The kids are out of school and you’re looking to get them out of the house. Looking for some places in Minnesota you can all enjoy? Here are some possibilities:
Amusement Parks
The state has no dearth of entertainment centers suited for children. At the top of the list has to be the indoor amusement park at the center of the Mall of America in Bloomington. Nickelodeon
The universe, aimed at younger children, features rides based on the TV network’s characters. There’s also the Lego Imagination Center, a mirror maze, and an aquarium. And of course, for the adults, there are all those shops surrounding the park.
In Shakopee is Valleyfair, with both thrill rides and kids amusements, and a water park. At Wild Mountain in Taylors Falls, you can jump from a raised platform onto a giant inflated pillow, ride up the mountain on a chair lift, ride down the mountain on an alpine slide, or enjoy the waterslide and other activities at the water park. Casey’s Amusement Park in Alexandria features miniature golf, go-karts, bumper boats, and batting cages.
Go Underground
Want to get out of summer heat? Go underground. In the southeastern portion of the state, take the kids to explore at Niagara Cave in Harmony or Mystery Cave in Forestville. In this privately operated Niagara Cave, you can walk through passageways created by underground streams and view a waterfall. Above, there are picnic grounds, miniature golf, and other activities for the kids. A wide range of tours is available at Mystery Cave, part of Mystery Cave State Park. It’s the longest cave in Minnesota at more than 13 miles. There are campgrounds, hiking trails and trout streams nearby in the park.
Near the northern border, there’s Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park, where you can tour an iron ore mine that operated from 1884-1962. In the park, there is also hiking, boating, fishing, snowmobiling and picnicking.
Wildlife in Ely
Not far from the Canadian border in Ely, kids have the opportunity to view wolves and bears. At the International Wolf Center, you can learn about the wolves via lectures, exhibits, videos, wolf-cams, and most importantly, by viewing five live wolves via observation windows to the exhibit park. The center includes educational exhibits tuned to children ages 3 through 9. The North American Bear Center is dedicated to teaching visitors about bear behavior and their environment via videos and exhibits. Four black bears can be seen from inside viewing windows or an outdoor balcony. The center’s Cub Room provides activities to teach kids about bears.
Ely features one other winter activity involving animals. From December through March, Chilly Dogs Sled Dog Trips can put you behind a team of sled dogs for an outdoor adventure. The family-run business offers tours where guests sit in the sled or drive it from behind on a winter journey.
Now that you have some ideas of where to take the kids, Jeff Belzer’s Kia Lakeville can help you with a great vehicle in which to transport them. Check out their inventory of Kias and stop in to check one out.
Connect with us
Recent Blog Entries
Categories
Warranties include 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain and 5-year/60,000-mile basic. All warranties and roadside assistance are limited. See retailer for warranty details.
*Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this site, absolute accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The prices shown above, may vary from region to region, as will incentives, and are subject to change. Vehicle information is based off standard equipment and may vary from vehicle to vehicle. Call or email for complete vehicle specific information. Pricing does not include tax, title, license and document fee.
