Disclosure – I received tickets to Diggerland and Legoland in exchange for this honest review.
After a long year in quarantine, we wanted to take the kids somewhere special and fun. We recently took a little weekend trip to New Jersey and the kids had a blast! We stopped at Diggerland, Legoland, and Nickelodeon Universe. I’m sharing all of our stops and some tips to help you plan your trip.
We split the weekend up in two days, doing Diggerland on Saturday and then Sunday we did Legoland and Nickelodeon Universe since they’re both in the American Dream Mall.
Diggerland USA – East Berlin, New Jersey
Our first stop was Diggerland USA. A place where it’s totally appropriate for kids to operate heavy machinery. A few things that are worth noting – We went on a Saturday and were there for 11am which is when their website says the park opens. We were able to get our tickets and get in however, the rides, attractions, don’t actually open until noon. So we waited for an hour which was a little tough with two excited kids who just wanted to explore. So my tip would be, plan to arrive at noon, otherwise, you’ll sit around. My suggestion would be pack a little lunch and have a tailgate party in the parking lot until they open.
Secondly, most of the rides require children to be 36 inches tall, which was perfect for our oldest, but with the exception of 2 rides, there wasn’t much our 2 year old could do so I would plan accordingly.
There is also a waterpark as well so if you’re going in the warmer months, bring your bathing suits and towels!
Legoland Indoor Discovery Center – in the American Dream Mall East Rutherford, New Jersey
This was our favorite part of the entire trip! Legoland is located right in the American Dream Mall near the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ, closest to Parking lot A on the first level. One important distinction is that this is not the same as Legoland. Legoland is an outdoor theme park which we plan to hit up in the future. Legoland Indoor Discovery Center is an indoor playground perfect for ages 3-10 years old. As soon as we entered Legoland, we hopped on the Imagination Express, a train ride through different lego worlds where you have the ability to partake in a simulated video game. The kids had a blast.
I think the one thing that captivated us adults was MiniLand, a New York City replica made completely out of legos featuring various famous NYC attractions such as Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Coney Island and the kids favorite – the NY Islanders hockey rink.
Other attractions include a 4D Lego movie, areas throughout the for building with legos and character meet and greets.
Also next door to Legoland is the New Jersey SEA LIFE Aquarium which featured over 10 tanks and an area where kids can actually be hands on with the sea life.
Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park – in the American Dream Mall East Rutherford, NJ
Right after we finished at Legoland and the SEA LIFE Aquarium, we hit stopped and got something to eat inside the mall and then walked over to Nickelodeon Universe. Buy your tickets online and you will be given a block of time to visit.
Nickelodeon Universe is an indoor amusement park featuring rides and attractions based off of popular Nickelodeon shows. There was something for all ages, thrill rides and big rollercoasters, to smaller rides for younger kids and families. Rick and I were hit with nostalgia seeing the shows from when we were younger such as Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The kids enjoyed the rides with their favorite characters such as Blues Clues, Paw Patrol and Blaze and the Monster Machines.
There’s a little spot for toddlers where they can play in Adventure Bay and climb on all of their favorite pups vehicles. Mav’s day was made!
Overall we had a great time as a family! The kids had a blast and it was nice to have a little sense of normalcy after a crazy year.