How to Live the Dolce Vita

  • About
  • Resume
  • Mamma’s Diary – Learn What the Italian Mamma Is Really Thinking
  • Family Travel – Viaggi
  • Italian Memes – Postcards from Italy
  • Love – Amore
  • Cucina
  • Le Feste – Holidays and Celebrations
  • Good Reads – Children’s Books
  • Minestrone for the Soul
  • Privacy Policy

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester Is Fun for the Whole Family

Posted on January 29, 2019
A replica of the George Washington Bridge, the focal point of our hometown in New Jersey, made entirely of LEGOs immediately caught our attention at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester is an obvious winner with little kids who seem wired to explore, create, and build. What I wasn’t expecting was how much fun the adults in our group ended up having. Truly, this is a destination the whole family can visit together.

While I would never spend the exorbitant amount of money it costs to host a birthday party there, I was thrilled to invite my family for a group outing to the place in honor of my son turning 7. He and my 6-year-old nephew are big fans of LEGO Ninjago, and so this trip spoke to their passion. They had the chance to pose with life-size LEGO replicas of Lloyd and Master Wu.

The Chrysler Building, Times Square, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral are among the beauties made of plastic building blocks. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

My 9-year-old niece was quick to join them in the Ninjago play area and Wu’s dojo, where they climbed the walls. She and my son also sang karoake and got their dance on in the section devoted to LEGO Friends (the line aimed at girls).

All the replicas of New York City landmarks seem almost real. The kids even threw coins into the water for luck. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

What was less expected was my nearly 39-year-old brother’s fixation with the center’s racetrack. There, visitors build their own cars out of LEGOs and then race them on a few different kinds of tracks. You are testing both the speed of the vehicles and your engineering deft. The boys – young and old alike – couldn’t get enough of flying LEGO bricks as the DIY cars hit the end of the bumpy racetrack.

There’s some love for Westchester, the location of this LEGOLAND Discover Center, too. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Building a tower as tall as the house – or at least trying to – is another favorite pastime around here. At LEGOLAND Discovery Center, the kids were able to do that and then turn on the “earthquake” table, which shakes the tower to its core. Sometimes, it falls. Sometimes, it keeps standing. It all depends on your mad LEGO skills.

Still, the highlight of the trip were the two indoor rides. Kingdom Quest has riders shooting a laser gun at LEGO targets to win points. Meanwhile, Merlin’s Apprentice is a smaller scale version of Disney World’s Dumbo Flying Elephant ride. You soar into the sky with your ride mate. You go as high as your pedaling allows.

We also enjoyed a 4-D film featuring your favorite LEGO characters. When we were there, the film focused on Chima, the adorable warrior animals of LEGO. But the movie changes all the time. At one point, it featured Ninjago, and there are others. What is neat about this experience is the rain and bubbles, which actually appear to come out of the screen and fall onto you.

New Jersey makes its appearance with this replica of MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, which is home base for the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets.
© Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

There are numerous photo ops in this place. Besides the life-size LEGO creations, including a police car and other vehicles on which you can sit, there are photo props into which you can stick your face. What will really impress you, however, is the miniland. At the Westchester Center, you’ll find LEGO replicas of famous New York (and New Jersey) landmarks, such as Giants Stadium, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the George Washington Bridge.

One of the coolest aspects of the miniland in LEGO is the recreation of the shopping center, where you’ll find LEGOLAND Discovery Center. Kids will get a kick out of helping a LEGO construction worker use a jackhammer in this zone, too.© Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Those who are interested in grabbing a quick bite can find some kid-friendly, small meals at the newly renovated coffee shop, which serves Starbucks. And family photos with LEGO backgrounds are available for purchase. It’s a little overpriced (as these things usually are), but we did get two bigger sized prints, one in a plastic LEGO frame and another in a cardboard frame and two keyrings. Try to get out of the center without allowing your kids to see the gift shop. It’s a LEGO fantasy in there, and they will try to force you to buy something no one needs – more LEGOs.

Di Meglio is the author of Fun with the Family New Jersey (Globe Pequot Press, 2012). She also has written the Our Paesani column for ItaliansRus.com since 2003. You can follow the Italian Mamma on Facebook or Twitter @ItalianMamma10.

Posted in: Uncategorized | Tagged: family travel, kids, lego, legoland, new jersey, new york, travel, travel in the united states, westchester

Follow Me

     

Sign Up for the Italian Mamma Newsletter

Get e-mails on how to live the dolce vita and make unforgettable memories, food, and travel plans with your family and friends.

Italian Mamma Cards

Handmade invitations, banners, signs, and party supplies on Etsy

Buy This Book

Discover the wonders of weird and wonderful New Jersey

dimegliobook

Our Paesani

  • Discover Why Everone Falls in Love with Gelato
  • NEW – Practical Tips for Travelers to Italy
  • Vesuvius Wildfires Bring Out the Racism in Italy

Search

Copyright © 2019 Italian Mamma.

Theme by ThemeHall.