Our Weekend in Minnesota - Part One

 We spent a weekend in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago, in a joint collaboration with the Cities of Bloomington and Minneapolis, and had the most wonderful time! Two truly amazing cities! And where to start when talking about our time there. As the song says, I'll start at the very beginning. Hang on! It's a wild ride.

Bloomington, MN, home of the famous Mall of America, was our host city. And what a hostess she was! We stayed at the posh Hyatt Regency Hotel, and in the words of McKinley, we weren't fancy enough for this hotel. I beg to differ! Modern in design, and decor, this hotel offers all the amenities, spacious rooms, a pool perfect for capping off our evenings, and a dining experience that allowed us to tailor the menu to accommodate McKinley's 11 year old palate. The hotel is just a little over a mile from the mall, but a complimentary shuttle can drop you off and pick you up after your long day of exploration. And when I say long day, I mean it. Read on....

As you can see, McKinley settled in nicely...

And he had the perfect view of the airport where he could watch planes taking off while having his breakfast.

I had a fabulous view, with my morning coffee, while waiting for the shuttle. 

We spent our entire visit at the mall, which if you haven't been, you must add it to your list of places to go! The mall is truly a place you can get lost in, literally and figuratively. Thank goodness for touch screen directories located all over the place! The mall opened in 1992 and is one of the top tourist attractions in the country with nearly 40 million people from all over the world coming to experience this magnificent space. And I can see why. Yes, there's shopping, but there is so much more! Entertainment galore and a restaurant for every foodie or dining experience. The mall generates an annual $2 billion in revenue which is a major economic boost to the state. 

On our first night at the mall, which was a brief three hour visit, we played mini golf at Moose Mountain Adventure Golf and dined at Sugar Factory, which I will talk all about in my next post. Part Two will focus on all of our additional time spent within the mall, when not hanging out inside Nickelodeon Universe. So, what is Nickelodeon Universe, you ask? Allow me to introduce you.

Nickelodeon Universe is the indoor theme park located on the lower level of the mall. Yes, you read that correctly! There is a seven acre indoor theme park located on the lower level! It's incredible! And McKinley walked wide eyed around the park, mapping out our entire visit for the next day. I'm not sure he ever truly slept. Much like the night before Christmas! But we were finally able to coax him out of the mall, it was closing time after all, with the promise of a day of true adventure. One like he had never experienced before!

Hallmark has Christmas in July for this mama and the city of Bloomington hosted Christmas morning for McKinley! Welcome to Day Two! We were up, dressed, and out of the hotel room before 10:00 and at the mall by 10:30! Did I mention the mall opens at 10:00? We weren't wasting any time. And speaking of time, I would say that we spent 95% of our time at Nickelodeon Universe! Want to make the most of your visit to this theme park? Make sure to get an unlimited ride wristband. You won't be sorry! There are certainly other ticketing options, but if you are planning to spend your entire day at the mall (especially within Nickelodeon Universe), this wristband is worth every penny. I must mention, if you are simply there to watch your rider, or walking through to get to other portions of the mall, you do not need a wristband! Unlike your average theme park, within Nickelodeon Universe, you can come and go from the park all day. No need for a ticketed re-entry. Your wristband is your entry to every single ride. Get all of your ticketing information here. A huge THANK YOU to Bloomington for gifting us the unlimited wristbands. We used them to our full advantage. 

Remember how I mentioned McKinley had our entire day planned out around the park? I wasn't kidding. The minute we stepped foot inside Nickelodeon Universe, we made our way up the stairs to the Pepsi Orange Streak. He has watched POV videos of this ride on YouTube for weeks, scoping out every inch of this track. And if you're looking for an easy going, medium thrill ride, then this is the one for you! And make sure you get first car, if possible. It's the best way to take in the entire theme park while getting your amusement on. It's spectacular! We rode this ride four times throughout the day, and if given the opportunity, McKinley would have ridden it over and over again. But there were eleven other rides on our agenda with 23 rides in total around the park.

A sleeper favorite was the Back at the Barnyard Hayride! This junior ride took you on a trip and we loved it! You go around five times, a surprise to us both, and we took full advantage of the short lines by riding it back to back. 

