No self-respecting shopping centre is complete without a theme park these days. In the case of the massive Mall of America, it's Nickelodeon Universe that provides the thrills and spills. Occupying a gargantuan space in the middle of America's second-largest shopping centre, Nickelodeon Universe packs in a multitude of roller coasters, ghost rides and water rides, as well as a Ferris wheel.
As you'd expect, Nickelodeon Universe is packed with familiar characters from Nickelodeon's stable of popular kid's programmes. So you'll find SpongeBob SquarePants, a whole load of Rugrats and Dora the Explorer around the park. There are also unexpected relics from the park's earlier incarnations. Apparently, a seat from the Metropolitan Stadium – which once stood here – has been kept here, in its exact place and height. And a baseball remains suspended in the air, as a leftover prop from when this was a Charlie Brown-themed park.
The ride that dominates Nickelodeon Universe is the Avatar Airbender roller coaster, a giant half-pipe rising up to 21 metres at each end. Close by is the even more vertigo-inducing SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge. It has a 20-metre drop that reaches a tad over the vertical, intended to recreate SpongeBob madly driving a bus down the side of a cliff. Another bizarre – and dizzying – ride is the BrainSurge, with its giant pulsing brain in the centre. It spins its riders around on a “unicoaster”, where you get to control your own car, creating a unique roller coaster-style experience.
Other rides feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Fairly OddParents and Jimmy Neutron. Nickelodeon Universe also has an ice cream café, coffee shops, sweet and food carts and a range of toy shops. Add in its natural landscape, dotted with trees, and Nickelodeon Universe becomes a universe away from the ringing tills of the surrounding mall which is guaranteed to keep the kids enthralled.
