water park, and the plans were approved in October 2017. Plans were for the park to open on July 4, 2020 to coincide with Independence Day, but construction on the project was halted and the opening was pushed back a year due to the Covid pandemic. In May 2021, it was announced that the park would be opening in phases due to construction delays, with a soft opening on May 29 as Lego Pirates and part of Lego City were still under construction, and the hotel was also delayed. All seven lands of the park and the rides officially opened on July 9, 2021, and the hotel opened on August 6, 2021. A water playground was also announced as opening in 2022, but due to delays, it ended up opening on Memorial Day weekend in 2023.

I will now be going over all the fun things you can do at the park.

The first land at the park is called Brick Street, and it has a total of two attractions. The first one is called Brick Party, and it’s a carousel where you can ride on Lego creations of a motorcycle, a tiger, a Duplo chicken, and a giraffe. The other attraction in this land is called Planet Legoland, and it’s an immersive build experience, where kids can build the world of their dreams with Lego bricks.

The next land at the park is called Bricktopia, and it has a total of five attractions. The first one is where kids can build whatever they want and then test it to make it even better. The next one is a spinner ride you can find at any amusement park called DJ’s Dizzy Disco Spin. The next one is a train ride called Duplo Express. The next one is called Lego Factory Adventure Ride, and it’s described as you being shrunk to miniature size and being right in the action of Lego bricks being created. The last attraction in this land is where you have a chance to see Lego models being built.

The next land at the park is Lego Ninjago World, and it has a total of three attractions. The first attraction is called Jay’s Gravity Force Trainer, which is a Music Express ride of cars that are connected and go around a circular track. The next one is Lego Ninjago The Ride, which is a 3D interactive dark ride where riders move their hands in different positions and angles in order for a new technology to pick up their movements and shoot targets on projected scenes. The last attraction in this land is one for kids called Ninja Training Camp. 
The next land at the park is called Lego Castle, and it has a total of five attractions. The first one is called Builders Guild, which is where you can help construct a castle. The next one is called Merlin’s Flying Machines, which is a ride that is similar to the Dumbo ride at Disney, except it requires you to pedal in order to gain height. The next one is called Tower Climb Tournament, which is where guests climb a spinning tower while seated using a rope, and once they reach the top, the vehicle drops to the ground like a drop tower, and guests then climb the tower again, repeating their actions until the ride is stopped. The next one is a kiddie coaster called The Dragon’s Apprentice, which has ride vehicles that look like baby dragons made of Lego. The last attraction in this land is a family coaster called The Dragon, which starts with a dark ride segment and has cars that look like a Lego dragon.

The next land at the park is called Lego City, and it has a total of nine attractions. The first one is where kids can build their own Lego boat and then race them. The next two attractions are a driving school for kids ages 3 to 5, and another driving school for kids ages 6 to 13. The next one is called Fire Academy, and in this ride, riders utilize human power to move a Lego fire engine to a simulated fire and extinguish it, while also competing against other riders. The next one is called Ocean Explorer, and it is a swinging pendulum ride. The next one is a 4D movie theater called Palace Cinema. The next one is a Wharf playscape for kids. The next one is a Water Playground that features waterslides, a cascading splash with 318 gallons of water, and many other things. The last attraction in this land is The Great Lego Race Virtual Reality Experience. 

The next land at the park is Lego Pirates, and it has a total of four attractions. The first one is called Anchors Away, which is a rockin’ tug ride with the ride vehicle made to look like a pirate ship made from Lego. The next one is called Rogue Riders, and it is a jet ski ride that uses centrifugal force to force vehicles that look like Lego barrels outwards towards water features. The next one is called Shiver Me Bricks, and it is a playscape that looks like a pirate ship. The last attraction in this land is called Splash Battle, which is where riders board a boat and use water cannons to shoot targets with water, as well as people in the surrounding area. 

The last land at the park is Miniland, which features ten sections of detailed Lego models built from real Lego pieces that replicate real world cities and towns, such as the East Coast, Goshen, Las Vegas, Middle America, Midtown, New York City, The Bronx, and the West Coast. 

There are also many options for food in the park. Most of them offer snacks like soft pretzels, apple fries, coffee, baked goods, ice cream, hot dogs, tacos, funnel cakes, popcorn, and cotton candy, but there are also a few restaurants at the park as well. 

The first restaurant at the park is called Ninja Kitchen. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include fried chicken sandwiches, orange ginger chicken sandwich, and smothered and fried vegetable dumplings.

The next restaurant there is called Smokey’s Brick-B-Que. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include pulled pork sandwich, chopped chicken sandwich, chicken tender basket, macaroni and cheese, and French fries.

There is also a hotel at the park that you can stay at. Some of the interesting features about this hotel include the fact that each room has Lego play and build areas, daily in room treasure hunts with Lego souvenirs, an indoor play area, a resort style hotel pool that is open seasonally, and four unique hotel room themes, which are Kingdom, Pirate, Lego Ninjago, and Lego Friends. There are also three options for food at the hotel. The first one is pizza room service, where you can find a QR code in your room to order without leaving. The next option for food is called Skyline Bar. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include fried pickles, garlic parmesan fries, jumbo pretzel, cheeseburger, buffalo cauliflower wrap, chicken tenders and fries, and a breaded chicken cutlet sandwich. The last option for food here is called Bricks Family Restaurant. Some of the interesting foods on their menu include meatballs, mozzarella sticks, pull-apart cheesy garlic bread, chicken parmesan with pasta, eggplant rollatini with pasta, creamy pesto ravioli, penne alla vodka, New York strip steak, tiramisu, cheesecake, brownie sundae, and ice cream.

There are also four seasonal events at the park. The first one is called Red White & Boom, which as its name suggests, is on the Fourth Of July, and consists of themed foods, chances to build with Lego, dancing to live music, and fireworks that transform into Lego bricks. The next event is called Brick or Treat, which takes place every day the park is open in October, and will consist of themed shows, exclusive Lego characters, and trick or treating. The next event is called Holiday Bricktacular, which takes place on select dates in November and December, and it has several rides, attractions, and Holiday Headquarters in Lego City. The last event is the Lego Festival, which lasts six weekends from May 3 to June 8, and has a total of five festival play zones, which are Dance Zone, Gaming Zone, Creative Zone, Chill Out Zone, and Music Zone. 

The park itself is not open right now, but it will be opening for the season very soon on April 10! So, get your tickets, drive over to Goshen, and go have an amazing time with Lego!