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You are here: Home / Adventures with Kids / Mall of America: Our Family Weekend Getaway and $100 MOA Gift Card Giveaway!

Mall of America: Our Family Weekend Getaway and $100 MOA Gift Card Giveaway!

| Filed Under: Adventures with Kids, Giveaways

Not too long ago, I got to visit Mall of America with my family thanks to a BlogHer opportunity. I was so excited! I just love, love, love the Minneapolis area! Growing up just a few hours away in Wisconsin, I made lots of trips there with my family and friends as there is always so much to do. Being that we live in Chicago now, Mall of America (in Bloomington, MN which is about 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis) is about six hours away…a perfect distance for a long weekend family trip! We have wonderful memories of our last family vacation there so when this opportunity came along we knew we had to jump at the chance of creating fun, new memories with our completed family of six (last time we only had two kids!).
We were lucky enough to stay at the Radisson Blu.  This is a brand new hotel (it opened in March of 2013) that is actually connected to Mall of America! I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed that! We parked our car in the parking garage and didn’t have to use it for the entire three days we were there.  If you have small children you know how great that truly is–no in-and-out of car seats 2-3 times a day going back and forth from your hotel.  Staying at a hotel that is connected to MOA also meant we could maximize our time there every day.  We could go into MOA as soon as it opened and Clif or I could run back quickly to get Oliver down for his naps or rest time with Eloise.  While one of us stayed with the younger two the other could take a quick elevator ride down to the second floor with our other two children and walk right into MOA to enjoy it! 
The Radisson Blu is a really beautiful hotel and we loved its modern style (it was so pretty!).  The staff was super friendly and went out of their way to make sure we (and our gaggle of kids) had a great experience in their hotel as well as in MOA.
The rooms were so nice…we had two rooms with an adjoining door which was so wonderful for naptimes and Oliver’s earlier bedtime.  This way the other kids could watch TV, have a snack, etc without disrupting his sleep!
And we had the most delicious cupcakes waiting for us when we arrived (courtesy of MOA™!).  I loved the “Dirt” cupcake with chocolate pudding frosting that was dipped in crushed Oreos…it even had a little worm peeking out of it!
As you can see, my kids just loved the comfy beds!
The first day we arrived at Mall of America we walked around the first two floors just to get our bearings.  There are actually four floors of shopping in Mall of America–the fourth (top) floor is mainly dedicated to movie theaters, a comedy club, and nice sit-down restaurants. MOA is HUGE!  One lap around one floor is about half a mile; it’s perfect because you can get in some exercise while you browse the stores 🙂
Of course we had to hit up Build-A-Bear so each of our kids could get a bear or umm, a bunny (ok, and a Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, and a Monkey too, ha!). 
The next day was Sunday and we hit up the Lego store first!  Pssst! On a side note, can I tell you yet another great thing about staying at the Radisson Blu? You are connected to the second floor of MOA right next to the Lego store!  It’s so easy to remember how to get back 😉  
The kids loved looking at all the larger than life Lego models surrounding the store.  

And of course, the humongous Lego wall was pretty impressive too.
Pure Lego brick heaven in every color you can imagine!

We spent the majority of Sunday at Nickelodeon Universe® which is the big amusement park in the very center of Mall of America.  
It’s a great amusement park for kids and adults.  There are rides for all ages.  They have some pretty intense roller coasters and twister type rides for adults, a really nice amount of rides for kids Noah and Penny’s age (6 and 4), and a whole area with toddler rides which were perfect for Eloise, my 2-year old.  Everyone was happy, hooray!  
There is even a Ferris wheel!  My kids just adored this ride because you could see the whole park from the top.

Here is our view point from the very top. It’s a pretty good sized amusement park.  I also love how the roof over the park is made of glass so you feel like you are outside without having to deal with the elements–no rain, no intense heat–perfection for our little family!

