Worth it for an all-weather shopping-and-entertainment day, especially with children, during bad weather, or as an easy airport/Blue Line stop; it works best when you choose one paid attraction rather than trying to do everything.
Enter the mall free
There is no general-admission ticket or timed mall entry; pay only for attractions such as Nickelodeon Universe, SEA LIFE, Crayola Experience, FlyOver, minigolf or the public tour.
MoreBook the public tour early
Reserve the 90-minute Tuesday or Saturday 9 a.m. official tour in advance because capacity is limited and tours fill quickly.
MoreMatch your entrance to your priority
Use East for Blue Line transit and SEA LIFE, West for Nickelodeon Universe, South for Crayola Experience, and North for hotel shuttles, taxis and coaches.
MoreArrive at weekday opening
For the calmest visit, go at retail opening Tuesday through Thursday; avoid Thanksgiving and Christmas Day closures and expect December weekends to be especially crowded.
MoreNickelodeon Universe
~480 min · Paid wristband or point-pass rides; a one-day unlimited-ride wristband is intended as a full-day visit.
SEA LIFE Minnesota
~90 min · Separate paid aquarium admission; the Crayola + SEA LIFE combo allows admission to both attractions within three consecutive days after first scan.
Crayola Experience
~240 min · Separate paid admission; plan roughly a half-day with children.
FlyOver America
~30 min · Separate paid single-flight admission; no reservation is required and departures run every 15 minutes.
Rock of Ages Blacklight Minigolf
Separate paid admission for one round of minigolf.
Mall of America (MOA) is a vast enclosed shopping and entertainment complex at the former Metropolitan Stadium site in Bloomington, Minnesota, beside Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. Opened on August 11, 1992 with 330 stores, it has grown into a 5.6-million-square-foot, all-weather destination with up to 520 retail and dining tenants, centered on the seven-acre Nickelodeon Universe indoor amusement park and supplemented by attractions, restaurants and event spaces. MOA estimates it receives 32 million visits annually.
It is worth the trip for the sheer scale of American retail as spectacle, a dependable indoor escape in winter or bad weather, family attractions, and concentrated brand shopping—especially because ordinary clothing and footwear are exempt from Minnesota sales tax. It is also unusually convenient from MSP airport and downtown Minneapolis via the METRO Blue Line. Skip it if shopping, chains, branded entertainment and crowds do not appeal: it remains fundamentally a mall, and adults without children can usually get the essential central-atrium experience in 90 minutes to three hours.
Before you go
No. Entry to the mall is free, with no general-admission ticket, timed entry or ticket-office requirement. Paid tickets are only needed for individual attractions such as Nickelodeon Universe, SEA LIFE, Crayola Experience, FlyOver America, minigolf, or the official tour.
Published retail hours are Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Mall doors open three hours before retail hours for walkers, but shops and attractions are not open then. The mall is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day; attraction, restaurant and department-store hours can differ.
Use East for METRO Blue Line/bus arrivals, the Rotunda and SEA LIFE; West for Nickelodeon Universe, Nordstrom, Apple and fashion shopping; South for Crayola Experience, L.L.Bean and Radisson Blu; and North for hotel shuttles, taxis, coaches and the JW Marriott. The overall address is 2131 Lindau Lane, Bloomington, MN 55425.
Yes. Take the METRO Blue Line to Mall of America Transit Station, at the East Parking Ramp. The mall states that the line links MOA with both MSP terminals and downtown Minneapolis. Allow about 5–10 minutes to walk indoors from the transit platforms through the East Ramp to the mall.
Yes for ordinary same-day visits: daytime parking in the East and West ramps and North Lot is free, provided you leave before midnight. East Ramp is most convenient for transit, the Rotunda and SEA LIFE; West for Nickelodeon Universe, Nordstrom and Apple; South for Crayola Experience and L.L.Bean. Overnight parking is on East Ramp Level 7 and costs $12 per night. Valet costs $15 per day.
Choose one based on your group rather than trying to do everything. Nickelodeon Universe is the full-day family option: regular unlimited-ride wristbands are $52.49, Deal Day wristbands are $41.99 on designated days, and two-day wristbands are $64.99. SEA LIFE admission starts at $25 per adult; Crayola Experience general admission is $30.99; FlyOver America is $21.59 online ($23.99 at the gate, plus tax); Rock of Ages Blacklight Minigolf is $14.99; and the 90-minute official MOA tour is $25. A Crayola plus SEA LIFE combo is $38.99, while the Five-Pack Attraction Bundle is $99.99.