LEGOLAND New York Tips (near New Jersey)

We loved LEGOLAND New York and here are our tips on what to bring, ways to save, where to stay, and Halloween Brick or Treat party. LEGOLAND New York is about an hour from Manhattan (depending on traffic!) and a half hour from New Jersey.

Table of Contents:

Know Before You Go (Best Ages, Time, What to Bring)
Ways to Save on LEGOLAND New York Tickets
Tips at LEGOLAND (Suggested Itinerary, Favorite Rides, Where We Ate)
Where to Stay (LEGOLAND Resort and nearby Hotels)
Halloween Brick or Treat Monster Party Info

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Know Before You Go (Ages, Time, What to Pack)

Tips for Best Ages for LEGOLAND New York

This was our second time at a LEGOLAND spot since my kids became LEGO obsessed! Earlier this spring we went to LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Philadelphia (read my review here) which I would say is more geared toward 2-7 year olds. LEGOLAND New York is a full resort and I would say its best for ages 2 - 10. My 6 and 9-year-olds loved it! We also took our extended family and all 3 generations had so much fun!

So many fun rides, activities, shows, building and fun!

There are dozens of rides for both little kids like carousels, spinning LEGO cups, Junior Driving School as well as older kids like roller coasters, Ninjago interactive ride, pirate ships etc. Note: When I knew we were visiting, I reached out to LEGOLAND to request free tickets and they graciously offered them. However, the review below is my honest opinion and I would truly pay full price next time!

Best Time To Go to LEGOLAND New York

Always check the schedule on their website for their up-to-date opening hours. This year they are open from April until December 31, 2022. The theme park is open from 10 AM to 5 PM and sometimes 6 PM on weekends. It is located in Goshen, New York in the Hudson Valley. It was a beautiful drive from New York City!

We went on a weekend in the Fall during their Brick or Treat Monster Party. It was a great time because it wasn't too hot or too cold. But there were a lot of crowds because of the extra programs (and candy!) More about Brick or Treat here.

TIP: Download the free LEGOLAND New York App!

It was actually really helpful and shows you wait times for EACH of the rides, view showtimes, browse restaurant menus and it has an interactive park map.

What to Bring - LEGOLAND New York Tips

Besides all the normal things you would bring to a theme park, here are my top 4 unique LEGOLAND recommendations:

#1 Bring your LEGO Minifigs!

Highly recommend you bring some LEGO Minifigs from home to trade with staff at the park! This was my son's favorite part of the whole day! Staff at the park have name tags with Minifigs and you can ask to trade with them. There are also 3 Trading Posts that have awesome minifigs to trade. Located at the Smuggler's Post, Duplo Baby Care and Creative Workshop.

TIP #1: You need to have something on their heads like hair or a hat in order to trade for the good ones at the trading post.

TIP #2: If your child doesn't have any minifigs they want to part with, consider buying a pack ahead of time on Amazon. (Random 5 pack here and 10 here)

#2 Bring a Stroller or Wagon

We walked 7 miles during our visit to the park and there are a couple of big hills if you do the opposite of the ****itinerary**** I recommend below. So, if you have anyone younger than maybe 4, I would highly recommend bringing a stroller or a wagon. We have a wagon like this which would have been useful for all of our things as well as tired kids but of course, a fancy one with a covering and seat belts would be great for multiple kids.

Trading Post at Smuggler's Post and Wagon example!

#3 Bring Water Bottles

This seems obvious but just a reminder to pack your water bottles as a small bottle of water at the park starts at $5. They have many different water stations to fill up on your water bottle for free!

#4 Optional: LEGO Clothing

We saw a lot of cute family LEGO shirts and I found them on Amazon afterward! Would be cute, especially for a birthday celebration.

"Master Builder" shirt
"MOM" spelled in LEGO, "DAD" spelled in LEGO, "SISTER" and "BROTHER"
"I would walk across LEGO for you"
Birthday Shirts

There's also a cool brick backpack from my favorite backpack company on Amazon. My daughter has had this brand for 2 school years now and it has held up so well! Still looks new after daily throwing on the ground lol.

Note: These are not official LEGO brands as those are much more expensive both at the many Gift Shops and online. But kids can't tell!

