LEGOLAND New York Is Opening!
*LEGOLAND New York, the highly-anticipated LEGO amusement park set to open for previews on May 29, 2021 and is located 60 miles Northwest of New York City in Goshen, NY. Since the pandemic delayed the opening of LEGOLAND, the next phase of opening will allow Annual Pass and Single-Day ticket holders to experience six of the seven LEGO-themed lands. This includes Brick Street, Bricktopia, LEGO® City, LEGO® Castle, LEGO® NINJAGO® World and MINILAND. The final land, LEGO® PIRATES, will open later this summer, as will LEGOLAND Hotel.*
LEGOLAND New York will be spread across 150 acres of land and surrounded by a further 150 acres (that’s seriously big!) containing 7 LEGO-themed lands, a LEGOLAND New York Resort, and 50 kid-centric attractions that aim to entertain you and your kids as they play in worlds that they have built on their own living room floors!
New York families no longer have to board a plane bound south for amusement park fun. With LEGOLAND New York family fun can be found in our own backyard. Who knew New Yorkers had a backyard!? Only a hop, a skip, and a short hour drive or 90-minute Shortline Coach USA bus ride away, NYC families can have all the amusement park fun without the hassle of flying.
What’s the Hype about LEGOLAND New York?
LEGOLAND New York promises to become a destination location, similar to Pennsylvania’s Hershey Park. Bringing this unique theme park to families from New York as well as New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and even Massachusetts, LEGOLAND New York is collecting the best features of their sister parks, LEGOLAND California and Florida, and uniting them in LEGOLAND New York.
“We’ve been building them for 50 years,” public relations manager Matt Besterman says, “Every time we open a new LEGOLAND it gets a little better, we learn a little more, add newer and cooler stuff so what we’re doing for LEGOLAND New York is we’re going to take everything that we’ve learned and we’re really going to up our game for LEGOLAND New York. We’re going to have rides and attractions that have never been seen before at any other LEGOLAND park.”
The minute families step through LEGOLAND New York’s iconic, multi-colored arch and onto Factory Street, LEGOLAND New York’s first world, they will feel like they have been transported into the world of LEGO imagination.
“All of our themed lands are built from our popular LEGO toys,” Besterman says.
A Guide to the Seven Lands at LEGOLAND New York
Factory Street, a world that makes kids and parents alike feel just as small as a LEGO Minifigure!
Home to The Big Shop, a shop containing the largest selection of LEGO toy sets under one roof, as well as introductory rides that aim to amaze, Factory Street is the first stop for families when they embark on their journey through LEGOLAND!
Bricktopia is a world that knows no bounds where anything can happen.
“Bricktopia is where you can work with our master model builders to build any LEGO creation you want,” Besterman says.
Families can magically shrink to the size of a mini-figure on the Big LEGO Adventure ride, or end up at the Brick Party, riding on a carousel of tigers, motorcycles and Duplo Chickens made of LEGOs, or take part in the Imagination Celebration, getting lost amidst the spinning lights and music. Here, kids can let their creativity run wild. They can craft robots at the Robotic Play Centre, become a Master Builder at the Lego Creative Shop, make race cars and skyscrapers at the Build & Test, or opt for a musical train ride!
Ninjago puts kids Ninja skills to the test.
Moving on to Ninjago, a world that focuses on building determination and courage. Ninjago encourages kids to hone their skills, test their abilities, and have fun doing it! Here, young Ninjas can learn to master the ancient art of Spinjitzu, test their skill on NINJAGO The Ride, tackle high speeds and G forces on a high-tech Ninjago vehicle at Jay’s G Force Trainer, or learn how to control their Spinjitzu Vortex on Lloyd’s Spinjitzu Spinners.
LEGO Castle is home to dragons, royalty and heroic quests.
LEGO Castle is a place where kids can become royalty, and magic becomes more than a figment of the imagination! Here, families can embark on important quests to help Merlin test his new magical flying contraption, teach baby dragons how to fly, or retrieve the good wizard’s stolen staff for the King and Queen. At the LEGO Castle, whether young knights want to compete in a climbing tournament or young princesses want to build a castle, there will be something for every member of the family to enjoy.
LEGO City is a land where kids can learn to drive and save the world on the same day!
At LEGO City trade chivalry for team spirit. Guests can learn to drive an electric car or team up to save a burning building! With park attractions like Rescue Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and Driving School kids can learn to save the world. When they tire of being heroes they can hang out in LEGO City’s Palace Cinema to see the latest blockbuster in 4D from LEGO City Studios.
