WHEN MALL OF America rose from the Minneapolis suburbs in the early 1990s, a glass-curtained spectacle on the land where the Metropolitan Stadium once stood, it was hailed as the pinnacle of retail. Today, at 5.6 million square feet, the mega-mall is a shopaholic’s dream come true. And though consumer habits have changed beyond recognition in the years since it was built, MOA (as locals call it) remains the country’s largest shopping mall—a still-gleaming throwback of more than 500 retailers, including one of the world’s largest Lego stores, outfitted with monumental creations. Upscale chains, such as Chanel, Zara, Steve Madden, Ugg, Dr. Martens, Armani Exchange, and Fjällräven cater to shoppers taking advantage of the state exemption on clothing sales tax. In a TikTok Shop world, the thrill of IRL hunting and gathering is almost quaint.
This time of year, holiday shoppers can break away from the musical performances, light displays, and Santa visits to refuel at a food court that alone dwarfs a standard strip mall. Comedy club Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy hosts visiting acts. On the first floor, the Sea Life aquarium, Minnesota’s biggest, features a 300-foot underwater tunnel for viewing sharks and sea turtles as well as interactive touch pools. Most spectacularly, MOA houses a full-scale indoor amusement park, Nickelodeon Universe, built into the center of the complex, complete with roller coasters, a Ferris wheel, and a log chute.
The entire “retailtainment” venue spans three levels, and a lap around each floor covers a little over a mile. The savvy devote multiple days to a visit. To make the trip as painless as possible (especially when freezing winter temps crackle the nose hairs), the mall contains its own luxury hotel, the Radisson Blu, where guests decompress in the indoor saline pool or at its spa.
INDULGE James Beard Award winner Owamni serves dishes made with Indigenous ingredients and no wheat flour, cane sugar, or dairy.
ADMIRE The Walker Art Center sculpture garden includes Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s famous oversized Spoonbridge and Cherry.
GLIDE The Central Park Ice Skating Loop offers an 810-foot-long refrigerated trail and ice skate rental
