Shop til you drop
The Mall of America has more than 500 shops, dozens of restaurants plus roller coasters, water rides and other thrills. (Photo by Clay Lomneth)

Shop til you drop

The Mall of America, located just 10 miles from the Minneapolis Convention Center, boasts more than 520 stores and over 12,200 parking spaces. But the MOA experience includes more than shopping; the Nickelodeon Universe Amusement Park, Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium and a virtual reality sports entertainment center are among the non-shopping options.

Among the anchor stores and other large retailers are Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sears, Best Buy, Apple,  Barnes & Noble, LL Bean, Old Navy and others.

Take a break from shopping and dine at one of the dozens of restaurants. And visitors are not restricted to typical food court fare. Major restaurants are represented including the Benihana, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Hard Rock Cafe, Margaritaville and others.

At the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium where visitors can take a break from the shopping crowds and mingle with 10,000 sea creatures. The aquarium, located inside the MOA, has sea creatures to pet, sharks to marvel at and sea turtles to watch in their 300-foot long underwater tunnel.

And, if that wasn’t enough, there are roller coasters, water rides and other thrills such as the FlyOver America simulator inside the mall.