Joel got in on the action with smaller rides. He isn't one for rollercoasters! It was Big Rig time for the two of them! This junior ride gives the rider a first hand perspective of what it's like to drive, well, a big rig! What I loved about Nickelodeon Universe was that each junior ride lasted a lot longer than you anticipated! Some rides went around three times, some up to five! You get your rides worth and that was such an unexpected treat. Big Rigs was a four time around ride. And even at 11, and standing at almost 4' 10", he was able to ride inside the rig without trouble. Junior rides aren't just for the little! Other notable junior rides were Diego's Rescue Rider, Guppy Bubbler, La Adventura De Azul, Swiper's Sweeper which McKinley said really threw you into the corners, more than PEANUTS 500 at World's of Fun, and was pretty rough. He loved Wonder Pet's Fly Boat, a much milder version of the Splat-O-Sphere. Read more about all of the rides here to plan your visit. 

Full disclaimer, we rode Crazy Cars, one of two bumper car experiences and it did not go over well for me... These bumper cars are super cool in design, glide smoothly along the surface, and put a smile on everyone's face, until you slam straight into a guard rail going full speed. Don't ask me how it happened, I have no idea, I'm just thankful McKinley wasn't in the car with me! Three rides in and I had already injured myself. Can we say, dumb move! Let's just say, sore ribs, but thankful for the roll bar that stopped me. Make sure when driving that you try not to go too fast and let up on the "gas" when going around the turn. Don't worry, I sucked it up and played hard all the rest of the day. 

I can't emphasis enough that Flyover America is a must! This immersive experience is very similar to Soarin' at Disneyworld, in that you are virtually flown all over the United States, taking in the sights of some of our countries most sought after landmarks. Not only do you take in breathtaking scenic views, you can smell the pine from evergreens, feel the mists from ocean sprays, and wind gently blows by as you glide along mountain tops. I've taken note of all of the places I want to travel within the U.S. simply based on this incredible ride. And, if you've ever wanted to visit Hawaii, but haven't quite figured out how to get there, then Fly Hawaii is the ride for you. We didn't have the time to work it into our schedule, we needed to get back on Pepsi Orange Streak, again. 

At some point we broke for lunch and dinner, but you don't have to leave Nickelodeon Universe to find food and beverage. First RND Burgers and Beers sits just outside the theme park. It's a sit down, full service restaurant that looked like a fun place to dine. There are Carts locations around the park which are perfect for grab and go options. And if you need a little pick me up, there is Caribou Coffee within reach! We had lunch at Johnny Rocket's, a super cute 50s diner, before heading back for more rides. We all were in need of that break, and a sit down lunch, to recharge our batteries! 

During our eleven hour visit to the mall, yes I said eleven hours, I was allowed to window shop. We played another round of mini golf at a groovy spot. McKinley browsed several toy stores. We dove into the deep waters of Sea Life. And so much more, but you're going to have to watch for my next post! That's where I spill the beans about everything else this larger than life space has to offer! 

After dinner, we quickly made our way back down to Nickelodeon Universe to ride as many rides as possible before the park officially closed at 9:00. We all rode the ferris wheel, McKinley and I got on the last runs of Pepsi Orange Streak and Back at the Barnyard Hayride, and McKinley rode Wonder Pet's Fly Boat. Four final rides to round out our stellar time at Mall of America's major indoor theme park. We took the term, Unlimited Rides, to heart!

I could never convey how much fun we had at Nickelodeon Universe. When I say it's fun for the whole family, I mean it! Even if you aren't riding, you are loving every minute of the reactions of the ones who do. And, when you aren't riding, you can watch others having the time of their lives. Death screams of fun can be heard all over the park from thrill riders on rides like Sponge Bob Square Pants Rock Bottom Plunge, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock, and Shredder's Mutant Masher. My husband looked on in horror as others rode them while I thought to myself that I could never survive a ride like that! Thankful that McKinley is eleven and just on the cusp of rollercoaster adventures. 

This day will be one for the memory books! I will never forget our time here and I don't think McKinley will either. And I can't thank the city of Bloomington enough for allowing us to spend time in their city making family time for the ages!

But come back next Monday for more adventures! And food. And fun!

XO,

Andrea

P.S. This post was sponsored by the City of Bloomington, but all photos and opinions expressed are my own.