Mall of America

[9999]

I am thinking of taking the family to the Mall of Amercia for about 5 days for alittle time away. I have a one year old and four year old. Any recommendations on nice places to stay and fun things to do?

I would like to be very close to the Mall of America and dont mind spending extra $$$$ on a good hotel as we do not get to get away much.

Thanks.

[satansgrl]

5 days at the mall of america might be a bit much. I was just there. Very pricey mall. The area for kids looked like fun for half day to kill. The aquamarine is ok. Over priced , try and find coupons. Not trying to discourage you. Lots of walking. There is an Ikea acoss the street. St Paul is a real nice to visit. And clean.
MOA is not far from the airport. Not much else to do around the mall outside. Its sorta out of the way bit unless you drive. I dont have kids. So not sure whats there for them . You could always catch a baseball game.
Minn has a zoo. Heard it was ok but nothing like the Toronto zoo..

[M-e-X-x]

Went to MoA, wasn't a big deal to me... Sure lots of stores, but meh...

[fruchick]

Kids will love it! There is indeed days and days worth of stuff to do in the mall. My friend and I got a ridiculous good deal at the LivInn Suites in Burnsville a few years back. Like, stupid cheap, and really nice. We sat there wondering how they could make any money. In the middle of nowhere, but about a 15 minute drive to the mall. They may have smartened up and raised their rates, but it's worth checking out.

[cq358]

I lived in the Cheska (out skirt of Minneapolis) for 2 years. Minneapolis have the highest percentage of university graduate in all the metropolitan in America. People are polite and civilize.
Places such as park and road are cleaner than you seen in Toronto. There is a lot of lake surrounding the city. Food in Minneapolis in general are more pricier than Toronto. MoA is big and kind of pricey but don't compare prices to outlet. However you will enjoy the scenery and the people in the twin cities.

[MrIcu]

Here are a few kid friendly things to do around the MoA/Minneapolis/St. Paul:

- The science museum is great for the kids. Very hands on.
- Minnehaha Falls (a nice park - can rent 1,2,4,10 seater bikes)
- Boat tour down the Mississippi
- Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (Free)
- Cheesecake factory is a very good restuarant for a meal or for that evening dessert.

There are plenty of hotels/motels around the MoA. We went the frugal route and stayed at the Super 8 in Bloomington (which is where the MoA is). It was actually very nicely renovated and more of a hotel than a motel. Free breakfast was also included.

If you have time, go North-West of Minneaspolis to Albertville (~45 minute drive) where you will get exceptional deals at the Premium Outlets there. Be warned, it's a whole day's trip there.