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Twin Cities (MSP) 3-Day Summer Visit, Seeking Ideas

winger

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I am looking at taking the family on a short 4-day/3-night surprise visit to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) next summer and would like some advice from my TUG friends on what to do. For sure, one focus will be the Mall of America (MOA) - we are open to spending a max of up to two days there, if it works out that way. I also wish to get a flavor of the Twin Cities, like St. Paul and/or Minneapolis' downtown(s), and was possibly thinking of doing that the first day we arrived.

Here are some constraints/givens:
- flying into MSP around 230pm
- staying the first night in downtown St. Paul
- spending the last two nights a mile or two from the MSP airport (east of the airport)
- we are trying to utilize public transit, only (no car rental)
- both hotels provide complimentary breakfast, the second also offers complimentary shuttle service to/from MOA and MSP
- departing MSP at 9am (on the 4th day)
- traveling parties have no mobility limitations, but one has severe nut allergies
- we could be packing very light (like backpacks, only) for this trip (could change)

Thanks!
 

bbodb1

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RCI Weeks: LaCosta Beach Club, RCI Points: Oakmont Resort, Vacation Village at Parkway. Wyndham: CWA and La Belle Maison, and WorldMark.
Just for the record, Mall of America is NOT worth that much time of your schedule.
 

winger

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Did you already visit?
Oh yes! Totally forgot about this posting because we planned and went on another trip upon returning from MSP/MOA.

We spent our first night at the Hyatt Place St. Paul/Downtown, which was in the restored Custom House. What a treat for the entire family! We visited downtown Minneapolis to wind down the first day, seeing a few sights (First Avenue, Target Center, US Bank Stadium). We did end up spending two days at MOA with the girls taking on the challenge of seeing as much as they could, while the guys just enjoyed being there. Met a few locals - it was nice getting their perspectives.

bbodb1
Just for the record, Mall of America is NOT worth that much time of your schedule.
I would think for first time visitors, about five-seven hours may be good for a non-shopper, and for more serious shoppers, maybe two full days would suffice. For what we were working with, mainly time on the ground and budget, and not knowing the area, the two-day MOA visit fit into our short stay perfectly. If we would have discovered more appealing places to visit/see or things to do during our pre-trip research, we may have contemplated incorporating a few more things onto our itinerary.

Based on what we saw, I would say it would be nice to revisit again sometime in the future, maybe for a couple of days stopover on a East Coast trip. Possibly a few ideas here would help.
 
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