Ways to Save on LEGOLAND New York Tickets:

Cost of Tickets:

The cost of tickets online in 2022 starts at $67.99 but weekends can be a bit more expensive. You can save around $22 by purchasing online rather than in person.
Toddlers under 3 years old are FREE!

Tips on Ways to Save on LEGOLAND New York Tickets:

Purchase online to save around $22 from the in-person ticket price (depending on the date).
Check Groupon or Certifikid for discounts. Also, Costco sometimes has discounts.
Military Discount of around $51 for a ticket for active duty, veteran, and military spouses. See the link for all the details.

On the LEGOLAND New York Ninjago ride! (Very interactive, you have to collect points as you go!)

Our Family's Tips for LEGOLAND New York

The Down Hill Itinerary

Follow what I am calling the "Down Hill Itinerary!" We found this from TopFlightFamily's amazing YouTube video on the park. Start at Bricktopia and then go to LEGO NINJAGO World. Next, go down the hill (ramps or stairs) to LEGO Castle, LEGO City, and LEGO Pirates. Finally, you will need to go up the hill (ramps or stairs provided) to see Miniland before you are back to Bricktopia and the exit. Both routes through the park have up and downhill components but this itinerary saves you a lot of extra back and forth on the hills. It also saves the less exciting Miniland (cities and towns made of LEGO) for the end when you have less energy.

Our Favorite Rides at LEGOLAND New York

This is all completely subjective but I always love hearing what family's like the most in order to prioritize!

My 9-Year-Old Daughter: She loved the Ninjago Ride and Castle Tower Climb.
My 6-Year-Old Son: Ninjago Ride and Driving School.
My In-Laws!: The Pirate Ship ride and spraying water on people on the private ship ride!
My favorite ride: I actually really liked the LEGO Factory Adventure Ride. It was our first ride and a great intro into the creation of LEGO... Also was not expecting it to be so fun!

TIP: Check their website to see if any are closed. The big Dragon roller coaster was closed so good to know ahead of time

Where to Eat

There are a couple of restaurants at LEGOLAND New York and you can watch this Foodie YouTube review them here. We went with Smokey's Brick-B=Que and were pleasantly surprised with the quality. It was a long wait because we went at the height of lunchtime and the total cost was $160 for 8 people (6 adults, 2 kids). Favorite dishes included pulled pork, sausage and salad bar. We all ate a ton and felt very full.

PICTURE

Tip: Look at the menus on the app or website before its time to eat so you can kind of coordinate where you are going at the Park. Again, this is a very large theme park so going from one end to the other could take a while.

Where to Stay at LEGOLAND New York

We did not stay at a hotel nearby because our family lives in New York City but below are some options. (Again, these are Booking.com affiliate links. I want to just add that for the past 2 years, I book all our hotels and rental apartments with Booking because they have great cancellation policies and customer service.)

Most Convenient

Of course, the most convenient (and fun!) option is to stay at the LEGOLAND hotel 1 minute away! The TopFlightFamily's Youtube has great reviews and videos inside.

Check out the family deals they have that include admission to the park and a 1 or 2-night stay.

Affordable and High Ratings

The Fairfield Inn & Suites Goshen Middletown is just 8 minutes from LEGOLAND, more affordable than the resort hotel, and has an "Excellent" rating of 8.7. Includes an outdoor swimming pool and optional breakfast for $1.

Halloween Brick or Treat Monster Party - LEGOLAND New York Tips

As I mentioned, we went during the Fall when LEGOLAND New York has their Brick or Treat Monster Party. I wanted to share a little more in case you go during this time to know what to expect.

#1 Not Scary!

I have a child that is sensitive so I was a little concerned if the Monster theme would be too scary but it wasn't! It would be very easy to avoid the characters and the shows but nothing was scary including the decorations.

#2 Candy lines were long

My kids were excited about trick or treating but the lines were very long the first weekend it was open. I ended up telling them we would pick up candy at the dollar store if we could spend more time checking out the park and rides! :) It was a nice free souvenir to get the LEGO Halloween bag.

#3 Note the dates and hours because they are not every day

For 2022 the dates of Brick or Treat Monster Party: are September 24-25, October 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, and 29-30.

Candy was passed out I believe starting at 3 PM.

Shows were throughout the day from 11:30, 1:30, 3:45, 5:15 but check the app for your dates.

#4 List of Activities