Soon, you'll be able to take in the sights of New York City, walk from Yankee Stadium to the Guggenheim, the Brooklyn Bridge to Citifield in just seconds. Of course, we're not talking about the real-life versions of these iconic buildings and structures, but in Miniland at Legoland New York, set to open in summer 2021.
The theme park, which will include 15,000 Lego models made with 30 million Lego bricks, may still be under construction, but a tour this week by Travel + Leisure proved the park's magic was already obvious.
Stretching across the hilly terrain of Goshen, NY, just over an hour from the heart of New York City, guests can get a bird's eye view of the mini versions of their favorite New York landmarks (all five boroughs are represented) in Bricktopia, or head down to the LEGO Castle where even the smallest thrill-seekers can ride the park's signature rollercoaster, the Dragon (or the Dragon's Apprentice for the really little ones).
"These parks are massive so they are incredibly collaborative, complicated projects that we tend to start with the programming," Andy Martin, a creative lead working on the park, told T+L. "We obviously have some rides here at NY that are popular returning favorites… and then with each new park we get the opportunity to come up with something new and exciting."
One example is the LEGO Factory Adventure Ride, which will be exclusive to Legoland New York and allow park goers to walk through the history of the Lego brand before turning them into minifigures themselves.
Stepping outside, there are Lego flowers, Lego musical instruments, Lego cars, and more — there's even BRAD (or Big Red Awesome Dino), who is made up of 182,000 Lego Duplo bricks and sits at the front of the park, welcoming everyone who enters.
But the Lego brickwork doesn't stop there. Martin said the park even used giant bricks to build its dragon-shaped Brick-B-Que restaurant.
"There's no tool we would rule out when designing some of these attractions," Martin said. "Perhaps one of the best tools that we're gifted with on the Legoland Park is we get the Lego brick, which is kind of one of the greatest design tools there is out there."
Beyond the park itself, the resort will also feature a 250-room hotel.
To start, the theme park will welcome guests with a phased opening, gradually opening different areas, but an exact date hasn't yet been set.
"This has been a seven-year project for me, so it's very exciting to actually be standing here on the ground, not on paved dirt," Julie Estrada, the head of PR for North America for Merlin Entertainments, told T+L. "With Legoland parks around the world, we strive to create memorable experiences for children ages 2 to 12… and Legoland New York is going to be awesome."
Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
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