Indoor Attractions for the Whole Family at American Dream
We had the best time at American Dream. It was so much fun, in fact, that we will be sharing our experience in a two-part series, starting with the indoor attractions, and then a recap about the Dream Wheel (stay tuned for that).
Located in East Rutherford, New Jersey (around an hour from Westchester), American Dream is home to the largest indoor theme park in the Western Hemisphere where you and your family will discover an incredible assortment of indoor attractions for kids of all ages. This includes the DreamWorks Water Park, Nickelodeon Universe, Blacklight Mini Golf, Angry Bird Mini Golf, Big Snow, The Rink, SeaLife, and tons more.
For our visit, we enjoyed a day at the the DreamWorks Water Park and Nickelodeon Universe. These two attractions open at 12:00pm where we opted for dry rides first with an experience at Nickelodeon Universe.
We had kids of all different ages in our group where the little ones enjoyed sitting in Butterbean’s Sweet Spin, swinging around in Bikini Bottom’s Crosstown Express, sitting on the Rugarts Raptor Go-Around, bouncing on Shimmer & Shine Jumping Genies, and soaring high in Blue’s Skiddo. The older kids loved Bikini Bottom’s Crosstown Express, SpongeBob’s Jellyfish Jam, and Aang’s Air Glider, to name a few options. There’s also a cool green Slime Zone for climbing and jumping – sans the gooey mess.
They also offer some cool birthday packages where you can celebrate with rides, a separate party room, a host, decorations, and admissions for 10-49 guests.
There are also seasonal attractions throughout the year. Currently, at Nickelodeon Universe you’ll find Boo-inverse. This includes meet-and-greets with costumed characters, performances at the Slime Stage, a Halloween dance party, and a Spooktacular Parade where you and your kids can dress up and join in on a parade. There is also an exhibition of autumnal arts and crafts that range from coloring to slime making as well as other ghostly and Instagrammable moments featuring cool decorations, pumpkins, cornstalks, mums and more!
After the rides at Nickelodeon Universe, we had lunch. There are tons of options for every palate. With little kids, we opted for a sit-down, full-service place. The kids really wanted to try Mr. Beast Burger but the line was so really long, so we settled on House of ‘Que. Other options for full-service include Yard House, Carpaccio, Vinoteca, and Jarana (coming soon).
Even though the mall is huge, it was really easy to navigate from the indoor attractions to the dining area. At House of ‘Que, we were seated quickly and the food was incredible. We enjoyed classic burgers and chicken fingers for the kids as well as salads, nachos, and entree-style burgers for the adults.
Once re-fueled, we made our way back to the attractions for the rest of our afternoon at DreamWorks Water Park. As the largest indoor waterpark in North America, your mouth will literally drop when you see the wave pool, tube rides, and characters right before your eyes. After the amazement of the space, we started by going on some slides.
My older kids opted for the Penguin Plummet & Majuna Jump where they went down a high-speed body slide, plummeting into 10-feet of water. We then spent some time in the Far Away Bay aka the pool, which was awesome for everyone in our group. There is a shallow area for younger swimmers and a fun wave pool for more experienced swimmers. The waves went off when we heard a horn where the kids all rushed back into the pool. They also have lifejackets throughout the space for anyone who needs one.
The kids also loved spending time in the Kungfu Panda Temple of Awesomeness. This is a multi-structure play area with dump cups, geysers, and a massive tipping bucket. The Penguins Frozen Fun Zone was also awesome for kids with six kid-friendly slides. My older kids and I loved taking an adventurous slide through Shrek’s Sinkhole. This high-speed slide took us through a massive funnel with intense (and fun!) drops.
There were also visits from costumed characters throughout the day. It was so much fun for the kids to meet and high-five Poppy from “Trolls” and Shrek.
Throughout the space, you’ll also find seating where you can place towels. There are also lockers throughout the space to house any valuables. They also have poolside cabanas and private skybox suites beautifully designed by interior decorator Jonathan Adler. Located on three levels, skybox suites offer an incredible way for you and your kids to relax and recharge with views of the pools and rides.
We then took a trip to It’s Sugar (located right outside DreamWorks Water Park). We then ended the day with a ride on mechanic animals that were located on the first floor. Families can rent them for 10,15, or 30-minutes and ride around the first floor of the mall.
After our fun and action-packed day, it was very hard to get anyone to leave. Promises of returning very soon (and ice cream) made the journey home a little easier. With tons of fun, adventure, and non-stop attractions, our visit to American Dream was one of our favorite experiences that the whole family loved!
Stay tuned for part two when we share more about our experience on the Dream Wheel!
American Dream Details
1 American Dream Wy
East Rutherford, NJ 07073
Nickelodeon Universe costs $49 per person or $125 per person for a season pass (valid September 15th-December 31st).
DreamWorks Water Park costs $69 per person or $179 per person for a season pass (valid September 15th-December 31st).
An all access pass (for access to both DreamWorks Water Park and Nickelodeon Universe) is $99 per person.
For more information, visit www.americandream.com
