15 Things to Do at Mall of America (Besides Shopping) (2024)

When it comes to shopping, my travel buddy (mydaughter Louise) and I are the Odd Couple. She’ll happily spend hours ferreting out bargains, whether it’s combing through a clearance rack or maximizing coupon codes and free shipping when shopping online.

Granted, she benefits from being a women’s extra small, so her size is often one of the few remaining on clearance racks. But she’s still the master of scoring high-quality merchandise at bargain-basem*nt prices. She found the only Patrick Mahomes jersey in a giant red pile of Chief’s gear on a display table here in Kansas City.

Meanwhile, shopping stresses me out. I don’t like crowds, and I don’t have the time or patience to browse through retail stores.

But with more than 520 shops, a wide variety of eating establishments, the country’s biggest indoor amusem*nt park, a 1.3-million-gallon aquarium, two connected hotels, and other unique attractions, Mall of America isn’t like most other malls in America. So it was easy for Louise and me to both have fun spending a day at the biggest mall in America.

Related Article: Secrets of the US’s Largest Mall

Sage Advice: From how to get there to tips to making the most of your visit, here’s everything you need to know before visiting the biggest mall in America.

We loved the opportunity to visit well-known places not available in Kansas City like:

• Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Inspired by the Academy Award-winning film starring Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company brings Gulf Shore cuisine to Minnesota. Enjoy dishes like coconut shrimp, fried shrimp, and stuffed shrimp. And if you’ve seen the movie, I’ll bet you read that last sentence just as Pvt. Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue did in Forrest Gump!
• Carlo’s Bakery. As an Italian pastry connoisseur and Cake Boss fan girl, Louise made a beeline for Carlo’s Bakery at Mall of America. While visiting the original location in Hoboken, New Jersey, is still high on her bucket list, she definitely helped them hit their cannoli sales goals for the week!
• Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. While this Mall of America restaurant is nearly 2,000 miles from the Caribbean, it still delivers a laid-back beach vibe to the landlocked Midwest year-round.
• Rainforest Cafe. The original Rainforest Cafe opened at Mall of America in 1994. Designed to resemble a rainforest with tropical plants, exotic animals, and a simulated thunderstorm, this isn’t your typical mall restaurant!
• Shake Shack. Although we now have two Shake Shacks in Kansas City, this is always a favorite stop at Mall of America. Why? Because in addition to its delicious burgers, fries, and shakes, this location offers a special shake flavor only available at the Mall of America restaurant. With vanilla custard, crumbled sugar cone, marshmallow sauce, salted caramel sauce, and malt powder, don’t overlook a chance to enjoy the “Malt of America” shake at Shake Shack.

Sage Advice: When you’re ready to explore the Twin Cities beyond the nation’s biggest mall, here are a bunch of funthings to do in Minneapolis.

Whether you want to hydrate, caffeinate, or celebrate happy hour, Mall of America has you covered. From Pepsi products to tea bars to coffee shops, you’ll have your pick of beverage options at Mall of America.

Sage Advice: There are more than 30,000 Starbucks locations around the world, so consider telling the world’s most famous mermaid that you’ll catch her later and rendezvous with a reindeer instead. Founded in greater Twin Cities in 1992, Caribou Coffee is a favorite local alternative, and you’ll find six of their stores inside America’s biggest mall.

If you’re looking for something a little stronger than a triple espresso, then spend a happy hour (or two) at one of the Mall of America restaurants. You’ll find everything from sake to specialty co*cktails, beer to Bordeaux.

Sage Advice: Here are the current Happy Hour deals at Mall of America.

From Kansas City to the Twin Cities, those of us who live in the middle of America are used to our hometowns being dubbed “flyover country.” Whether you buy into that Midwestern stereotype or not, you’re sure to enjoy FlyOver America, one of my favorite Mall of America attractions.

