It is almost that time of year when the top Midwest shopping destination Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota (suburb of the Twin Cities) will be decorated with jingle bells and customers dash from store to store looking for the perfect gifts. “Shopping vacations” (a trip with shopping as the focus) are actually popular year-round, and I happen to live 10 minutes from this famous mall, locally it’s called MOA.
At the Mall of America, four out of ten shoppers are tourists. This Midwest shopping paradise has over 520 shops, including three major department stores: Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Sears.
Nickelodeon Universe amusement park sits in the mall’s center, plus there is a movie theater, 18-hole miniature golf course, the Underwater Adventures Aquarium, and the new Amazing Mirror Maze.
According to the MOA facts: 32 Boeing 747s could fit inside the mall. Can you see why it’s one of the Midwest’s top shopping destinations?
Compare hotel prices near Mall of America today.
With shopping season on the horizon, or if you’re making your trip to the Twin Cities into a shopping vacation, here are a few tips on this mammoth mall that will help your shopping experience be a pleasant one:
1. Parking. There is plenty of covered parking places at MOA with the occasional patch of outdoor lots. Parking is free, but it’s extremely important you pay attention to your garage, floor, row and section.
The covered parking looks just like airport garages and are tremendously huge, making it very easy to get lost.
Every section has picture clues on the posts, so take a photo of your location with your phone. If you want to forgo the parking experience, you can valet park at Macy’s.
2. No Sales Tax. This is cool information worth sharing: Minnesota does not charge sales tax for clothes and shoes.
3. Expect to spend cash. I admit, we’ve walked through the park many times but have yet to indulge in the rides or experience the aquarium.
Nickelodeon Universe has over 25 rides, from toddler rides to flipping roller coasters, but it’s still an amusement park and the cost the money for an unlimited ride bracelet.
If you have a large clan, the cost can add up – so if you do it, plan to make a day of it (you can come and go as you wish from the park, as it’s open to everyone).
I did notice the typical amusement park food prices are not exorbitant (and don’t forget to try some local cheese curds which are on the menu), but there is a huge food court a short elevator ride away.
4. Beware of the thieves. I met my new friend Mary Ann (and fellow travel blogger) and her children at MOA a couple of weeks ago and as we were eating lunch a lady approached us and recommended we not to leave our purses on the back of our chairs (mine was) because people are known to walk by and swipe them.With everyone dressed (disguised) in winter wear, we could easily see how that could be a problem.
5. Free attractions. Simply exploring the mall is entertainment itself, but often there are free events going on.In Nickelodeon Universe, even if you don’t ride the rides, popular characters will make a meet and greet appearance (we met Dora last weekend).
And be sure to check the MOA website for the latest events. For example, last weekend we stopped to watch architecture students and engineering firms build sculptures from nonperishable food items – it’s called Canstruction.
No matter what your reason is for going to Minnesota’s Mall of America, you will find something for everyone. For the girls, there is the new American Girl store and Barbie Shop, and both of my kids love the Lego store and Build-A Bear. If you’re going with your girlfriends, grab a latte from Caribou Coffee and have a blast – just don’t forget where you parked!
Best of all, Mall of America is located next to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Book your hotel here.
This post has affiliate links which may result in The Vacation Gals receiving a small commission.
This will be dangerous for me if I live 10 minutes from this mall. 🙂
When I lived in the Twin Cities MOA was the closest mall to my house. Since I moved away 6 years ago we get back to the cities a few times a year and we usually hit MOA for stores we don’t have locally. We have visited the theme park- you can find my post at Have Kid Will Travel : http://blog.havekidwilltravel.com/2008/06/visiting-nickelodeon-universe-at-mall.html
This is on my list of must-visits – but because of the indoor roller coaster! MOA and the Edmonton Mall, which is the largest in the world. Riding a roller coaster indoors just sounds like a hoot!
Thanks for the photos, Beth!
The mall of America was awsome. I took my daughter there for here high school graduation. I came across your cool site doing a search on shopping. I am looking for some legitimate subscribers and am hopeful the shopping gals can assist me. This is absolutely lovely information and merchandise. Maybe some of your readers will be interested in my free merchandise. I invite anyone to visit http://costsyounothing.com and sign up for the free newsletter.
Dude.. I am not much into reading, but somehow I got to read plenty of articles on your blog. Its amazing how interesting it is for me to visit you very often.
These and other areas in life can be resolved by using
a reverse cell phone lookup. But if you try to search a cell phone number on the website of White Pages (or any other free phone directory), you will not be able to identify it
there. Consequently, you can get your needed information after just
few mouse clicks as a reverse phone detective.