Retail & entertainment at MOA

Mall of America (MOA) is America’s largest retail and entertainment complex. The 42 lakh sq.ft destination is home to more than 520 world-class shops, indoor family amusement park, underwater adventures aquarium, a 1.2 million gallon walk-though aquarium; a 14-screen movie theater, ACES flight simulation and others. Above all, Mall of America annually hosts hundreds of events, celebrity appearances, concerts and charitable activities.

The mall is shaped like a square with four major department stores - Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom and Sears - located at each corner. At the center is the park, a seven-acre family amusement park, surrounded by four three-level retail avenues. Each avenue has a distinctly different look, theme and colour scheme to help visitors find their way around easily.

 

Existence

In 1982, Minnesota’s professional baseball and football teams, the Twins and the Vikings, moved from metropolitan stadium in Bloomington to the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. Losing the two teams was a blow to the city of Bloomington, but it gave the city 78 acres of highly accessible ‘prime real estate’. At a distance of just one and a half miles from the airport, the mall is located at the intersection of four major highways. Three years later, the Bloomington Port Authority purchased the stadium site and began entertaining proposals for development. There were four major proposals which were given serious consideration:

• Office complexes

• Condominium and residential uses

• New convention and visitors centre

• Mixed use retail  and entertainment centre

The fourth proposal was selected and, in 1986, the Ghermezian brothers signed an agreement with the Bloomington Port Authority to develop the nation’s largest retail and entertainment complex. On August 11, 1992, when Mall of America opened its doors, the face of the Minneapolis (/St. Paul area) had changed forever. The Mall was 71 per cent leased with 330 brand new stores open for business. These include four nationally recognised department stores: Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom and Sears, which were together under one roof for the first time. It was also the first day of work for more than 10,000 employees.

 

Retail at MOA

America’s largest retail and entertainment complex is big. With more than 520 stores, top-notch architectural designs, a host of guest services and special touches to enhance each customer’s visit, Mall of America perceived almost everything. Despite its big size, it’s very user-friendly and easy to navigate. Talking about the brands available in the mall, Mr Dan Jasper, Director Public Relations, Mall of America, says, “We have Burberry, Gucci, Prada, Chloe, Tommy Bahama, Abercrombie and Fitch, J. Crew, Papyrus, Janie and Jack, Pandora, Gilly Hicks and Tumi. Our four core department stores are Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s and Sears. We carry almost every brand.”

Major avenues cosists of the followings:

South Avenue: A chic, sophisticated shopping avenue unfolds between Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. South Avenue spotlights some of the finer specialty shops and boutiques in the mall.

East Broadway: Connecting Bloomingdale’s and Sears is a high-energy and contemporary avenue. At the centre of East Broadway is the 5,000 sq.ft Rotunda, home to major performances and special events.

North Garden: Lined with trees, lampposts and park benches, a visit to North Garden (located between Sears and Nordstrom) is like a walk in the park. A string of natural skylights offers a truly outdoors-like feel. Mall of America boasts of more shops than does any other mall in the nation.

West Market: Strolling between Nordstrom and Macy’s lends to you the feeling of being at an European train station. Marked by wide avenues, criss-crossing bridges and natural lighting, West Market is also home to the classic cart marketplace, which showcases a retail environment of nearly 50 specialty kiosks.

 

Entertainment

There are a number of places for entertainment.

 Park: A spiraling roller coaster and the bright lights of a ferries wheel welcome visitors to the park at MOA, the largest indoor family amusement park in the nation. More than 30

remarkable rides and adventures shape the seven-acre park, which also features nine places to eat, plenty of entertainment and, of course, shopping. Entry is free; guests pay per ride or attraction or can purchase an annual pass for a year full of fun.

Underwater adventures aquarium: It has more than 100 sharks and 4,500 sea creatures and that is why this 1.2 million-gallon aquarium was voted ‘World’s Best Shark Encounter’ by Discovery Channel’s travelchannel.com! Underwater adventures aquarium has four amazing and unique adventures in one. Underwater adventures include SeaCrits of Hollywood, starfish beach, sharky’s treasure chest, turtley awesome woods, and the tunnel. A visit to all the four is a must.

NASCAR silicon motor speedway: For those who love speed, NASCAR silicon motor speedway is the place where they should be. Thrill seekers can slide into the cockpit of a professional stock car and experience the roar of a 700 HP engine pushing them up to 195 miles per hour. It’s all part of this virtual, high tech indoor stock car racing experience.

AMC movie theatre

View the latest Hollywood hits on 14-movie theatre screens featuring digital sound.

ACES flight simulation

Take full control of sophisticated flight simulators that are duplicates of those used to train military pilots. Fly both modern F/A-18 Hornet jets and classic WWII fighters such as the P-51 Mustang and F4U Corsair.

Lego

This enormous four-storey Lego showplace entertains guests of all ages. It comes complete with Lego bricks to play with, models to look at and sets to buy.

 

Restaurants

The flavour of Mall of America is enhanced with some of the most unique dining found anywhere. One can choose from sophisticated, contemporary cuisine or an entertaining casual dining experience. The mall has two food courts - one on the northern side and the other on southern side. They offer more than 20 dining options. With more than 50 full-service and fast food eateries within the mall, no one has the chance of leaving hungry.

The restaurants include Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, California Café, Famous Dave’s, Kokomo’s Island Café, Napa Valley Grille, Rainforest Café, Tucci Benucch, Twin City Grill, Tiger Sushi and Wolfgang Puck Express.

 

Best time for visit

Every tourist attraction has a time, which is termed as the best time to visit. Commenting on the best time for MOA, Mr Jasper says, “We have three distinct tourist seasons – March and early April, the summer months of June, July and August, and the holiday season during November and December.”

Mall of America has changed the way people shop. First in the industry to mix retail and entertainment, Mall of America has become the model for combining signature attractions with retail to create an outstanding entertainment venue. Now, it is one of the most visited destinations in the United States.

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