KIDS AT HEART Anyone…read morefrom 2 to 92 can have a blast at Mall of America's indoor theme park. Located in the center of the USA's largest mall is Nickelodeon Universe, a sprawling 7-acre amusement park covering 3 floors.  It's open year-round from 10am to 9pm with reduced hours on Sundays, and tickets can be bought online or in-person. I came here once in 1998 as a kid (back then it was called Knotts' Camp Snoopy) and in 2026 I returned with my wife and kids of my own.  Despite a colorful rebranding in 2008, this place seems frozen in time and looks virtually the same as when I visited 28 years ago.  Wow! We took advantage of specially priced "toddler Tuesdays", where kids admission is only $16.  A full day adult wristband is $52 but specially marked 'deal days' bring this down to $42.  Important note: if you have a kid under 48", you can go on rides with them as a designated chaperone and not have to pay!  This is HUGE and saved us $40 since my wife got to ride for free. There's enough attractions inside Nick Universe -- 26 in total -- to fill up an entire day.  I've delved into each of the major coasters plus the outstanding Log Chute (legitimately one of the best in the country) with separate reviews, but here's a brief summary. * Pepsi Orange Streak: a custom steel family coaster with a mesmerizingly long train, and one of the OG rides here * Fairly Odd Coaster: a chaotic spinning coaster with a decent amount of G-forces (beware the slow dispatch times) * Avatar Airbender: a brief U-shaped ride with a funky surfboard train and spinning seats * Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge: an intense roller coaster with 3 inversions that nearly scrapes the glass ceiling * El Circulo del Cielo: a large Ferris wheel delivers a relaxing ride and offers great views of the park * Shredder's Mutant Masher: an inverting 'Frisbee' ride with a Ninja Turtles theme, great for teens * Log Chute: a STELLAR log flume with a super long ride time and wonderful Paul Bunyan theme that doesn't soak you My 5yo son loved the Big Rigs, Crazy Cars, Diego's Rescue Rider, and Guppy Bubbler.  Our 2yo daughter enjoyed the Adventure Bay kids play area but kept her distance from most of the rides.  Swiper's Sweeper was a surprise hit, a 'whip' style ride where small cars on an oval track drift around tight curves. Staff were ~incredibly~ friendly and cut us plenty of slack when I brought my son with me on a couple rides that weren't part of the Toddler Tuesday discount wristband (oops!)  They waved us through and said, "don't worry about it, have fun!"  Big kudos to them for grace and understanding; this went a long way towards a 5* day. * TL;DR * It's always 72° and sunny inside Nickelodeon Universe, perfect conditions for fun. This amusement park is home to a plethora of rides including 5 roller coasters (1 kiddie, 3 moderate 'thrill' coasters, 1 'extreme' coaster), a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, a fantastic log flume, a drop tower, a swing ride, a dark ride shooter, and lots of smaller attractions. While I can't comment on the quality or cost of food within Nick Universe, I do feel that we got a great value for admission.  We felt safe and the ride operators we encountered were very kind.  The natural sunlight gives this park wonderful energy year-round. If you've got kids (or if you're an adult who really likes rides), I highly recommend spending a day at Nickelodeon Universe!

This was pretty cool! A theme park in the mall, what a…read moreconcept! It's Nickelodeon themed, so it definitely appealed to my inner child! They have plenty of rides for all ages. I didn't go on the roller coaster to kill some time. It was a blast! I could easily spend a whole day here!

I had so much fun at FlyOver America! From the moment the ride started, it really felt like I was…read moreactually on a real ride and flying through everything. The way your feet are dangling and you're lifted up in front of the big screen makes it feel so real. The visuals are beautiful and the effects make a huge difference you can feel the wind and even a little mist, which makes it even more immersive. At some points I honestly forgot I was inside the mall because it felt like I was really traveling. It's not too scary, but still exciting enough to enjoy every second of it. I was a little nervous at first, but once it started I just relaxed and had fun. The whole experience is very well done and something different from anything else in the mall. Overall, I would definitely recommend trying it. It's fun, unique, and totally worth it . I would do it again for sure!

It was great! My brother and I loved it! We're both seniors, so it's definitely a FUN experience…read morefor ALL AGES!