This unique Mall of America experience currently features Fly Hawaii. Glide along the shores of Maui, gaze into volcanic craters on the Big Island, and soar above the famous Napali Coast in Kauai without leaving the Twin Cities!

Sage Advice: Riders must be at least 40″ (102 cm) tall to experience FlyOver America. Guests under 48″ (122 cm) tall or under eight years of age must be accompanied by a supervising companion.

Minnesota may be the land of 10,000 lakes, but SEA LIFE at Mall of America brings the world’s waterways to the Twin Cities. So, if you’d rather swim with the fishes than soar with the eagles, be sure to check out the Mall of America aquarium.

And I know that nothing erases the stress of crowds (and shopping) in this Pisces gal’s world like watching stingrays swim or jellyfish glide through the water!

One of our favorite experiences at Mall of America SEA LIFE was Shark Cove. About the length of a football field, walk through an underwater tunnel filled with sand tiger sharks, sea turtles, and other salt water creatures. You also won’twant to miss:

• Sturgeon Lake – learn about the gar, sturgeon, turtles, and other fish and amphibians found in Minnesota Lakes
• Brave the Rainforest and Wild Amazon – from predatory piranhas to creepy crocodiles, experience one of the world’s most important and diverse ecosystems
• Creature Talks – held at scheduled times throughout the day and included with every admission, learn more about beluga whales, seahorses, stingrays and other ocean critters from a resident expert

If all of this aquatic excitement leaves you wanting more cowbell clownfish, then add one or more of these special experiences to your general admission ticket to the Mall of America aquarium:

• Stingray Feed – help scatter shrimp and other fish foods as dozens of cownose rays prepare to feast
• Behind-the-Scenes Tour – this 45-minute tour will give you exclusive access to the water quality lab, food prep kitchen, and other enhanced experiences above and beyond regular admission

Sage Advice:Don’t waste time waiting in line! Walk straight to SEA LIFE Minnesota’s ocean tunnel filled with sand tiger sharks, sea turtles, and other salt water creatures by purchasing yourMall of America aquarium ticketsin advance.

Before we visited the Twin Cities, the Mall of America indoor theme park piqued my interest the most. I’ve been to malls, and I’ve been to amusem*nt parks. But I’ve never been to an amusem*nt park inside a mall.

At the heart of the largest shopping mall in the United States is the country’s largest indoor amusem*nt park. And I don’t mean a theme park with a handful of kiddie rides for preschoolers. No, Nickelodeon Universe has seven acres of fun, from tame to heart-stopping. Sure, there is a merry-go-round and Ferris wheel. But there’s also the log chute and thrilling rides too scary for my fear-of-heights self.

If you plan on taking on more than four rides at Nickelodeon Universe, I recommend purchasing an all-day wristband, currently priced at $44.99. And if you plan to spend more than a day at Mall of America, it’s definitely worth it to spend $10 more for a two-day unlimited rides wristband.

Sage Advice:Younger visitors will want to keep an eye out for their favorite characters wandering around Nickelodeon Universe!

After establishing a comedy club at Canada’s biggest mall, in West Edmonton, Rick Bronson traveled south of the border to America’s biggest mall to open a second location. Situated on the top floor of Mall of America, the House of Comedy features the country’s top touring stand-up comedians.

If you didn’t get enough to drink or still have a hankering for a DIY project after previous tips, then the House of Comedy should do the trick. On Sundays they offer Build Your Own Bloody which is also known as Make Your Own Mary. Long story short, they pour the vodka, and you add everything else to craft your own Bloody Mary. Cheers!

Mall of America hosts more than 400 special events each year. That’s more than one activity per day of the year! Special events include activities like:

• Book signings by folks like Morris Day about his experiences in Minneapolis with Prince and Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman
• Celebrity appearances
• Events centered around the holidays, like pumpkin carving at Halloween, a fundraising walk on Thanksgiving morning to end hunger, and visits from Santa Claus at Christmas
• Movie premieres
• Musical performances
• Sports rallies

Whether it’s as cold as Antarctica or as humid as the rainforest when you visit the Twin Cities, it’s always a perfect 70° F. inside Mall of America. And that means that nothing should prevent you from walking off the calories from your “Malt of America” shake from the Shake Shack!

