The American Dream Mall is... well, just that.
If you’ve watched movies like Mallrats, you know that malls are synonymous with New Jersey. They say once a Jersey girl, always a Jersey girl, so I may be a bit biased towards my love of malls. When I first heard of the American Dream Mall, I’ll be honest, I knew very little about it.. I didn’t really GET the concept of it… But I think it’s because the American Dream Mall is so much more than JUST a mall. Opening during the pandemic, I don’t think they got the exposure that I really think they should have gotten! In the last few weeks, I have been twice - once with my kiddos and once on a tour and I’m here to tell you all my thoughts! This mall is HUGE (seriously, I got over 8000 steps the other day and didn’t even walk the whole mall!) so I will try to keep the info as concise as possible!
PARKING
So let’s just start with the beginning… because this mall is so big, there are also multiple parking garages. The first time I went, I had NO Idea where to go so we ended up parking close to The Avenue (more on that later) which was great because I really enjoyed seeing that side of the mall, but it you want to park closer to the attractions, that would not be the place to park. I felt like I was going the wrong way the whole time but if you just keep following the signs, you’ll be fine! When I went the second time, I parked in Section A and that was more in the “heart” of the mall. Please note: Parking is $4. You will get a ticket and pay at kiosks before going back to the car. Make sure you take note of where you parked. I may or may not have thought my car was stolen the other day because I couldn’t find it because I may or may not have been on the wrong level (oops!).
THE SHOPPING
There are what I would consider two genres of shopping in the mall - Very High End (found in The Avenue section) and then typical mall stores (Plus other not so typical stores). The Avenue still has a lot to be developed but while it’s being developed, there are incredibly beautiful murals throughout that my girls loved taking photos with! Designed by Jonathan Adler, this section is absolutely gorgeous with beautiful furniture, sculpture, and even a fountain that turns into a runway. My understanding is that they expect to have this section mostly filled in by the end of the year! What I love about the stores in this mall is the SPACE. Nothing feels crowded. There are large aisles and everything feels clean. There are typical mall stores like Old Navy and Bath and Body Works, as well as more rare stores to find such as Primark and Lush. Sweet tooths will get their fill at It’s Sugar, complete with an Oreo Cafe and an enormous Statue of Liberty with a base made of jellybeans. If you want a true blast from the past, make sure you go check out the two story, complete with slide,Toys R Us! I had so much fun walking through and reliving those memories of walking wide-eyed through the aisles!
THE FOOD
Whether you want to grab some quick snacks or you want a fancy sit-down meal, the American Dream Mall has you covered. They have a food court filled with fast food options (not only your typical ones but some unique brands!) and sit down options as well as specialty options such as a gelateria. Whether you want some deep fried oreos or high-end Italian, you’re covered!
THE ATMOSPHERE
The mall itself feels like a different world. Depending where you are in the mall, the atmosphere changes. If you’re in the Avenue, it’s very posh and luxurious. In the middle of the mall, there’s a Garden (this is my favorite part of the mall!) that feels like you’ve entered Wonderland. As a parent, I will say, I know this is a mall, but the opportunities to spend money are EVERYWHERE - from ride on animals that your kids are going to NEED to ride to make your own action figures to Build-a-Bear to balloons to strollers equipped with tablets. Everywhere we turned, my kiddos wanted something. Luckily, my ability to say NO is strong so we were able to get out without spending money everywhere (though, my kids will tell you those ride-on animals were the absolute highlight - just count on paying for that - $10 for 10 minutes per animal).
ATTRACTIONS
The attractions are what truly differentiate The American Dream Mall from other malls. An ice skating rink. An indoor waterpark. A theme park. A Ferris Wheel. A Ski Slope. All inside the mall. It seems almost unreal as you’re walking the mall that all of these attractions can possibly be in one place, but they are! You can go from the consistent 81 degree waterpark to the 28 degree ski slopes within about a 10 minute mall walk!
DreamWorks Water Park
There’s a noticeable humidity walking into the waterpark! I was lucky enough to visit before any visitors arrived and walking in was shocked at the size! Photos definitely don’t do it justice! SO many waterslides, a huge wave pool, surfing, and so much more. There are changing rooms available, snacks and souvenirs for purchase, and many slides to delight the water-
park fans. If you want to take it up a notch, there are cabanas and even sky boxes to rent. Be sure to pay attention to the height chart I made up! There are MANY areas that have height limitations. Word is they may be adding a toddler play area, but besides the structure in the very back of the park, there’s very little for the little ones to do!
Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park
I grew up on Nickelodeon so this would have been my dream as a kid! In fact, I may have squealed a bit when I saw the Rugrats carousel! Whereas the water park doesn’t have much for the little ones to do, you can see there’s a good list of rides for 36”+ at the theme park. There’s also some incredible coasters that are NOT for the faint of heart! I’ve seen and heard a lot of criticism about rides going down and as of the time of writing, there were three rides down - two for annual maintenance and one for unknown reason - so still plenty of rides open but if you are looking for specific rides, you’ll definitely want to check what rides are down prior to booking your ticket!