I looooooooveeeee the roller coasters, BUT the monster ride or whatever was absolutely shit. I…read morewaiting in line for AN HOUR, just to be on the ride for 20 seconds. Never going on the shit ride ever again. Also, the coaster restaurant overfilled my shake and it was spilling everywhere, rides are good, everything else is ass.

Thanks for such an amazing time valleyfair!! We loved these memories as a family, it was the first…read moretime bringing our kiddos (6 & 8 years) and they loved it so much!! Plenty of rides in the kids area that kept them busy for hours. Loved that this day the lines were very minimal so we did not have to wait long to get on the rides. Rides were age appropriate but as an adult I don't remember them being so scary! I liked the option of being able to go on some of the kid rides with them. The big thrill rides had much longer lines so we were not able to ride a ton of those but we did get to take our 8 year old on some and she loved it. The picnic area was great, the food was filling and we loved the drink options! Very clean and plenty of seating. The newly remodeled waterpark was amazing. So many new things available for all ages. Lots of seating but a lot of people had their stuff on the seats even though they weren't sitting there so that was a bit frustrating. Lockers are very expensive! Season pass is definitely worth it if you plan on coming a few times, for me the waterpark would be worth it since I can't do a lot of rides anymore.

We had so much and left completely DRENCHED in sweat. While it is tempting to want to try some of…read morethe more "difficult" scenarios for your first visit, I would definitely encourage you to start with something a tad low-key. We had 5 of us and we did the zombie apocalypse/walking dead-type experience and while it was definitely fun, we wish we would have tried something easier for our first experience. We did end up running into each other once in a while or hitting each other in the head! It was chaos to have a billion zombies coming at you and so we were kind of just spinning in circles and shooting at everything! I was a bit nervous because I am known to get vertigo but it didn't affect me in that way at all. Expect to sweat and make sure to wear closed toed shoes!!

Went today to Extreme Sandbox in Hastings and had a great time. There were three of us and operated…read morethe large excavators. Wyatt was our instructor and did a fantastic job. Overall it was a fun experience and I would do it again.

Great clean beach, great clean park, only 2 downsides was the lake was filled with debris (grass…read moreclippings, etc) coming off from the boats and making their way to the shore. Had piles of debris in my swim suit afterwards - yuck. Sandy bottom was good. Other downside was it was $6 parking. Cops were ticketing, as well (saw an unfortunate soul receive one as we pulled in), so it's definitely patrolled and enforced. There are other places to enter the beach that Apple Maps takes you to as an entrance, however there are no parking zones everywhere around those (just a sidewalk) and unless you want to walk for miles to get there, you'll have to be prepared to pay (if there are any spaces left). I suppose this is what is keeping the beach from being overcrowded.

I really like this lake super fun. Clean lake park to take your kids to. Go sunbathing!!…read more genuinely, it was one of the best lakes I have been too. Cannot wait to go again.

Saw a Facebook ad on this place and thought it would be cool to try out…read more You have to choice to play 1-4 rides. One ride was 6.99. Two rides was 11.98. Three rides was 17.99. Four rides was 20.99. The average ride is around 4-5mins. A friend and I tried the 2 rides combo. We Went with the Carnival ride and Pirates ride. Before going into the ride room, you are given brief instructions on what to do and grab a 3-D glass to put on to view the rides. The room we went into had 2 rows and about 6-8 seats per row if I can recall. We then strap ourselves into a motion seat equipped with a laser blaster to fender enemy attack in the ride/game. It lets you compete against others in the same room and ranks 1st to last place in terms of game scores and shows in screen. It was a fun experience and is for all ages. Would like to come back and try other rides.

I started seeing the billboards around town and looked up more about Crystal Cave. We decided to…read moremake a visit and were pleasantly surprised! It's about a $$$ rating on cost, but is really well organized with a variety of things to do. They have picnic areas, mini golf, trails and gift shop. Not much for concessions so bring your own food if looking to eat. We did the cave tour and gem mining. Tour was about an hour, advance reservations recommended. I had two 6 year olds and they had a blast, they got cold but not too bad. The tour guides do a great job explaining the history, what you're looking at and all kinds of cave facts. It's big inside, there are low spots but you don't really feel claustrophobic if that's something you're concerned about. Gem Mining was a good time, kids were super excited about the treasures they got to bring home. If you're looking for a different activity to do with the kids, adults or family then you should check it out "!

