Travel Tuesday: Mall of America

Yes, I'm still talking about our road trip last summer. In case you've missed anything, here's a list of my road trip posts to date:

• Road Trip Success
• Let the Road Trip Fun Begin
• South Dakota Supreme: Part 1
• South Dakota Supreme: Part 2
• The Road Trip Continues Into Alien Territory
• Travel Tuesday: The Road Trip Continues Into Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
• Travel Tuesday: Washington Reunion
• Travel Tuesday: Glacier National Park
• Travel Tuesday: The Road Trip Continues Into North Dakota

After having some fun in North Dakota, we were headed for the one place Bethany had been looking forward to visiting for months: the Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota. We took her to national parks and monuments, and she was most excited about a mall. I can't complain, because she had fun every place we went, and also...I was looking forward to checking out this massive mall too! 

Knowing that Bethany really wanted to go to the Mall of America, I made sure to plan a route home that would take us right to it. Throughout the trip planning process, keeping the kids involved, interested, and happy was a top priority. I wanted them to be excited about the trip, and the way to do that was to make sure we did things they were interested in doing. To conserve money, we reserved a hotel room in St. Cloud, which is about an hour and a half north west of Bloomington. Instead of paying top dollar for a tiny, crappy room near the mall, which is a huge tourist destination, we paid a very reasonable rate for a big, comfortable room and dealt with making the drive to the mall in the morning. It was definitely the way to go. Although it would be pretty cool to stay at the hotel that's located within the mall!

My thoughts about the Mall of America: It's big. It's clean. There are lots of stores. It's a mall. 

Actually, although it is just a giant mall with some extras thrown in for fun, we had a really great day at the mall. Connor was happy to build his own mini figures at the LEGO store. Lucy was happy to pick out an outfit for her Bitty Baby at the American Girl store. Mathilda was thrilled with the Nickelodeon characters. Bethany was excited to do some back to school shopping at the Mall of America. Nobody complained that we opted to just look at the amusement park and not spend money on rides. Nobody complained that we ate at the food court instead of Rainforest Cafe. It was a nice, happy, air-conditioned day.

It is pretty surreal to see the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park right in the middle of a mall. You don't have to pay an admission fee, you just pay if you want to go on rides. So we were free to walk around and check everything out. Characters were walking around for photo ops. Maybe if we hadn't been so pressed for time, we would have let the kids go on a ride or two. But as it was, with just fitting in lunch and the shopping that each kid wanted to do, we spent several hours at the mall and then really had to move on.

The LEGO store was pretty awesome because there were several large brick sculptures around it and on top of it, many of which could be seen clearly from the food court on the next floor.

This is definitely a mall that would require a few days to truly check out every nook and cranny. We were happy with the stores we went to, but we definitely missed quite a few. Something that I would have liked to have seen was the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium, which is also located directly within the mall.

I would really like to return to the Mall of America. I even think it would be fun to make a trip just to go back to school shopping. It's about a 12 hour drive from home, so that might be a bit extreme. But it would be fun!

Somewhere in Wisconsin

Not long after leaving the mall, we found ourselves crossing into Wisconsin, our 12th state of the trip. We spent our last night of vacation at a hotel in a small Wisconsin town, with a view of corn fields. On the way there, we drove past the Wisconsin Dells, and at least one of my children had the nerve to complain that we weren't stopping. Because, you know, we hadn't done enough throughout the course of our trip! I thought that was kind of funny, but to put a positive spin on it, at least they were ready and willing to do even more! I didn't burn them out too badly, I guess. 

By the time we woke up on the final morning of our trip, we were getting antsy to get home. The kids were missing Chris, and as always, the final stretch home was the longest. But what a trip! We had such a fantastic time, from beginning to end. I can't wait to do it again!

Connor is making his own mini figures at the LEGO store at Mall of America

LEGO helicopter at the Mall of America

Nickelodeon Universe

Nickelodeon Universe - Mall of America

Mall of America

The closest we got to meeting Dora at the Mall of America

Family Vacation Destination: St. Paul, Minnesota

Last summer when we took our epic cross country road trip, my heart broke a tiny bit every time we had to pass up a fun or scenic destination. We only had a very limited amount of time, and unfortunately, we just could not fit in everything that we would have liked to see and do. Don't get me wrong, we did a lot in two and a half weeks, but the trip definitely reinforced for me that I need to take several more similar road trips in order to see everything I want to see! Next time I will be researching Hotels in St Paul MN because I'm not missing it twice!

I've been busily recapping our trip in my Travel Tuesday posts, but I have yet to get around to writing about our brief time in Minnesota. It was our first time visiting Minnesota, and we were in a major time crunch so my mom could get back to work. Therefore, we were only able to choose one activity in Minnesota on our route home. Bethany had her heart set on one particular destination, so that meant we had to pass right by St. Paul and all that it has to offer. We were literally only about twenty minutes away. Ouch.

Being the capital of Minnesota, St. Paul has a lot to offer in terms of family fun. When we finally make it there, here are some things we won't want to miss:

• Como Park Zoo and Conservatory  Maybe it's cliche, but I love taking my kids to zoos. This one looks beautiful, without being too huge and overwhelming. I love that there are several gardens on the grounds with different themes. Also, a really unique feature is Como Town, a little mini amusement park right in the zoo. Admission to the zoo is FREE, although donations are suggested. Please note, there is a charge for rides and other attractions.
• Minnesota Children's Museum  Museums geared toward children are always a good bet for our family. Lots of hands on activities equal loads of fun, with a little learning sneaked in for good measure! The Earth World exhibit (helping kids to discover Minnesota's unique habitats up close) looks like it would be interesting and captivating. Big bonus: the museum is accessible via the city's skyway, which is an ingenious indoor walkway connecting several buildings. Which means you can get from place to place without ever going outside. That sounds perfect for rainy or cold weather!
• Cathedral of St. Paul  Okay, I admit that perhaps visiting a church would not be on my kids' list of things they'd like to do on vacation. However, I'm a sucker for historical churches, especially majestic ones like the Cathedral of St. Paul. Almost 100 years old, this beautiful church is a treasure trove of art and architecture. And a little culture never hurt anyone.
• Grand Avenue  Sometimes the best part of visiting a new city is simply wandering the streets, people watching and window shopping. Home to many local businesses, Grand Avenue seems like the perfect place to walk around and get to know the city. There are lots of unique options in terms of coffee shops, cafes, and shops. I can just envision a lovely afternoon, walking up and down the street, stopping for a coffee or an ice cream cone.
• Indian Mounds Park  What kid would not like to see an ancient burial ground first hand? It's somehow creepy and mysterious and I know my kids would be interested. There are six mounds at the park, some believed to be more than 2000 years old! The park also looks like a nice place to have a picnic and let the kids run off some steam. I always like to schedule some free time outdoors when we're traveling so my kids can get their exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

Have you been to St. Paul, or do you live in the area? I'd love first hand suggestions for family friendly sites and activities!

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.