One of the benefits of living in Minnesota (besides all the beautiful snow) is having easy access to one of the largest malls in the world, The Mall of America! It’s been part of our family outings for as far back as I can remember.

A couple weekends ago I got together with my mom and sisters for a weekend of shopping and relaxing at Hyatt Regency Bloomington, who is offering you 25% off your next stay, too (see booking link , below).

Although we all live relatively close to the mall (my older sister and I are both in the metro, my mom and younger sister are just a 2-hour drive) we still prefer to book lodging near the mall when we plan a shopping trip. It’s nice to be able to have a place to take bags, somewhere to relax after a long day of shopping, and is a fun way to just turn the entire weekend into a little getaway! Plus, we tend to end our shopping days with a margarita (or three) at Cantina Laredo, so its nice to be able to just head back to our hotel to enjoy the evening.

The Hyatt Regency Bloomington has great amenities on site, such as a pool and Urbana Craeft Kitchen, but it also offers a free shuttle to and from the mall, essentially making all of Mall of America your playground during your stay! After a couple delicious craft cocktails (their Maple Bacon Old Fashioned is pictured above and was as amazing as it looks) and snacks at Urbana, we hopped on the shuttle for an evening of shopping! We were on the hunt for a prom dress for the youngest among us, and quickly found “the one” while shopping at Macy’s!

We ventured into several more stores and also stopped into Nickelodeon Universe – the mall’s gigantic indoor amusement park – and rode on Fly OverAmerica. I have to admit that I was skeptical about how much fun it would be, but I have been talking nonstop about going back to do it again ASAP! It’s a virtual reality ride that puts you in front of a huge (like 50+ feet) spherical screen, in a chair that moves and literally flies you across the landscape of the United States. I couldn’t get enough, so we did all of Canada, too! It was fun and I highly recommend this activity if you find yourself at the mall!

We had a great time, both at Hyatt Regency Bloomington and Fly Over America and I’ll be anxiously awaiting our next trip! If you’re interested in booking your very own weekend at Hyatt Regency Bloomington, you can enjoy 25% off when you book through this link.