Legoland NY Grand Opening is Just a Few Bricks Away

Capital Region families and LEGO enthusiasts get ready for your next annual summer/fall “Great Escape.”

Opening this summer, toy brick maker LEGO, will open a LEGOLAND theme park resort in the Orange county town of Goshen, on Independence Day, July 4, 2020. 

LEGOLAND NY marks the company’s ninth overall theme park across the world, and the third LEGOLAND theme park in the United States behind LEGOLAND California (1999), and LEGOLAND Florida (2011). 

Labeled as the LEGOLAND NY Resort, the 150 acre theme park is nestled on 500 acres of land, and will soon feature a themed 250-room hotel set to open in 2021. 

The resort is expected to generate 1,300 jobs by opening day, including 500 year-round full-time employees, 300 part-time employees, and 500 seasonal employees. The Park will open from July 4 through November 30.

As the first major theme park built in the Northeast in decades, the resort looks to residents from New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Jersey to help make up most of the traffic in the park. The resort gives vacationers from all over the nation another great reason to visit the Empire State during summer and fall seasons.

Albany area residents can take a small road trip downstate about 2 hours (110 miles) to the theme park. There is three annual passes to choose from, Premium, Standard, and Gold. All are available now with $10 price increases each month, so act fast and save some cash. The Premium pass option looks like the best deal sitting at $119 until March 31.

Premium pass holders will get unlimited visits to the NY Resort, No blackout dates, free standard parking, 20% discount on dining, and 10% discount on retail items.  LEGOLAND also sells exclusive LEGO sets themed after the parks to build and add to your collection.

Owned by Merlin Entertainment, proposals for the third U.S LEGOLAND location got underway in 2016. Goshen was mapped out as the area that was the closet in proximity to New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston.

On October 19, 2017, the town of Goshen approved the plans for the resort. The projected cost of the theme park is around $350 million. LEGOLAND NY, so far is the largest theme park Merlin Entertainment  has ever produced with over 50 rides, shows, and attractions. 

LEGOLAND NY, will offer eight themed area’s commonly found at other LEGOLAND parks. Those areas include The Factory, Bricktopia, LEGO NINJAGO World, Heartlake City, Knights Kingdom, LEGO City, Pirate Shores, and Miniland.  

In a global effort, thousands of people have built more than 15,000 LEGO models, and are being shipped to the theme park from Merlin Magic Making Workshops from all over the world to help to help make the LEGOLAND NY one the your must stops for the summer.

Themed rides will include a Dragon Coaster, NINJAGO The Ride, and Rogue Wave Riders. Exclusive to the NY resort, the park will feature a ride called The Great LEGO Adventure, where park goers will get to know what it feels like to become a LEGO Minifigure! 

Public Relations Manager for the NY theme park, Matt Besterman, answered several questions about the upcoming theme park.

Besterman explained what families can expect when visiting the new resort:

“LEGOLAND New York is coming and it’s time to get excited. This will be the ultimate must-see destination for families in the Northeast. This 150-acre theme park is a multi-day experience with more than 50 rides, shows and attractions – all designed for kids ages 2-12 and their families.”

On the Grand Opening and overall experiences LEGOLAND hopes to provide during a stay at the park and for the future:

“The opening of the first major theme park in the northeast in decades is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and you can be sure we’ll throw a star-spangled party to celebrate it! The Fourth of July means family, and at LEGOLAND theme parks, families can ride, climb, play, learn and build together. At the same time, kids can celebrate their own independence by riding their first roller coaster, the Dragon, or driving their first car at LEGOLAND Driving School. We’re thrilled to invite families across the northeast, the country and the world to make our theme park a tradition for summer fun.”

About the upcoming hotel: 

“The LEGOLAND Hotel is an experience in itself. You’ll find a restaurant with a kid-sized buffet table, a Castle play area, and children’s entertainment every night. It’s our way of extending the LEGOLAND experience creating treasured memories for families.”