A Mall Worth Traveling To

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

26 Mar 2007 07:00 AM

Bloomington, Minnesota's average annual temperature is about 45 degrees. But, it's not the weather that draws millions to the area each year. Rather, visitors head to the Minneapolis suburb for another reason-the Mall of America. It was the biggest indoor mall in the country when it opened in 1992, but in the years since it has been eclipsed by shopping centers in Ohio and Pennsylvania respectively. Now it wants its top spot back.

In previous blogs I've shared my budget-busting (yet thrilling) jaunts to the mall. I never tire of making the five hour drive from my home to hit the hundreds of stores, spend time at the indoor amusement park (Camp Snoopy) and chow down at one of the dozens of restaurants housed in the mall (all that walking can build up quite an appetite). In my opinion, Mall of America is fine the way it is, but apparently mall managers disagree and are now in the midst of planning an expansion that would more than double its size by adding a 6,000-seat music theater, hotels, and an ice rink.

Currently, the mall ranks third in the nation in terms of retail square footage, the expansion would propel it back into the top spot. In addition to the new ice rink and music theater, mall officials say the $1.78 billion project would add new stores, too, including a Bass Pro outdoor retailer. It would also add an enclosed walkway to connect the mall to the nearby IKEA home furnishings store.

Basically, it would create enough activities to keep a family there for days. As it is, our family devotes at least two days to explore the mall during our annual visits.

With or without the expansion I would recommend visiting Mall of America, especially if you have children. It may sound cliché, but the mall really does have something for everyone. However, I can understand that Bloomington officials want the title of "The Country's Largest Mall" back. Currently, the Eastwood Mall Complex in Ohio holds the No. 1 spot with 3.2 million square feet. Second largest is the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania, at slightly less than 2.8 million square feet. The Mall of America has just 25,000 square feet less than that. The addition would add about 1.1 million square feet. The current expansion plans are scheduled to be complete by 2011. Which means in a few years our family will have to stay a couple extra days to take it all in.

Related Articles:

A Trip to the World's Most Visited Mall

Visiting the World's Largest Outdoor Shopping Center

Visiting the World's Largest Mall

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger