Hot LEGOLAND New York Tips: Build Your Kids Or AFOL The Best Day In Goshen, NY (While Saving Time & Money).

LEGOLAND New York Tips

My kids are LEGO® obsessed. They play with LEGOs, talk about LEGOs, and use all their money to buy LEGOs. Their love is so strong that we ran an international daily LEGO build group on Facebook for a year!

LEGOs, LEGOs All The Time

So where does this love take us?

The best gift you can give my boys is a Pick-A-Brick cup from the LEGO store.  

An even better gift is suggesting we go to one of our favorite places – LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Westchester.

But the absolute best gift was taking them to LEGOLAND® New York for my son’s ninth birthday.

LEGOLAND New York

Ever since we learned LEGOLAND New York opened in Goshen we’ve been dying to go. We picked October – not only for the cooler weather – but also because we’re big Halloween people AND it’s my son’s birthday month.

In addition to the fantastic park, we enjoyed the scenic ride this time of year with the changing leaf colors on the New York State Thruway. Every year we say we should do that drive – usually when we’re on a local hike – imagining the grandeur. Well – there you go. Bam – efficiency!

As with all amusement parks, a good day starts with a good strategy. With that said, a little advanced planning goes a long way. Therefore, I put together a bunch of tips (including a secret one) ensuring you’ll also leave saying “Everything Is Awesome!” at the end of the day.

Before You Go

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip 1 – Wear Good Walking Shoes

LEGOLAND New York has wide, easy-to-follow, stroller-accessible paved paths. It also has stairs for climbers looking to fast forward. With so many rides and attractions you will be walking back and forth multiple times throughout your day (we walked six miles!), so make sure to wear good walking shoes. With so many cool big builds everywhere, be sure to add walking around and looking at them into your day. Also, keep your eyes open for LEGO QR codes on the builds. These codes open a cool picture filter for your phone!

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip 2 – Bring A Refillable Water Bottle & Lunch

We are huge water drinkers and bring our water bottles everywhere. Because of this, we were excited to see water refill stations all over the park. We also packed our lunch to save time and money and ate online while waiting for a ride. We did insist on trying one treat – the special Granny’s Goblin Toes (green fried apples) – and they were delicious! Just remember – LEGOLAND is cashless so bring your credit card.

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip 3 – Pack Minifigs to Trade

One of our trip highlights was trading mini-figures or “minifigs” with very friendly employees. Most employees have one displayed on their name tag waiting for a little fan to snag. Therefore, all you do is ask! My kids loved this not only for the excitement of the trade, but it was a fantastic way to purge their least favorite minifigs and hand-pick new ones. Of course, this was successful because they combed through their collection for days in preparation. In addition, we found the best “trading post” was inside the LEGO®Creative Workshops.

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip – 4 Seasonal Events

LEGOLAND New York offers different seasonal events that are not to be missed. These enhancements really add to your amusement park experience. To be safe, double-check the celebration dates before going as some are only on the weekends. During the Fall, LEGOLAND New York transforms into a monster of a good time at the Brick-or-Treat Presents Monster Party (free branded bags and candy!). Coming up next, it becomes a Holiday Bricktacular with shows, characters, and special treats!

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip 5 – Arrive When They Open, Leave When They Close

We like arriving when places open and getting a head start on the busy attractions. Because of this, I suggest checking the park hours before you go as they change seasonally. Also, while you’re on the site, save yourself time and money by pre-purchasing your tickets and parking pass. Keep in mind the closing time listed is the last time a rider can get on a ride line. Therefore, if you’re on the line by then, you are good to go!

When You’re In The Park

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip 6: Sign Up For A Workshop Upon Arrival

LEGOLAND New York is as much about building and the experience as it is about the rides. My friend gave us a great tip that upon entry we should head left and find the yellow LEGO® Creative Workshops building. Here, you can sign up for one of their timed workshops throughout the day. Sessions fill up, so I suggest going early and grabbing a spot.

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip 7: Begin With The Big Rides

There are three large rides at LEGOLAND New York – The Dragon, LEGO NINJAGO® The Ride, and LEGO® Factory Adventure Ride. Start your day in the back of the park on The Dragon, then head to LEGO NINJAGO® The Ride, and then finally to LEGO® Factory Adventure Ride. This will give you a leg up on the crowd in case you want to ride multiple times. All rides have cubbies for backpacks.

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip 8: Continue With The Popular Rides

In addition to the “big” rides, my kids were excited about the rides they researched. They had tunnel vision for LEGO® City’s Driving School where they drove their own car AND got an official LEGOLAND® driver’s license. They were also super excited about Coast Guard Academy, Fire Academy, and Tower Climb Tournament. Since these are all popular rides as well one of us walked ahead to get in line while the other routed the kids to a playscape to wait. We find this divide-and-conquer strategy makes everyone happy.

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip 9 – Appreciate How They’re Saving The World!

Enjoying an amusement park is hard work. Don’t forget to sit and take a break occasionally. I loved how all the benches (and garbage pails!) have plaques showing the reclaimed, recycled milk jugs count used to make them.

LEGOLAND New York Tips: Tip 10 – Do Miniland Last

As with our strategy to get in early and conquer busy rides, we also like staying until parks close. With that said, we did all the rides and saved Miniland for last. As the sun set, we enjoyed this incredible depiction of the most famous buildings and landmarks in America. It was cool (and less crowded at this point) and so pretty with all the lights. Clearly, it was a wonderful way to end our day.

Secret Benefits

If you’re celebrating a birthday head to guest services to pick up a complimentary birthday pin. My son loved this little souvenir and enjoyed everyone wishing him a happy birthday as we walked around.

LEGO Birthdays Galore!

In addition to celebrating my son’s 9th birthday, LEGO is celebrating it’s 90th birthday!

But wait, there’s more! If you catch the Louis Vuitton exhibit celebrating 200 years of his trunks, you will also see a LEGO birthday cake there!

We Must Return!

We saw so much but there was still so much more to see. That’s the best excuse for a return visit! Til next time, LEOGLAND.

Everything WAS Awesome

I’m quite sure there’s no better place to spend a little LEGO lover’s birthday than LEGOLAND New York. In truth, it was so much more than an amusement park. It was a museum, a building experience, a thrill ride, and a learning center, we loved it. In conclusion – everything WAS awesome!

Don’t forget to check out all the family friendly destinations we’ve researched!

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