Search Results for: blog a trip to the worlds most visited mall

Minneapolis—-More than Just Home to the Mall of America

I admit it; one of my first trips to Minneapolis, Minnesota was to visit what was then the world’s largest indoor shopping center–the Mall of America. The massive retail establishment is located in the suburb of Bloomington and is worth the 20-minute car ride from downtown Minneapolis. It is considered the Mecca of malls and with 2.5 million square feet (another 1.1 million square feet is being added), more than 500 stores, an indoor amusement park, a 1.2 million-gallon aquarium with more than 8,000 fish and other aquatic creatures, a virtual submarine ride, a wedding chapel, a NASCAR simulator, 50 … Continue reading →

A Mall Worth Traveling To

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 … Continue reading →

China Adoption Book Review Series: Kids Like Me in China

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What does a nine-year-old think and feel about her adoption? What thoughts and feelings does she have on revisiting the orphanage where she lived during the first year of her life and meeting her caregivers? My recent China Adoption Book Review Series (The Lost Daughters of China, China Ghosts, and Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son Parts One, Two, and Three, has covered writings by adoptive parents and from researchers, journalists and academics into abandonment, orphanage care, and domestic and international adoption in China. With Kids Like Me in China, we get to hear from an adoptee. Ying Ying Fry … Continue reading →

Family Travel: A Quacking Good Time

Ernie from “Sesame Street” would be in heaven. If your kids are as enamored with rubber ducks as the lovable orange character from the award-winning children’s television show then head to Michigan next week. That’s where you will find of one the world’s largest Rubber Ducky festivals around. The village of Bellaire in Northern Michigan is holding its annual Rubber Ducky Festival from August 6-17 and is hoping to break a record by stuffing more than 5,000 yellow ducks in the Intermediate River for a quarter-mile race on August 16th. Spectators have a chance to get in on the action … Continue reading →

Family Travel: Dolls, LEGO and Blues

Could the Mall of America get any better? American Girl fans answered yes and mall officials listened. Come November (just in time for the holidays) American Girl will call the massive shopping center home. Which means your kids have one more location to blow their allowance money on the mega-popular dolls and their mountains of accessories. The new store is making headlines because, according to company execs, American Girl is very selective about where it sells its goods. Company reps say the American Girl store in the Mall of America will span 20,000-square feet, feature two stories and include a … Continue reading →

Super Summer Fun: Wet and Wild Waterparks

Today I’m wrapping up my series on wet and wild waterparks by spotlighting some of the most popular scream inducing soggy rides in California, Colorado and Minnesota. These parks prove how easy it is to get your family soaked this summer. If you are headed off on a summer road trip in the next few weeks and your car’s A/C bites the dust consider cooling off at one of the following waterparks: CALIFORNIA The hugely popular Raging Waters located in San Jose, California (about 50 miles from San Francisco) is home to more than 23 acres of wet and wild … Continue reading →

National Park Tour—-Adventures in Nature Part 2

If your summer vacations to major malls, amusement parks and water worlds have left you searching for better ways to spend quality time with your family why not consider getting away to the great outdoors? The United States’ national park system is one of the finest in the world. Not only do our country’s natural wonders provide an alternative to long lines and stomach-turning thrill rides they also offer an affordable way to escape from the chaos of everyday life and reconnect with the people that mean the most to you. So, turn off your cellphones, unplug your iPods, say … Continue reading →

Welcome to SpongeBob SquarePants World

It’s not exactly as massive as Walt Disney’s theme parks, but parents of SpongeBob SquarePants fans are thrilled just the same. In just a few days SpongeBob wannabes will get the chance to chow down on Krabby Patties and chili kelp fries before taking a 60-foot plunge on the Splat-O-Sphere. It all happens this Saturday when Nickelodeon opens Nickelodeon Universe smack in the middle of Minnesota’s Mall of America. The standalone theme park is set on seven acres in the middle of the world famous shopping center and features nearly 30 rides, along with live performances, visits from costumed characters … Continue reading →

Crazy About Cabela’s

How far would you be willing to travel to shop at a store large enough to house a mock Rocky mountain range (complete with working waterfall), a life-size Cessna airplane, and a 10,000-gallon aquarium filled with trout, carp, and other fish. Judging by the license plates on the vehicles I’ve seen at the Cabela’s outdoor store near my home, some people are willing to drive thousands of miles to browse through the retail store/natural history museum. The massive complexes located around the country, which are part educational attraction, part entertainment venue and part retail giant have fast become tourist destinations … Continue reading →

Taking A Break From The Concrete Jungle

In a previous blog I shared some worthwhile day trip destinations for those of you visiting (or living) in New York City. Most of them involved my favorite pastimes—-shopping and eating. I realize some of you may not enjoy indulging in the same hobbies and for you I offer this blog. Let’s face it; sharing sidewalks with millions of others can be taxing on even the most accomplished travelers. Once in a while it’s nice to escape the concrete jungle and visit a more desirable place where the natives are a bit friendlier. You can find such a place about … Continue reading →