Pirate Shores transforms kids into pirates, allowing them to fight battles on land and the high seas!
Visit Pirate Shores, a port town swarming with LEGO pirates filled with swashbuckling activities and rides that will force visitors to find their sea legs. Kids can battle against the Blue Coat soldiers for the LEGO Pirates’ booty or set sail on the high seas with rides like Rogue Riders, Anchor’s Away, and Swabbie’s Schooner. When sea battles lose their luster, little Pirates can explore Pirate Shores at Castaway Camp or help redecorate the Harbor’s old jail with Buccaneer Builders!
Miniland shrinks all of the USA’s landmarks down in size!
Having experienced shrinking to the size of a Mini-figure, now kids can grow giant-sized in LEGOLAND’s Miniland. Families can traverse the entire United States of LEGO America with only a few steps! Miniland is a 3D atlas of U.S. Cities that holds interactive features, amazing city skylines. Kids can even build a LEGO boat to float with Build-a-Boat.
The Latest on the Opening and First to Play Passes
Although there are 8 LEGOLANDs already scattered throughout the world (with parks in Europe, Asia, and the South-West and West of the US) the ninth park, LEGOLAND New York, is going to be the largest of them all!
LEGOLAND New York Resort recently announced their First to Play Pass, a pass they say will grant LEGO fanatics a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to experience LEGOLAND New York Resort before the park officially opens. The First to Play Pass is priced at $94.99 and available for purchase via legoland.com. The special pass includes 12 months’ admission to LEGOLAND New York Resort, invitations to special events at LEGOLAND New York Resort, exclusive seasonal offers, and a commemorative First to Play Pass Card.
When the First to Play Passes are sold out, LEGOLAND New York will release other tiers of annuals passes. Prices for these have not yet been announced.
LEGOLAND New York has also unveiled their LEGO Oculus model to the public, celebrating New York’s newest hectic hub of transportation. This 3 foot high, 40,000 LEGO brick model will be installed in the theme park as a part of Miniland.
“At the heart of every LEGOLAND is Miniland,” Besterman says, explaining that because New York City’s skyline is iconic and always changing, LEGOLAND New York wanted to add a building to Miniland that reflects that constant change.
LEGOLAND’s Kid Reporters
Along with their limited edition First to Play Passes and LEGO Oculus model, LEGOLAND New York Resort has introduced its team of 6 kid reporters.
“All LEGOLAND Parks are built for kids and we’ve got so much going on at LEGOLAND New York, we knew we were going to need a team of people to tell this story so, who better to do it then the kids themselves?” Besterman says.
LEGOLAND New York’s team of kid reporters were chosen from a contest on social media and are responsible for reporting for LEGOLAND New York’s website and social media channels from now on through the opening.
We asked kids who live within a hundred miles of Goshen, ages 6 through 12, to send us a one-minute video, explain to us why you would be the best choice for a kid reporter, we got more than 450 entries from 5 states. I watched every single one of them,” Besterman says, “It was a real challenge for us to choose our final team of 5 kids to join our original kid reporter, Waverly Winchester, Kiditor-in-Chief of Kids News NYC.”
Each member of the kid reporter team was presented with a LEGO built microphone and 4 First to Play Passes for themselves and their families, and will report on LEGOLAND New York from now on until the opening.
“They are so enthusiastic about LEGO, about LEGOLAND, they are thrilled to be part of this and we’re thrilled to have them,” Besterman says.
New Yorker’s are excited about LEGOLAND New York’s arrival and LEGOLAND is excited to open one here!
“We’ve got a lot going on at our spot in Goshen and we’ve got a lot planned,” Besteman says.
Quick Facts About LEGOLAND New York:
When is it opening?
May 29, 2021
How much will tickets be?
Single-Day tickets will be sold at a reduced price of $49.99
Will there be ride restrictions?
Rides throughout the park will have height limits and some attractions will have two versions, one for older kids, and one for littles. Specifics regarding riding restrictions will be released closer to the park’s opening.
How can people get there?
You can either drive or take a coach. The drive will be anywhere between an hour to an hour and 30 minutes (traffic depending) OR visitors can take the Shortline Coach USA Bus from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan directly to LEGOLAND New York.
How big will it be?
The park will be built upon 150 acres containing 7 lands, 50 rides, and just a few steps from the park will be the LEGOLAND New York Resort.
Want press updates from the Kid Reporter team?
Visit legolandnewyorkpressroom.com
For more info visit legolandnewyork.com
