Legoland New York, the Park, Hotel, and Experience

First, let’s start with a disclaimer, I know my amusement parks. Growing up in California, I visited many and often. But as a mom living on the East Coast, amusement parks never seemed as big a deal as California’s ones. Am I an amusement park snob? Perhaps. But when LEGOLAND New York Resort announced they were opening here in New York, well, this changed the game. It is a big deal, especially for people like me, where visiting amusement parks was part of their childhood fabric. And now that we adults and one 12 year old are vaccinated, we headed to LEGOLAND!

Psst…check out the Where to See Fall Foliage in NYC 2021!

Legoland New Resort

Most parents will admit that taking their kids to an amusement park is a love-hate thing. You want your kids to have this fun experience, but they go wild, which can be stressful. I also have to consider my Autistic son; two summers ago, we went to a particular park (think mouse ears), and it didn’t go well. So I was concerned about this Legoland visit. Some parents with ASD children will share, doing anything with your ASD kid can be challenging. But when a park is bright, and its foundation is based on building bricks and is entirely okay with children running around, the stress you carry in these visits can be minimal, and it’s easy to enjoy the experience.

The Legoland Experience

While I have been to the Legoland Park in San Diego, I found this park more manageable, and the view of the surrounding town of Goshen is breathtaking; really, bring the camera.

There are seven’ lands.’ You can zig-zag and visit the rides you wish or start from the park’s entry and work your way -looping your way through the park.

Brick Street
Bricktopia
LEGO NINJAGO World
LEGO Castle
LEGO City
LEGO Pirates
Miniland

Our favorite rides were Lego Factory Adventure Ride, everything in Ninjago, and Splash Battle (prepare to get wet) like the one in California. My youngest was more into The Wharf, which is a fun sensory playground-type ship.

Mini-Land at Legoland

Of course, LEGOLAND is about legos, many of them, and Mini Land does not disappoint. The ‘land’ features ten destinations from around the world of 22,231,368 -ish Lego Bricks. Super impressive, but once you get to the New York land, it is awe-inspiring with the detail and love put into the most iconic spots of all five boroughs of New York City, such as the Statue of Liberty and One World Trade Center. I honestly do not want to give it all away because it is pretty special to see the artistry of these masterpieces IRL.

Eating at Legoland

Kids have to eat. There are plenty of food choices, such as pizza and pasta at Brickolini’s Pizza & Pasta, smokey’s Brick-B-Que. We brought snacks for our picky eater and ate at Ninja Kitchen.

The Legoland Hotel

We went big and stayed at The LEGOLAND Hotel. The check-in process (also can be done online before your visit) is contactless, like an airport check-in terminal (minus the line). The fun starts immediately in the lobby with the Castle PlayScape as well as a Lego Workshop. Picture kids running around, playing with LEGOS while parents lounge around the bar area. There was no side-eye from people as my son climbed around them. Hey, this isn’t a spa weekend- we’re taking one for the team, so the bar is much appreciated.

The room consists of LEGO-themed rooms – Pirate, Kingdom, LEGO NINJAGO, or LEGO Friends. We stayed in the Ninjago-themed room; the kids treasure hunted in the room, played with Legos stored closely by their Ninjago bunk beds. The hotel features nightly kid entertainment, and breakfast is complimentary for hotel guests at Bricks Family Restaurant. A pool (open seasonally), a fitness center, and hotel amenities like laundry service can also be found at the hotel.

Happening Now: Halloween Spectacular

Included with admission and every Saturday & Sunday in October, from 3 pm – 6 pm-families scan enjoy Brick – or – Treat LEGOLAND New York Resort’s Halloween Brick-or-Treat

Live Entertainment & Shows
Character Meet & Greets
Costume Contest
Dance parties

And, of course, Trick or Treating! Happening now until October 30th.

New York Society of Play Summer Camp and Classes

Summer Game Camp There are many who do not feel safe sending their children back out into the world with summer camp, this year. To serve those parents and keep the children connected and stimulated during this challenging time, we are offering NYSP Digital Summer Camp. The name of the game with NYSP Summer Camp is community. We have made a large effort to make our camp feel like a living space, with features including &ndash; - Role-Playing games familiar and new, led by our master storytellers! - Enriching electives such as Chess, World Building, Character Acting, Crafts, Drawing, and more! - Discussion and media screening rooms during lunch! - A digital campus! - Moderated chat hours! &nbsp; Join us for a summer of games, friends, and more! Mon - Fri 10am - 2:30pm &nbsp; Roleplay Expeditions: Dungeons &amp; Dragons No experience is required to join one of our Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our game masters have pre-made character sheets, so you'll be able to start playing the game right away! We adapt the rules of traditional Dungeons &amp; Dragons to make them more approachable to children of various ages. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop!&nbsp; &nbsp; Public games meet once per week, with different groups every time. Private games meet 1 to 2 times per week with the same group of kids. Since the players and the storyteller in the group are consistent, this enables us to tell epic tales of adventure together! &nbsp; Dungeons &amp; Dragons Junior No experience is required to join one of our drop-in Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our Dungeons &amp; Dragons Jr. game provides a D&amp;D storytelling experience without character sheets. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop! A great way to introduce young children to D&amp;D so they can eventually move onto the main game.

The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center

The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center offers year-round, community-based dance and music programming in a fully inclusive and nurturing environment, located in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District. The School&rsquo;s diverse and professional faculty provides progressive and non-competitive instruction with all of our classes accompanied by live music. Though we are a non-recital school, there are opportunities for students to perform and for parents to see their dancers in action.

Basketball City

Beginning June 2024, Basketball City will be running a full weekly schedule of Summer Basketball Camps. We will have our professional staff of coaches teaching your kids weekly. Our camps are designed to teach kids the skills they need to become a better basketball player by using specific drills and fitness work that focus on the fundamentals of the game in a fun, safe and inclusive environment. &nbsp;The camps run weekly varying in time and the number of days for ages 6-17. We have 3-, 4- &amp; 5-day options with times ranging from 9-4pm or 9-3pm. Every camper will receive a jersey once they are registered and arrive. We are limiting the number of camp participants each week to ensure a safe and healthy environment for your children. The limited number of campers will also ensure that your child receives individual attention needed to improve their basketball skills. Our camps in the past typically include current and past NBA players and a collaboration with the Jr. Knicks, the National Basketball Players Association, as well as 5 Star Basketball, and our ever-popular Basketball City FUNdamentals Camp along with our Jr. NBA/NBA Cares NBA Draft/Skills Challenge Camp with future NBA talent.