Most of the rides were named after characters of Nickelodeon shows.  This ride, Swiper’s Sweeper, was a huge hit as the car whips you around as it goes around each bend.
Even Eloise loved it!
There were a few rides that Ellie wasn’t tall enough for so she had to go on them with an adult which worked out okay for us since the other one of us just stayed back with Oliver and our stroller!

There is even a carousel in the park!  Carousels are a huge hit with our family.  Like, we need to do multiple rides on them, over and over again.  I’m glad we had an unlimited ride wristband for the kids 🙂 And on another side note, adults can ride for free with their kids, which is a nice bonus as parents don’t have to pay to ride with a child who might be too small or slightly afraid.

They even had cute little kid bumper cars (as well as larger adult bumper cars in another area). My kids really enjoyed driving their own little car without us!
And just in case you were wondering what Oliver was doing the whole time since he is a wee bit too young to be on the rides, well he was enjoying being worn by his momma and nursed his little heart out.  He had quite a few cat naps in the ergo!

In the afternoon we took a break from the amusement park and headed downstairs (hmm, does that mean MOA has FIVE floors?) to the SEA LIFE Aquarium®.  This is a fully functional and pretty sweet aquarium in the basement of Mall of America. I had been here before and was more than excited to show this to my kids.

They had a whole exhibit of jellyfish which Noah adored as he just finished learning about them in school.  Isn’t this picture I took amazing?! They are such beautiful creatures!

I think our absolute favorite part of the aquarium was the 300 foot glass underground tunnel.  There were sharks and stingrays just doing their thing and swimming all around us–it was so cool!

I mean, how crazy is it to see this above your head!!!
Our last day there was on a Monday and wow, can I tell you this is the time to be shopping.  The crowds were practically non-existent, it was really the perfect day to hit the Mall for some shopping with four kids and a double stroller!  We had to hit up the Sanrio store for some Hello Kitty goodness for the girls (and me!)
And this store, Typo, was just incredible!  It was like my Pinterest boards come to life! With oodles of fun goodies to browse through.

The last thing we did before we headed back home was get in a good game of mini-golf at Moose Mountain Adventure Golf, MOA’s very own 18-hole miniature golf course. The kids were begging to go here as you could see it from the amusement park and it looked so neat with its rocky and rugged stone look.

We had an incredible family vacation at Mall of America and made so many great memories! My kids ask at least once a week if we can go back, ha! We feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to go. I can’t wait to go back and do it all again when Oliver is a little older and can enjoy more of it!  
What are some of your favorite places to visit in Mall of America?  If you haven’t been where would you go first?  Leave an answer in the comments below and you will be automatically be entered into a drawing to win a $100 MOA gift card! 
XOXO, 
 
Rules:

No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the
following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post”
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 6/10 – 7/7.
Be sure to visit the Mall of America page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
** I have been compensated for this post. However, all opinions are truthful and my own.  
This post may contain paid links.

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Comments

  1. KristyMN says

    I live in MN and we love the MOA! The Sanrio store is my favorite. My kids raise lemonade stand money every summer for unlimited ride wristbands to the park. It is super fun–especially Swiper’s Sweeper! Nce to see a blog about something so familiar and beloved 🙂

  2. Penny Waddingham says

    We are hoping to swing a trip to MOA in August for some back to school shopping. The MOA is terrific and the fact that IKEA is right next door is also a huge plus.
    Thanks
    Penny

  3. annemarie says

    I grew up in Minnesota and would love to go back to visit this summer – have not been to the MOA and this would be a perfect chance to visit.

  4. mnoble says

    Love the Mall of America but with living in Idaho, we don’t get there very often. We go back to Minnesota to visit my husband’s family every 2 or 3 years and a trip to MOA is a must. We love the Lego store even now that my kids are teenagers. The mall changes so much every time we’ve been there. I didn’t know that the amusement park was now Nickelodeon, it was still Camp Snoopy last time we were there. We’re hoping to go back again next summer.

