The Mall of America is one of our family’s favorite places to go.
“What?”, you may ask. You’re the frugal mom! It’s just a big place to spend money!”
Yes, it is the country’s largest shopping mall, but there is a ton of fun stuff you can do for FREE or cheap, especially with kids.
We’ve done these things for years, so I put together this guide: 15 Free Things to Do with Kids at the Mall of America! And I have a FREE printable scavenger hunt to go with it for you!
The Mall of America brings back many happy memories
The Mall of America opened in 1992, and my family (my parents and I) went within the first year. The mall was such a special place for us, because we drove all the way from Duluth each time we visited, probably once a year. We’d drive down, sometimes with my friends, and stay at a nearby hotel. We had so much fun!
I remember when the Mall of America had those memorable shops like Hologram Land, Bare Bones, and Starbase Omega. Hologram Land was a small shop with a variety of holograms on black cardstock, and people crowded in to admire them probably more than they purchased them, though I did purchase a small flower hologram. Bare Bones was a quirky shop that sold replica bones. And Starbase Omega was the coolest store I’ve ever been to. It had a big spaceship that came out above the entrance to the store and it spun around and then went back in. I bought some astronaut snacks here. The Mall of America shared some nostalgic photos of it on their Twitter page here:
Living out all of our Star Trek dreams… one laser tag game at a time! 🫶👽 pic.twitter.com/kEDu0XIhW4
— Mall of America (@mallofamerica) July 7, 2022
The Mall of America over the years
Since opening in 1992, the Mall of America has changed a LOT. All those above shops closed, and many more have come and go, as well as attractions and restaurants. However, some have stayed, and have become some of our favorites.
For example, we have loved the Crayola Experience, Nickelodeon Universe, Sea Life Aquarium, FlyOver America, and Rainforest Cafe, to name a few. In fact, you can find many discounts for Mall of America attractions in my “Twin Cities Discount Guide for Families.”
15 Free Things to Do with Kids at the Mall of America
In addition to of course spending money at stores, attractions and restaurants, there are many things you can do at the Mall of America for free. Below I’ve listed our family’s favorite 15, in no particular order!
AND BE SURE TO PRINT MY FREE MALL OF AMERICA SCAVENGER HUNT!
(UPDATED in 2025!)
(NOTE: Items are subject to change)
PRINT IT HERE! (Includes answer key)
Now for the list…
The LEGO store
The LEGO store is well-known by local families, as it’s been open for years, and offers very visible free play tables. Just show up and play! Kids love this place and can play and build to their heart’s content for free. There are some tables with bigger blocks, and some with smaller ones. And parents can sit on nearby benches to watch their kids play.
Of course, there’s a store inside, and a free VIP program to sign up for deals. Don’t forget to look up at the 8 huge LEGO models including a robot that’s 34 feet tall! The LEGO store is located right at 164 South Avenue, just inside that entrance of Nickelodeon Universe.
Toddler Tuesdays
On the second Tuesday of the month, toddlers and their caretakers can enjoy free entertainment just for kids. There’s typically a different theme each month with a special guest or activity.
Plus, there are discounts for toddlers! At Nickelodeon Universe, toddlers get discounted wristbands! They’re only $15.99+tax every Tuesday and are good for 5 hours. Plus, other places in the mall offer great deals just for toddlers and their families. Be sure to check the long list of restaurants, attractions and stores offering deals (and they’re really good deals!).
Ride the escalators.
The Mall of America has an ABUNDANCE of escalators and elevators (no one wants to climb stairs to get around this place). There are some really cool escalators on East Broadway by the Rotunda, as well as a glass elevator too. Though they may not excite a lot of grown-ups, many kids love these. Plus you can get some great views of the mall from them.
Watch the planes from the North Food Court.
Be sure to go to the north food court (also called the Culinary on North) and get a table near the windows. You can see airplanes flying in and out of the airport, as well as all the busyness of the streets below. The food court is located on the 3rd level, and has a lot of good choices like Shake Shack, Chick Fil-A and Great Steak & Potato.
Go down to the 2nd level for another spot to sit and watch (above).
See artwork.
The Mall of America has many art displays including Kaleidoscope, made up of many artistically created butterflies, which is located in the atrium.
Below Culinary on North, on the first floor, north garden, there was some Mandala artwork on display for a while. There are also photo opportunities here. (This mandala artwork was for a limited time but there is interesting art on the walls here.)
Play at a Toy Store
Visit any of their toy stores, such as Toys R Us, JM Cremps, or Hey Joy. There are always fun, free activities to find.