At just over a mile, walking each level of Mall of America puts 2,000 to 2,500 steps on your Fitbit, so pull on some comfortable walking shoes and tackle one of the one-mile, 5K-, and 10K-walking routes established by Mayo Clinic through the mall.

Sage Advice: Mall of America opens its doors to mall walkers three hours before the shops open, so get there early to stroll past the stores before the crowds arrive!

Since the doors opened for the first time on August 11, 1992, Mall of America and its tenants have supported the local community. In fact, Mall of America averages $25,000 per day in cash donations, product contributions, and in-kind support.

Fun Fact: Mall of America collects $24,000 in coins from the Mall of America fountain each year and donates those funds to the local community.

See what fundraising walks and other community events are scheduled during your visit to Mall of America and consider contributing. If nothing else, throw your spare change in the Mall of America fountain!

Discover clues, solve puzzles, and try to make your great escape from one of five escape room scenarios at Mall of America. You can fix your spaceship and escape from Mars, recover a famous painting from an art thief, save the world as a special operations agent, and more.

Sage Advice: This Mall of America activity is best for visitors ages 13 and up.

Whether you regularly build something with LEGO bricks or just curse when you step on one left on the floor, you’ll surely find inspiration at The LEGO Store.

In the shadow of eight giant LEGO creations — including a 34-foot robot — you’ll find the colorful bricks you know and love at the LEGO Store. (We are big fans of the LEGO architecture series!)

You can’t miss the store’s giant, pick-a-brick wall housing 180 different LEGO pieces, and you’re likely to find children of all ages sitting at the play tables creating masterpieces.

Fun Fact: If you can’t locate that one piece needed to complete a set you can buy replacement bricks online from LEGO. And if your dog ate your building instructions, access a copy online.

And, nerdy history girl (me) also enjoyed learning more about how Crayola crayons evolved over the years. Cousins Binney & Smith launched this new art medium with just eight classic colors. Today Crayola crayons are available in hundreds of variations.

I especially enjoyed reading the significant milestones in the company’s history. For example, the “flesh” crayon was renamed “peach” in 1962. There have only been a few color name changes in Crayola’s long history, and this decision acknowledged that skin tones come in a wide range of colors, not just “peach.” It was also fun to learn that Emerson Moser, the company’s most senior crayon maker, was colorblind.

A $422 million project is underway to add a water park on the north side of Mall of America, next to the JW Marriott. It will include a skyway and 1,300 additional parking spaces. According to this article, construction could start the summer of 2022 with phase one opening in the fall of 2023.

In the meantime, check out theGreat Wolf Lodge in Bloomington. Just steps from Mall of America, this indoor water park is fun for kids of all ages (and grown-ups, too)!

There are two hotels connected to Mall of America:

• JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America
• Radisson Blu Mall of America

Together they offer 842 guest rooms. Additionally, each hotel has a fitness center, indoor pool, and other amenities.

There are also many hotels near Mall of America, and many offer free shuttle service to and from the shopping center.

• Find low fares with airfarewatchdog and Skyscanner
• Book your plane ticket with Expedia or Kayak
• Or take the scenic route on an epic road trip in a rental car or an RV from Outdoorsy
• From hotels to private homes, find the perfect accommodation with Hotels.com or Vrbo
• Travel in style with a suitcase, carry-on, backpack, or handbag from eBags
• Save on tickets to attractions, sightseeing tours, and more with CityPASS, Tiqets, and Viator
• Don’t leave home without travel insurance from AXA
• Discover the sights, history, and culture of your destination with an interactive scavenger hunt
• Need something else to plan your perfect trip? Visit my travel resources page for more trusted partners. Happy wandering!