America’s two Legoland Resort theme parks, one each in Florida and California, are about to be joined by a third in the Northeast. A brand new park, set to open in the spring of 2020, will immerse families in the many worlds of Lego, including pirate- and castle-themed attractions. It will also be home to a new, fully themed hotel with 250 rooms.
The new Legoland Resort will be situated in the town of Goshen in upstate New York, an 80-minute drive from New York City and just 25 minutes from Stewart International Airport, which is currently serviced by American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta, and other major carriers. Passes go on sale in April, 2019. The park will also offer some unique experiences that can't be had at any other Legoland park, which we recently learned about during a visit to Goshen. Here’s a rundown of what’s new.
1. It will be the biggest one yet.
While Legoland California covers 128 acres and Legoland Florida covers 145, the new Legoland New York Resort will cover 150 acres, making it the largest in the United States and in the world. (Internationally, there are Legoland parks in Denmark, Japan, Dubai, Germany, Malaysia, and England.) It will be the first and only Legoland park in the Northeast.
2. It will be seasonal.
While Florida and Southern California enjoy temperate weather all year long, that can’t exactly be said of New York. That’s why the new park, unlike the others, will close each winter, and will operate approximately from April through October. The hotel, which will stay open year-round, will also cater to guests wanting to explore New York’s Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains, where there are wineries, breweries, hiking, and skiing. The Woodbury Common shopping outlets are also nearby.
3. It will have exclusive new rides.
Some attractions that are unique to the park will include Big Lego Adventure, which makes riders feel like they’re shrunk down to the size of Lego figures. There will also be a ride that makes guests feel like they’re in a spinning hot air balloon, which will be part of the Heartlake City section of the park. Heartlake City is the home of the Lego Friends, characters who look more realistic than many of their their more block-headed Lego counterparts. They even had their own animated Netflix series from 2014 to 2016.
4. It will have a progressive approach to parking.
To ensure that guests get settled in quickly, parking will be paid for when they exit the park, not when they arrive.
5. The food will be locally themed.
The park promises to offer New York-themed food in its restaurants and stands. While there aren’t many details on this yet, we’re hoping that the park will serve a decent cheesecake, and maybe a Coney Island-style hotdog.
