See the 800-foot indoor ski slope, water park, and observation wheel coming to North Jersey

Earlier this week, we got a sneak peek at the massive food hall coming to the American Dream mega-mall next to Met Life Stadium. The $3 billion, 4.5 million-square-foot shopping mall, which has been 16 years in the making, will also boast the largest indoor ski slope in the western hemisphere, an NHL-sized ice rink, a 4-D movie theater, a LEGOLAND, an eight-acre Nickelodeon water park and theme park, and an Observation Wheel with 26 climate-controlled gondolas overlooking the NYC skyline from a height “nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty.” And we’ve now got a first look at what these other over-the-top amusements will look like.

The ski slope, officially dubbed Big Snow America and described as an indoor snow park and chalet, will be the first indoor ski and snowboard park in the Western Hemisphere. It’ll measure 800 feet, or 16 stories, to the top. There will also be an ice-climbing wall.

And speaking of ice, American Dream will have an NHL regulation-sized ice skating rink. In addition to recreational hockey and figure skating programming, the rink will be used for touring shows, professional skating lessons, private parties and events, and events with the area’s three professional hockey teams.

The Dreamworks glass-domed, indoor water park will be a whopping eight acres, as will be the Nickelodeon Universe theme park. The latter is very similar looking to the amusement park in the Minneapolis’ Mall of America, not surprising considering developer Triple Five is behind both projects. And, in fact, just this past spring, Triple Five proposed adding a $200 million indoor water park at the Mall of America.

But what will really be unique to American Dream is the Observation Wheel. The height is only described as “nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty,” which is a bit vague. Lady Liberty stands at 305 feet; by comparison, the New York Wheel proposed for Staten Island is planned to be 630 feet. Here in New Jersey, riders will board one of 26 climate-controlled gondolas for a 25-minute ride around.

The mall will also have a Sea Life Aquarium, Legoland Discovery Center, KidZania “role play experience,” and a 1,400-seat, 12-screen, dine-in 4D move theater.

The dining options include 50 grab-and-go options, 20 full-service restaurants, a Vice-branded food hall, and the world’s first Kosher food hall.

As we recently reported:

American Dream is expected to open in the spring of 2019, at which time it’s estimated that it will draw 30-40 million visitors a year, many of whom are projected to be tourists visiting NYC. There will be a commuter shuttle from the NJ Transit stops at the Meadowlands and Secaucus, as well as a direct bus route from Port Authority.

All renderings via American Dream