I went here for a second-grade field trip (don't worry, I'm not a second grader, just a chaperone…read moreLOL). The long, hot, and noisy bus ride to Spring Valley was well worth it to spend an afternoon here. Don't let the name fool you, there aren't any crystals in the cave (that I know of) but it's still a riot! I especially enjoyed the story about Charlie the caveman. I'm not going to spoil anything, but I heavily respect the management's creativity to make an intricate story out of rock formations LOL! Rock and history enthusiasts (like me) will especially enjoy the cave (just be mindful it's cold down deep) Spelunk on!

Went today and had a great time. My 12 year old son had a blast, as did I!…read more Check in was simple: scan QR to sign the waiver, buy ticket and socks, grab a mat and start sliding! Will you get bumped and knocked around on the slides?, a little. Did it dampen our experience?, nope! There are maybe 14-15 slides, a kiddie area, 2 basketball courts, a dodgeball court and a zipline/swing area. Plenty to keep us occupied for a couple of hours. It was very busy, but we didn't wait more than a minute or two for our turn. Lots of seating options, a decent concession stand and an area for parties. We will definitely return!

We had a fun time here! I brought my 4yo nephew, my brother in law, and my 1.5yo niece here as a…read moregift to my nephew. Things to know: Doorbusting worked great for us! We got some time there before all the crowds arrived: after our first hour there, it started to get busy. I will say: this is borderline for 4yos. He was quite scared of how big the slides were so we didn't ride them until the second half of our time. You know your child best: if you think they might be scared, this probably isn't a good fit! The slides are REALLY tall - lots of stairs so be prepared! You have to buy the grippy socks they sell, you have to slide down face first on your stomach alone. Important to note that you won't be able to slide *with* your child if they're scared. I learned that if you as the adult aren't riding the slides, you don't have to buy a pass. That would make a huge difference and we'll skip the adult ticket next time! They have some stuff for kids under 4: a play area mainly. But again, better for older kids. Besides slides, they also have an arcade, bouncy ball courts, a zipline, and a swing into a foam pit. But definitely the highlight is the slides - they are quite a thrill! Best for adventurous and thrill-seeking kids!

Wild Thing lives up to it's name. I almost quoted the Troggs to start this review but I couldn't…read morelive with myself so I went back and took it out. (It still applies though.) Running parallel to Highway 101, Wild Thing clearly announces itself as the headliner of Valleyfair. It was the first Morgan coaster, to my knowledge, that I've ridden, and I was a bit leery, thinking it might be annoying rough like old school Arrow coasters can be. While not buttery smooth like some more modern coasters are, Wild Thing passed my test in the turbulence department with flying colors. It has just enough shakiness to keep things interesting. Even the back row was completely enjoyable. The first hill, 207 feet, is a doozy, but the airtime off the second hill was the highlight for me. There was more airtime riding at the front, too, which I found interesting. It was a brisk day when we went to Valley fair with a light rain, and this green monster almost lost my gray winter skullie cap to a mighty updraft. On one of our 4 rides the rain picked up a bit and stung as it hit my face while we barreled through the course. That was actually enjoyable, in a strange masochistic way. The bunny hills after the mid course brake run (more like a 3/4ths course brake run) are a blast and the multi-hill tunnel at the end sets you up perfectly for mugging for the on-ride camera. Even if you don't shell out for key chains and whatnot don't miss stopping at the photography booth on your way out. I've never seen funnier on-ride photos. After just one ride, you can see where that flash in the dark is and do some crazy poses yourself. Wild Thing was never much more than a station wait. (Our first time riding the queue stretched just a little beyond the station.) One of the ride ops was a bit of a hard ass. He tried to walk of shame some kid off the train even after the guy with the measuring stick said she passed. Looking like a sheepish shoplifter, she passed again, barely, and the whole station erupted in cheers and applause. That same hard ass said I couldn't reride if there was anybody waiting at all, even if there was empty rows, after another employee had given moving to an empty row her blessing. Booo! He also made me take my hat off and, okay, he was probably right about that. Wild Thing is nearly flawless. My sole critique is that the transitions between the elements in the middle might be a little too long. That massive turn around looks really cool, and there's some nice hand chopper moments in the ensuing straight away but it's a little long between hills. Wild Thing puts this place on the map. We rode it 4 times, but I could have easily went for a dozen.

The ride was awesome it was flying going really fast and the drop is AMAZING I would deff recommendread more