  5. Christina says

    I used to live in Minneapolis and I loved the MOA – xmas shopping was great – done in one stop. Loved the night clubs (I was younger than) and loved just walking the Mall – always new stores and restaurants. The sock stores and shili stores were always fun!!

  6. Penny says

    I am going to visit my sister in Minnesota this summer and will make my first trip to MOA! The Sanrio looks like a must stop since I love Hello Kitty!

  9. Lindsay Litman says

    I have to be honest…I have always lived in Minnesota and really avoid the MOA at all costs. It’s always SO crowded and not my cup of tea. HOWEVER, the way you wrote about your trip may have change my mind. Even though we only live about 20 minutes from the mall I’m thinking an overnight at the Raddison Blu might make it really fun.

  10. Heidi V says

    I live in PA and have never been to MOA but I seriously want to go for our next vacation! I think that Typo store looks fabulous but the kids would probably have a different idea of what we should check out first (probably the amusement park):)

  11. kate says

    I have never been to the MOA, but the Typo store looks like my kind of store. And of course, the aquarium would be one of the first stops, also.

  12. Terri Thompson says

    We love the MOA and go there at least a couple of times a year. Right now my kids are into Nickelodeon Universe, and I would love to visit the Aquarium again.

  13. Uptowncat says

    We live just 5 minutes from the mall and it is our most convenient place to shop. Our kids love to go on rides and there are numerous kid-friendly restaurants that we like to visit. I love all the new renovations they have been doing to update the different areas(the restaurants main street is my favorite) and we visit Sea Life once a year – the hands on areas are fabulous!

  14. Jill Thomas says

    I live in PA and have never yet been to the MOA. Based on your blog details, I would want to stay at the Radisson Blu hotel and I would NEED to see the aquarium first!

  15. Emily says

    WOAH! Love your pictures! What a fun time! I’ve never been but would love to check out the amusement park and aquarium. 🙂

  16. Sabina says

    Looks like you have had a lot of fun!

    I made a dress using one of your amazing free patterns, please have a look in my blog. 🙂

    Hugs, Sabina

  18. Jessica Kok says

    I grew up about 2 miles away from MoA. I worked at Eddie Bauer there between high school and college, so that would have to be my favorite place. Kind of sad to see all of the changes, but also fun to see what’s stayed the same. 🙂

  20. Connie Babe says

    i’ve always wanted to go there…it’s on my to-go-to list. i have absolutely no idea where i’d go first…but i sure would have fun deciding! 🙂

  25. rachel says

    I’ve never been there but I want to hit up the food court for sweets! If I was 10 still, I’d visit the American Girl Bistro. Maybe someday if I have a daughter!

  29. Kate Sumka says

    I really want to take a trip with the kids there now! My two favorite things- shopping and amusement parks! It was made for me:) now to find the time!

  35. Amy says

    My favorite place in MOA is Sea Life, and Lego store, and those fun rides..haha…so many favorites. I can’t wait to take my kids there.

    amy [at] utry [dot] it

  37. Deborah Horvath says

    If you are planning a Christmas trip, be sure to book a visit with Santa via Professor Bellows. This is no mall santa – best Santa ever for little kids, he remembers my kids every year, we have been seeing him for the last 16 years. My 17 year old even looks forward to it!

  42. Anastasia Fall says

    I’ve never been, but the first place I’d love to go is to the roller coaster! Hit all the fun rides first, then find a store that sells cupcakes like the ones you got in your room 🙂

  51. Gina Wildorchid says

    I have never been, but I would love to go! I think my first destination would be the rollercoaster, but it would be so hard to decide!

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

  54. Ruby Daniels says

    I have never been to moa but would love to go. My son would love the park, my husband would love the aquarium and I would love the shopping

  59. Stephanie Larison says

    I haven’t been in sooo long. I’m talking about 10 years or so, I went with my parents a few times on vacation and loved it! Now that I have a family of my own, I’d love to go for the rides for my daughter, I’m sure she’d love it just like I did. I’ve always wanted to try out Rainforest Cafe too, looks so good!