16 July 2025
Have you ever wanted to ride record-breaking rollercoasters inside a giant shopping mall? Welcome to Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream, the largest indoor theme park in the Western Hemisphere. It’s a vibrant world filled with thrilling rides, classic arcade games, and beloved characters from the Nickelodeon universe.
Located within the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the park opened its doors in 2019. It offers a unique mix of attractions, from top-tier thrill rides to a high-ropes course, ensuring there’s plenty to keep the whole family busy, regardless of the weather outside.
Planning Your Visit
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Location: You can find Nickelodeon Universe inside the American Dream Mall, just a short trip from New York City. The mall itself is vast, with many other activities and shops. (For detailed directions on getting there from NYC, check out our separate guide here!)
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Hours: Park hours vary depending on the season and whether it is a peak or off-peak day. Generally, it opens between 11:00 AM and noon and closes around 8:00 PM or 9:00 PM. It’s always best to check the official website for the exact hours on your planned date.
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Tickets: An all-day pass starts at around $59, but prices fluctuate based on demand (peak vs. off-peak days). Twilight tickets, which grant access for the last few hours of the day, are also available for a reduced price.
We visited Nickelodeon Universe on a busy Saturday afternoon in June, right after spending the morning at the DreamWorks Water Park next door.
The entry process was straightforward. If you buy your tickets online beforehand (which I highly recommend), you simply head to one of the digital kiosks, scan your barcode, and it dispenses your entry wristband. You can also buy tickets on the day from the kiosks or a staff member, but the queues were long, and the price is higher at the gate.
Pro-Tip: You don’t need a ticket just to enter the park area and look around. Only those who want to go on the rides and attractions need to purchase a wristband. This is great if some members of your group just want to watch.
The Rollercoasters
For an indoor park, the coaster collection is seriously impressive, with five unique rollercoasters weaving through the building. Here’s what we thought of the ones that were open during our visit:
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Nickelodeon Slime Streak: A perfect family coaster. We were surprised by how snappy and fun this ride was, with plenty of enjoyable twists, turns, and dips.
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Timmy’s Half Pipe Havoc: This one is a very unique shuttle coaster. You sit on a spinning disk as it travels up and down a U-shaped track—it’s guaranteed to make you feel dizzy!
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Shredder: Themed to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this is the world’s tallest and longest free-spinning coaster. It was a fantastic, disorienting adventure from start to finish.
A heads-up for thrill-seekers: Two of the park’s most intense coasters were closed for maintenance during our visit: Sandy’s Blasting Bronco and the legendary TMNT Shellraiser, which holds the world record for the steepest drop on a rollercoaster. If these are must-dos for you, it’s worth checking the park’s official website for ride availability before you go.
Beyond the main rollercoasters, the park is packed with other unique rides that cater to thrill-seekers:
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Jimmy Neutron’s Atom Smasher: This ride looked incredible. You get to control your own level of thrill, and from watching off-ride, the “insane” setting lives up to its name!
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Kraang Prime Pandemonium: A classic swinging pendulum ride with a twist. It swings you high into the air while spinning you around, even turning you completely upside down at its peak.
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Skyline Scream: Not for the faint of heart, this is the world’s tallest indoor spinning drop tower. The views of the entire park from the top are amazing, right before you scream all the way down.
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Legends of the Hidden Temple Ropes Course: While we didn’t try it ourselves, this ropes course is enormous and holds the world record for being the tallest, with nine floors of obstacles and adventures to conquer. It looked like a fantastic challenge.
We visited on a Saturday afternoon, so as expected, the park was busy. Wait times for the major rides were typically around 30-45 minutes. This is fairly standard for a peak day, and we found the queues moved steadily.
One thing we noticed is that the ride operations aren’t quite as quick as you might see at UK theme parks, but everything ran smoothly and without any issues.
While we’ve focused on the big thrills, it’s worth noting that a large number of the other rides are designed specifically for children. For families with a younger audience, this place is perfect. The kids’ rides are heavily themed to beloved Nickelodeon shows like PAW Patrol and Dora the Explorer, and they were just as popular as the big coasters. There is plenty to keep little ones entertained for hours.
Overall, Nickelodeon Universe is a fantastic destination for a half-day of fun for adults, and an even longer adventure for families with children. While it may not be the largest theme park you’ll ever visit, its scale as an indoor park is truly impressive, packed with record-breaking attractions.
It was a shame that a couple of the key coasters were closed during our visit; however, this didn’t negatively affect the vibrant, family-friendly atmosphere. We highly recommend this park for young thrill-seekers and anyone who grew up loving the Nickelodeon brand. If you want to see more, make sure you take a look at our video recap of the day!
We look forward to visiting again in the future.
Disclosure: We were invited by the team at Nickelodeon Universe and were provided with complimentary ride wristbands for our visit in return for our honest review and content.
@thrillnation Check out Nickelodeon Universe! Do you want to visit? 🎢😱 #nickelodeon #nickelodeonuniverse #themepark #amusementpark #rollercoaster #ride #family #thrill #spongebob #fun #americandream #NJ #newjersey #newyork #NYC @American Dream ♬ original sound - SpongeBob background music
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