With a 3 year old son, we are just entering the stage of Legos – tiny pieces in the vacuum, under the couch, in the couch cushions, the never-ending question of how to organize … and the excitement in seeing a project come together of course! So when we found out there was a Lego Discovery Center opening about an hour away from our home we ordered entry tickets as soon as we could!
Located in Yonkers, in a shopping center known as Ridge Hill, the Lego Discovery Center offers rides, an indoor play structure, a 4D movie and of course, LOTS of Lego building! The suggested ages are 3-10 and the visit should take you 2-3 hours. This was true for my 3 year old and 7 year old – we left just after 2 and a half hours. So what did we do there besides have “the best time ever?” (Quote from my children).
First you enter the Lego “factory,” where a Lego guide showed us how Legos were made, and had us help “make” them. At the end there’s a special surprise!
Next all guests ride on the Kingdom Quest ride. Who can zap the most bad guys? Upon exiting you view an amazing Lego Miniland- an impressively detailed recreation of some of NYC’s most famous sights, Statue of Liberty, CitiField/Yankee Stadium, Central Park and even view the subway complete with an alligator and rat! Almost 2 million Legos were used to create the scenes!
While we could have spent more time looking at the creations it was time to move into the main area! My son and his 3 year old friend spent a lot of time in the Lego Fire Academy play structure. My daughter rocked out to some karaoke in the Lego Friends area, and then went to build and race a Lego racecar. We met up again in time to view the fantastic 4D movie – watch out you’re gonna get wet! The Merlin’s Apprentice ride had a long wait and was short in length, so better to make an extra racer or go view Miniland again!
There’s small collections of Legos all over, encouraging children (and parents) to come up with a masterpiece.
There’s a Master Builder Academy but we skipped it because the little guys were done. The crowds came in about 3:00, when we had been there for 2 hours already. Lego Discovery Center offers a cafe, but with the Ridge Hill outdoor shopping center just outside the front door, there are plenty of other options for dining (and shopping if there’s any energy left!). And of course, you exit through a Lego store!
If you go – be sure to order tickets in advance. Parking is plentiful but at a cost. Lego Discovery Center will validate your parking ticket to reduce the cost. Admission is $18 for children 3-12 and $22 for ages 13 and up.
LEGOLAND® Discovery Center is located at 39 Fitzgerald Street in Yonkers, New York.