Legoland, NY: Is it Worth the Trip?

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My kids LOVE Legos.

And by “love,” I mean it’s their favorite non-screen activity.

My 9-year-old prefers the Lego Friends sets, while my 12-year-old enjoys putting together cars, ships, and anything Star Wars. They both also enjoy using the pieces to create whatever they can imagine. For example, 12yo is currently working on a long-term battle scene. Even my high school senior (whose cat eats any real flowers we bring into the house) still enjoys assembling the bouquet and succulent sets.

So, when Lego opened a Legoland within driving distance of our home, we traveled to Goshen, NY, to check it out.

Trip Details: 

Hotel/Park Package

We booked the one-night/two-day package, which gave us two days of access to the park and a night at the Legoland Hotel. To make the most of our stay, we woke up early to make the 2.5-hour drive in time to be at the park when the gate opened. Because we couldn’t check into our room until later, we parked at the hotel, left our bags in the car, and walked a short distance to the park. 

Room

For our overnight stay, we booked a Lego Friends-themed room. Our 12-year-old boy wasn’t thrilled about it, but it was our oldest daughter’s birthday weekend, so we let her choose. The theme was adorable. The best part of the room was the three bunk beds. Rarely can we book a hotel room that fits all five of us without upgrading to a suite. 

Food

The food in the park was your standard amusement park food—nothing special. The hotel has two dining options: the Skyline Bar and the Bricks Family Restaurant. The Skyline is right next to the play area, so it’s an excellent place to hang out while children play. Bricks used to offer a breakfast buffet included in your overnight stay, but it has recently switched to a family-style breakfast platter. There is also an a la carte dinner service available at Bricks. 

The Pool

The pool is slightly better than your standard outdoor hotel pool, but nothing extraordinary. There are plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas. You can also grab some food at the snack bar.

The Park

The best thing about the park is the theming. If your kids are into legos, they will enjoy the larger-than-life Lego displays and the care that went into creating each park section. 

Guests enter the park through Bricktopia, a Lego-style version of Disneyworld’s Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom. From there, they explore the attractions through Ninjago World, Castle World, Lego City, and Pirate World. Unfortunately, Lego Friends only gets a small garden section, much to the disappointment of my girls. In the center of the park is Miniland, full of Lego replicas of the most famous landmarks in the world. 

The rides are pretty tame. There is only a smaller-sized roller coaster that my kids enjoyed, but if your children are thrill-seekers, this is probably not the place for them. Besides the roller coaster, our favorite rides were the Ninjago Ride and the Lego Factory adventure ride, which reminded us more of Disney attractions than carnival rides. 

Will we go back?

The short answer: No.

First, let me say that I am glad we went. It was worth the trip because my kids (and, quite honestly, my husband) are Lego freaks. They loved the theming and Miniland. My kids are also not thrill-seekers, so they didn’t mind how tame the rides were.

I wouldn’t go back for a few reasons:

  1. It’s overpriced. For a two-day, one-night package, we paid over $1500. Granted, we had five people totaling over $300/person. For us, that seemed like a lot. We can get two days at Hershey Park or Great Flags Parks and a hotel room for half that price. 
  2. It’s clearly geared for younger kids. My teenager had a good time because the atmosphere was great, but it’s not a place she would want to spend the day with friends. It was also probably a little too young for my 12yo. Agewise, I think it’s perfect for the under-10 set.
  3. There isn’t enough in the park to fill two days. For what we paid, I don’t think we got enough for our money. There are really only enough activities to fill one full park day. We did almost everything the first day, then revisited our favorites the following day. We didn’t stay until close either day.

Would I recommend it?

If you have younger kids who are really into Legos and you are in the area, I recommend a 1-day pass. You can do the whole park in one day. The hotel is fine but overpriced for what it offers. Go for it if you want to stay in a Lego Friends, Ninjago, or Castle hotel room. Otherwise, it’s just a hotel.

That being said, Legoland, NY, is a newer resort, so it will likely grow and expand its offerings. By then, my kids will probably all be too old, anyway.