The long-awaited Legoland New York resort opened up to much fanfare last summer after a yearlong delay due to the Covid pandemic. Since we hadn't traveled much, my husband and I took our LEGO®-obsessed daughter there for an overnight getaway. (Later, we returned in the off-season when the park was largely closed, but the hotel had themed “sleepover parties.”)
We were blown away by the epic creative brainpower that went into the design of the park and its companion hotel. The resort's emphasis on creativity and imagination is even more evident in its setup and activities, particularly when comparing it to Disney's properties. I remember being wowed by details like the character topiaries at Disney World's properties as a kid. Still, Disney parks don't give the visitors much opportunity to use their creativity and imagination, which is where Legoland stands out.
There are themed LEGO building stations throughout the park, and kids (or adults!) can stop and work on a quick project whenever the mood strikes. The hotel bar has a castle and pirate ship with thousands of LEGO bricks to play with IN THE BAR so that you can drink your local Angry Orchard “No Assembly Required” cider while your kid makes a butterfly or a tower and battles it out with other kids with foam swords.
There's a Creative Workshop in the park where you can take a class with a Legoland Master Builder. Next door is a Build & Test space where you can build a car and race it or build a bridge and stress-test it.
LEGO's Brand Values
The company's brand values shone through in the park and hotel. The three that stood out the most to me were: Imagination, Creativity, and Quality.
The park's design, attractions, and rides show immense creativity and imagination.
LEGO CITY 4D Cinema
This was the runaway favorite for our family. We laughed nonstop as we watched the 13-minute movie and got shaken up, spit on, and blown around. I've always loved 4D films, but this is the best I've experienced and exemplifies LEGO's brand values of creativity, fun, and quality. Who would have thought that something I chose for the air conditioning on a scorching hot day would have been such a hit for the entertainment, too?
Miniland
I had seen pictures of Miniland, but nothing prepared me for these LEGO cities' size, quality craftsmanship, and pure fun. Some exhibits are interactive and have motion and sound like the Coney Island set where visitors can spin a wheel to power the hot dog eating contest (Nathan's franks on a spinning wheel to mimic the contestants chowing down and an emcee narrating the action). Another wheel powers a jackhammer and some street dancers and their music.
Water Music
Speaking of music, park visitors can power LEGO instrument-shaped fountains and play a trumpet, harp, or xylophone by standing on the square in front of it. It's right in front of Smokey's Brick-B-Que restaurant, so the kids can bounce around in shouting distance after replenishing their energy.
Ninjago the Ride
The Ninjago ride is a 3D video game experience that you ride through, using your hands to shoot at villains throughout the story. We had a literal and figurative blast, and although I couldn't make a big deal about it in front of my kid, I absolutely won. When we went back in the off-season, we did this ride multiple times because there were no lines.
Make your own mini-figure
Even the merchandising at the park is creative. Each land (Pirates, Ninjago, LEGO City, Castle) has a dedicated shop. Each shop has themed toys and stations to create a set of 3 unique mini-figures from a variety of sorted LEGO heads, bodies, legs, hair, and accessories. Who knew you could make a mini-figure with a bathing suit printed on it and add pink hair and a flamingo pool float? I'll never buy a mini-figure blind bag again. (Except the recent Muppets ones, because: Jim Henson.)
Hotel room themes and scavenger hunt
My daughter would tell you that the best part of the trip was the (pricey) hotel room, which is a good thing as we scheduled our trip around the availability of a LEGO Friends-themed room.
There are four room themes at the New York resort: Castle, Ninjago, Pirate, and LEGO Friends. The themes start in the hallways, and the walls and carpets get in on the experience. We walked through the oddly realistic castle hall to get to Heartlake City because we are all about Olivia, Emma, Mia, Stephanie, and Andrea.
The rooms have a private bunk bed nook for kids, with a TV and play area, including loose LEGOS and walls with brick bases to build on. There are elaborately themed brick sculptures throughout the room and on the walls with themed beds and bedding. It's a bricktastic wonderland!
The room's highlight was a scavenger hunt that ended with four digits of a code for the lock of the room safe that holds a prize — a LEGO set to take home.
Living in a world where capitalism is king, we are all moving forward at a breakneck pace. The ability to play, imagine and create was a wonderful break for my daughter, our family, and my consulting practice. This opportunity to see innovation in a fun and effortless way has encouraged me to seek play and joy in my work and bring it to the teams I coach.
As leaders, we should always look for creative ways to encourage our teams to play and innovate in ways that work for them, whether geeking out over data or building with LEGOs. The foundation must be there and may take time and expense. Still, the possibilities and positive impact are priceless once you do the work and create space to encourage this growth and innovation.
Maura Charles is the founder of Keep it Human. As a Product Leadership Coach and Consultant, she is on a mission to help teams and organizations embrace human skills like communication and emotional intelligence in their ways of working.
She brings 25 years of experience as an editor, product manager, and digital business leader to bear on the challenges of building human-centered high-performing tech teams.
If you'd like to develop more human business and tech teams that hum together to drive results, check out Keep it Human and follow Maura Charles on LinkedIn.