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

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

LEGOLAND New York Tips

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGO Self Portrait

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!

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGO love

LEGOs, LEGOs All The Time

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOS

So where does this love take us?

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGO Pick A Brick

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

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGO Discovery Center Westchester

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

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Welcome Sign

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

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND Halloween

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

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!

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGO Movie Barnes and Noble

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips Miniland

Before You Go

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

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!

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips Granny Goblin Toes

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

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!

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

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!

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

When You’re In The Park

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND Dragon Coaster

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - Legoland Boy Driving Boat

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Recycled Bench

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips Miniland

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND 90th Birthday Cake

LEGO Birthdays Galore!

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

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGO Louis Vuitton 200 Trunk Exhibit

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!

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips Miniland

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.

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

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!

The Mint Chip Mama - LEGOLAND New York Tips

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

Please let us know what you think of this post! Was it helpful? Did you go to any of these places? Try any of these things? If yes, please like the post, comment below, and share it on your social media.

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Published by Stacey Wallenstein

Stacey Gish Wallenstein created The Mint Chip Mama blog in 2013 to share her love and passion for giving children meaningful life experiences and helping moms like her navigate the challenges and benefits of raising children in the New York metropolitan area. Before becoming a full-time mom in 2010, Stacey spent the better part of the preceding decade as a high-end customer relationship management (CRM) professional for some of the most well-known brands in the hotel, luxury, fashion, and beauty industries, such as Harrah’s Entertainment, Chanel and Christian Dior, Inc. She managed customer loyalty programs for thousands of clients around the country and created social media strategies for a span of industries including healthcare services, restaurants, consumer packaged goods, specialty foods, local attractions and retail locations. After 13 wonderful years in Manhattan (the last three of which spent as a city mom), Stacey and her husband moved to Long Island in 2014, where they now reside with their three children (13, 9, and 7). There, she is a founding member of her local Parenting Center, which provides classes and coordinates events designed to educate and inform parents while fostering an environment of support and friendship within the community. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Stacey has been active in the New York area alumni organization for nearly twenty years, serving as a board member on the school’s University of Michigan Alumni Club of New York City. She also holds a Masters in Psychology from The New School in New York City. Please check out The Mint Chip Mama in the Press: The New York Post, Psychology Today, NY Metro Parents, New York Family, Parents Magazine, Newsday, News 12, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: Kids, NerdWallet, Big Apple Kids Guide, and more! The Mint Chip Mama was also nominated as "The Best Blog On Long Island" for 2022 & 2023, one of the Top 20 New York Mom Blogs & Websites, and one of the Top 100 Mom Lifestyle Blogs on the web! For more updates, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest.

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