Toss coins in a coin fountain
Kids love coin fountains, and there are several at the Mall of America. Drop in a coin and make a wish! (Ok, that’s not totally free, but almost!)
Did you know people drop around $24,000 in coins in these fountains per year? The Mall of America donates the coins every year to a different organization.
The above fountain is located at the corner of West Market and North Garden on the first level. (And psst…if you like coffee, go to the Nespresso store near this fountain and get yourself a free sample of coffee. Thank me later.)
Enjoy the train table at Barnes and Noble.
Barnes & Noble is a regular stop for us every time we go to the Mall of America because we love books, but Barnes & Noble has much more including a cafe and a kids area. Kids can enjoy this fun train table while perusing all the fun books.
Walk through a Rainbow and Ride the Glass Elevator at M&M World
M&M World opened just a couple years ago in the East Market entrance to Nickelodeon Universe, and has a lot of colorful fun inside you can enjoy for free. You can walk under a rainbow that changes colors.
And you can ride a glass elevator that faces Nickelodeon Universe.
Watch Universe of Light
Universe of Light is a light show right in Nickelodeon Universe. It’s nightly and is located at the south entrance.
It has cool effects like strobe lights and smoke, and the lights are synchronized to a variety of music. I wrote about it back in 2014 and it’s still popular – and free!
Get your photo taken with Nickelodeon characters in Nickelodeon Universe
Anyone can get free pictures with Nickelodeon Universe characters right inside the park.
We got some pictures with Spongebob and Sandy, and we’ve seen many other characters including Paw Patrol.
Sample food.
You can get free samples at some food places in the Mall of America! Our favorite is the Lindt Chocolate Store. In our experience, when you go in, you’ll be offered a free truffle. Usually it’s a choice between milk chocolate and one of their new, featured flavors.
Doc Popcorn also offers samples. We had to wait in line for this sample but it definitely was delicious. Another place I’ve heard you can get free samples is the Pepper Palace.
And of course, at the food courts there are some places that will let you sample menu items if you ask.
The Mall of America has free sampling events sometimes to promote new products. Check their calendar.
Opinion: I recommend buying from places you get free samples at – we always do because we like them (it’s hard to just have one chocolate at the Lindt store!) but it’s also probably good to support these stores so they continue offering samples!
(NOTE: These can change at any time.)
See the Sea at the entrance of Sea Life Aquarium.
The Sea Life Aquarium is a must-see at the Mall of America (here are ways to save on admission!), but if you want a little sampling, you can see sea life for free near the entrance on East Broadway, level one.
Attend a free event
The Mall of America has a lot of free events happening throughout the week, all year long, and many are for families. We’ve seen live music, fashion shows, and dancers. Check out their events list or my events calendar for upcoming fun.
Do a scavenger hunt
Do a scavenger hunt and look for unique things at the Mall of America! For example, look for Metropolitan Stadium memorabilia – there’s a bronze plaque embedded in the floor in the northwest corner of Nickelodeon Universe. It marks the spot where home plate once stood.
FREE Printable Mall of America Scavenger Hunt!
And do my FREE Printable Mall of America Scavenger Hunt! I created it to go with this article. It highlights 9 things on this list, and all are FREE things to enjoy! I also made an answer key that goes with it.
PRINT IT HERE! (Includes Answer Key)
It will open as a PDF and is 2 pages, which includes the scavenger hunt and the answer key. You can take it with you to the Mall!
MORE Free Fun
There are other things you can do for free at the Mall of America too.
Visit the Rainforest Cafe, and just explore the gift shop.
Just walk around and explore!
What other free fun would you add to this list?
DISCOUNTED Mall of America Fun
If you’ve followed my blog long enough, you know I post a LOT of discounts, and that includes the Mall of America.
For example, you can often get CHEAP tickets for the Amazing Mirror Maze on Groupon.
You can also find many discounts for Mall of America attractions in my resource, “Twin Cities Discount Guide for Families.”
Stay at the Mall of America!
Read about our visit to the Radisson Blu hotel at the Mall of America!
More Fun!
Don’t miss my guide: The Ultimate List of Minnesota Family Fun!
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Note: If you have any issues with accessing your free printables, email me at twincitiesfrugalmom@gmail.com.
This scavenger hunt was created using my own photos and design. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Mall of America. This printable is for personal use only and may not be sold or redistributed without permission.
(Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that help support this site at no cost to you. All opinions are 100% mine.)
This post was originally published on May 2, 2023.