DREAM WHEEL
The newest attraction to open is the Dream Wheel! If you’re trying to figure out how to get to the Dream Wheel, you go through the Food Court to get there (Stop by and get some Deep Fried Love on the way). The important thing to know about the Dream Wheel is that it’s constantly moving… it doesn’t stop for people to get on but rather moves slowly like a Ski Lift. From the Dream Wheel, you get a great view of the New York Skyline.
MINI GOLF AND MIRROR MAZE
MINI GOLF: There are two mini-golf courses at the American Dream Mall - the smaller is Black Light Mini Golf, with the larger being Angry Birds Mini Golf. If you’re a putt-putt fan, you will love these new spins on mini-golf!
MIRROR MAZE: The Mirror Maze is located right next to the Black Lights Mini Golf. You can do them individually or get a two-for-one ticket! I’ve heard that for adults, this may be a fun place to have a party —- try navigating your way through a mirror maze after a few cocktails!
THE RINK
A full-sized ice skating rink in the middle of the mall… who would’ve thunk it?! Whether you’re coming for a hockey game or to teach your little ones to skate for the first time. Rental skates are included in your ticket and they have extra supportive “ice buddies” to rent for those who need a bit more help with skating! Please note that minimum age is 3 years old!
TILT A TRACY LEE STUM MUSEUM
Instagram lovers: This is your place! Tilt is such a fun place to go and explore and try to get some crazy photos! As of the time that we went, there were 25 different scenes that you could become a part of! My girls and I spent a few hours here trying to make the funniest photos. Despite it being Mother’s Day, it was not super crowded so we had a ton of time to try to get the right photo without holding up other people.
Our favorite was definitely the arcade! We got some great videos!
SEA LIFE AQUARIUM &
LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTER
These are two of the few attractions I didn’t actually get a chance to go into but from what I was told, they are also two of the most popular attractions at the mall. So check them out and let me know what you think!
BIG SNOW
When I first heard of the American Dream Mall, it was because of Big Snow. My girls had tried out snowboarding and fell in love and I was looking for a way for them to get more experience. Having the ability to ski and snowboard year round is unreal. Whether you are a pro or it’s your first time and need lessons, they’ve got you covered. Due to a fire, Big Snow has been closed since October 2021 but just re-opened this week (May 2022) and we are definitely excited to check it out!
TIP: Eat at Yard House for an incredible view of the Big Snow Mountain!
MY OVERALL THOUGHTS
Who Should Go to American Dream Mall? Honestly, I think that there is something for everyone here. With 3 million square feet, how can you not find something that you will enjoy doing? Whether you want unique shopping venues, delicious food, or to experience one of the amazing attractions, I can’t imagine anyone that won’t find something to do! My one caution would be to make sure you take a look at the height requirements at the WaterPark and ThemePark so you don’t have any disappointed kiddos!
Is this just a destination for locals? While I feel super grateful to be semi- “local” (we’re a little over an hour away), I think that even if you are not in the tri-state area, it would be a fun place to visit! There are many hotels in the area that you can stay at and if you to experience more than just the mall, it’s just a quick train ride to NYC (they are in the process of getting shuttle buses to NYC but it’s not happening yet!).
How much time should I allot for each attraction?
DreamWheel: This is a 30 minute ride
DreamWorks Water Park: With older kids, you could most likely spend all day here! There are enough slides and activities to do. With younger kids, I would think if you choose to visit, it would be a half day activity.
Nickelodeon Universe ThemePark: I would say between 3 hours and a half a day would be a good amount of time to allot for the Theme Park depending on height restrictions
MiniGolf: 30-60 minutes depending how fast you move
MirrorMaze: Approx 15 minutes (unless you’re tipsy as I suggested above… then you may never get out)
The Rink: Tickets allow you for one hour on the ice
Tilt: Depending on how creative you get, I would allot 30-90 minutes. (We stayed on the high end of that really having fun!)
Legoland Discovery Center: The typical visit takes 2-3 hours but you are welcome to stay as long as you want
SeaLife Aquarium: The typical visit takes 1 hour, but you are welcome to stay as long as you want.
Big Snow: Tickets are for 2 hour slope access
What did you NOT like about the mall? Because I feel like I have done a lot of singing praises, let me tell you a few things I was not crazy about.
Paying for parking: It’s only $4 so it’s not bad but just the thought of paying to park somewhere I’m going to spend money always makes me a little crazy
Navigation: I would say that the mall is a little bit hard to navigate because it is SO large. There are also quite a few sections that are not yet open so there’s some areas where you can’t use landmarks to figure out where you’re going. There are interactive screens everywhere that you can search for where you’re going and it will point you in the right way, but a few times those screens were not working for me.
Money Pit: Yes, it’s a mall. Yes, I know I’m going to spend money. But, like… seriously. If you’re on a budget and you’re not good at saying no to your kids who want to do everything, don’t come here. Everywhere you turn, there’s another way to spend money. I guess that’s really pretty much everywhere you go with kids, but I definitely left spending way more than I planned on spending.
HOW DO WE START PLANNING
We are excited to be able to offer packages to the American Dream Mall! Please fill out our planning form and let us know what you are considering doing and we will help you plan the perfect trip!
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