See Why Everything is Awesome at LEGOLAND, With or Without Kids

Between the rides, interactive exhibits, competitive and open-ended model builds, and 4D movie theater (that’s one more D than you’re used to!), the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester is just joyous, unabashed fun.

Oh, and your kids will enjoy themselves too.

Yes, some parents seem to be under the wrong impression that LEGOLAND is something akin to a Chuck E. Cheese’s, where kids run amok (possibly several moks) and parents are forced to endure their din over spotty WiFi and questionable pizza. Rather, like their model sets, any age guidelines at LEGOLAND are really just a recommendation. Most of the rides, like Merlin’s Apprentice, Kingdom Quest, and even the Ninjago City Adventure — a multi-story funhouse of glorious shenanigans — are frankly better if you’re a full-grown human.

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Competitive troll shooting is way more satisfying when you’re allowed to smack-talk another adult.

Yes, you will want to play in the pit of foam LEGOs. Yes, they are harder than you’d think.
(Yes, it’s totally worth it.)

“But, Dave,” you ask, “What do I do if I don’t have kids?” Well, while it’s true you generally have to be accompanied by a minor in order to gain entry to the magical, fun-filled world of all things LEGO, the first Thursday of every-other month at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester is also a designated “Adult Night.” What happens at adult night?

Themes from previous months have included “Zombie Outbreak” in October, a totally unofficial Harry Potter Yule celebration, and super heroes (right around the LEGO Batman movie release). We attended on February 1 and were given a full red carpet treatment for the Oscars complete with movie trivia, cinematic build contest (with themed custom-made prizes), a best-dressed contest, and celebrity cameo courtesy of Madame Tussouds.

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It’s also wonderful discovering how short most movie stars are.

I was more starstruck by this little blue droid than Mr. Depp (and I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to #Leia).

Aside from all the fun mentioned above, without any of the early bedtimes Adult Nights also allow for a bit more … leeway in their age appropriateness. Our group project at the Master Builder Academy was chaired by a faux Tommy Wiseau in full costume. And, yes, most Adult Nights you have the lovely inclusion of one of the several nearby restaurants wheeling over a liquor cart just in case you’re feeling nervous about openly playing with LEGOs in front of other adults. Tickets are only $15, though we cannot be held responsible for how much you may spend on alcohol or in the attached LEGO Store.

Most of us were impatient and raced ahead with our builds.

We were very excited to build tiny yellow people.

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Now all I need is a LEGO Emmy, Grammy, and Tony to complete my plastic EGOT.

For the build contest we were told to make something movie related in fifteen minutes. I built the Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. I spent the remaining 14:30 building tiny, violent primates.

Honestly, even just staring (soberly, mind you) at the intricacies of the exhibit builds is an adventure in itself. Tiny details and jokes abound, as you can find King Kong on the Empire State Building, Superman above Time Square, and a delightful alligator in the subway/Manhattan sewers. City Builder, a brand new exhibit, opening on February 16 and being built by the families of Yonkers’ police and firefighters, will allow guests to actively add to the megalopolis, creating an ever growing and evolving cityscape throughout the season!

Photo courtesy of LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester

City Builder’s base model will allow kids (and adults) to expand the city, including the waterfront and LEGO Friends neighborhoods.

Master Model Builder Anthony Maddaloni and the zombie head (with hinged jaw) that he crafted for the Zombie Outbreak event in October.

Master Model Builder Anthony Maddaloni describes the attraction as “a whole separate room where [patrons] can build and add to the skyline,” including neighboring village and even a lake for functionally float-tastic boat builds.

Still, for your actual kids there are always classic party packages or camp/school trips, but die-hard LEGO fans will want to enter their kids in this contest to join the 2018 Creative Crew. Crew members get to test out new rides early, attend private Academy classes to learn elite LEGO building skills, and even help construct large-scale builds for the Center. (Plus every member receives a Family 4-Pack of annual passes!)

Maddaloni took over the creative crew last year, and is excited to select his first Creative Crew team. “I think it’s a lot of fun. The kids get to come and create in like a mini brick academy!”

The contest is live now and runs through Friday, March 2. Kids must be aged 5 to 10, and the twelve winners will be announced via LEGOLAND Discover Center Westchester’s Facebook page.