Two Adventures – One Place
Minnesota Zoo
May 25 – September 2, 2013

Guests will have a wild time at the Zoo this summer with the return of two popular exhibits – Africa! and All New Dinosaurs!…Two Adventures. One Place.  The dual exhibits are sponsored by Think Mutual Bank. Guests will travel half-way across the world and into the heart of the African savannah, complete with giraffes, ostrich, bongos, wildebeest, addax and guinea fowl. With the option to hand-feed giraffes, guests will feel like they’re on safari! (Subject to change) Going back in time 65 million years, Dinosaurs!* roar is louder than ever with 20 larger-than-life animatronic dinosaurs, featuring the ever popular Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus and many more.

*Dinosaurs! is a separate fee attraction. Cost is $4.00 ($3.50 for Zoo Members) and Zoo admission is required.

Opening Weekend Activities, May 25-27:

• African animal encounters – Lakeside Terrace 10:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
• Tiyumba African Drum and Dance Company – Lakeside Terrace – 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m.
• Giraffe keeper talks – Africa exhibit – 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.
• Face painting – Central Plaza – 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• Craft activity – Tropics Plaza – 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 pm.

Visit Website for More Information >

“Mall of America is never static,” said Maureen Bausch, Mall of America executive vice president of business development. “We are always new, constantly changing to offer the latest, hottest and most memorable experiences for our guests. Therefore, we are moving away from a static logo and incorporating a dynamic colorful design, making use of innovative digital media. The new logo reflects our 20 years of evolution, while paving the way for all of the fresh, exciting, new plans for Mall of America.”

Mall of America partnered with Duffy & Partners to develop a new iconic image. Duffy & Partners is a Minneapolis design firm, recognized nationally and internationally for excellence in design. The creative process recognized the equity found in the star of the original logo and transformed it into the dynamic new star made of vibrant colored ribbons. The ribbons depict the multitude of the always fresh, exciting and new experiences at Mall of America which is the magic of the brand.

“The power of design is realized when a business challenge is solved. For Mall of America, we knew we had to harness the dynamism of their unique experience, the equity found in their American ingenuity and embrace all the ‘new’ that is their DNA. This dynamic identity system is a direct reflection of their invitation to the world to experience America’s leading retail and entertainment destination,” said Joe Duffy, founder and creative director at Duffy & Partners.

The new logo is designed to interactively utilize colors for a dynamic representation of the heart of Mall of America. Pink for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, silver and gold for the holiday season and red, white and blue for Independence Day are just some of the colorful interpretations guests can anticipate.

As an animation, flowing ribbons of color streak across the screen to create the “star” shape. These ribbons are designed to be a nod to the ribbons of the retired Mall of America logo. The fluid motion of the ribbons represents the Mall’s constant change and innovation, while the ribbons themselves are more literally interpreted as a representation of shopping and gift-giving.

Accompanying the new logo is a new tagline, “Always New.” While maintaining the status of “The Place for Fun,” Mall of America constantly introduces new retailers, exhibits, rides and events. More than 20 new stores opened their doors in 2012 and similar numbers are expected to be reached in 2013. In the past five years, Mall of America has spent more than $25 million in renovations and upgrades, all in the pursuit of treating guests to the ultimate shopping experience.

The vibrant new “star” logo will appear on everything from billboards to business cards, gift cards to garbage cans. Mall employees will receive new brightly colored uniforms, helping guests easily identify Mall staff. Mall gift shops will be stocked with updated apparel, accessories and merchandise to show off the new logo in style as well.

About Mall of America®
Mall of America is the nation’s largest retail and entertainment complex. At 4.2 million square feet, MOA is home to more than 520 world-class shops; Nickelodeon Universe®, the nation’s largest indoor family amusement park; SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium, a 1.2 million gallon walk-through aquarium; Moose Mountain Adventure Golf; Theatres at Mall of America® – a 14-screen movie theater with VIP theatre and more. The Mall opened in August of 1992 and is located in Bloomington, Minn., just minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. Follow Mall of America on Facebook and Twitter or visit our blog.

Five big films. Six short weeks.

May 10 – June 20, 2013
Science Museum of Minnesota
Visit Website For Tickets and Show Times>

Get a front-row seat to experience larger-than-life adventures—from the stormy plains of the central U.S. to the icy expanses of Antarctica. From May 10 through June 20, Omnifest 2013, the Science Museum’s annual film festival, will bring five big films—both classic and new—to the William L. McKnight-3M Omnitheater’s giant screen.

Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees
A Science Museum of Minnesota original production, Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees will transport you into the African wilderness for the journey of a lifetime. Meet Goodall’s now-famous chimpanzee subjects and get an up-close look at them as they hunt, play, and communicate with one another. And meet the next generation of researchers at Gombe, whose mission it is to carry on Dr. Goodall’s legendary work.

Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West
Travel back 200 years and journey alongside explorers Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery as they forge frigid waters, cross treacherous terrain, and face the limits of human knowledge as they traverse the unmapped American West to reach the Pacific Ocean. Experience an inspiring story of exploration and discovery and revel in the triumph of the human spirit.

Antarctica
See hauntingly beautiful, barren landscapes, get a glimpse of the exotic wildlife that call Antarctica home, and discover the exciting scientific research that’s underway in this mysterious, delicate ecosystem. The Omnitheater’s giant screen will transport you to the breathtaking, icy expanse of the world’s southernmost continent.

Wild Ocean
Each year a feeding frenzy of sharks, dolphins, whales and other big game fish takes place along the Wild Coast of South Africa, as billions of sardines migrate up the KwaZulu-Natal Coast. Wild Ocean delves into this underwater struggle and examines the effects that global warming and over fishing have had on the great migration and local people.

Tornado Alley
Join Storm Chasers star Sean Casey and the researchers of VORTEX 2, an ambitious project that seeks to understand the origins and evolution of tornadoes, on a heart-pounding science adventure through the “severe weather capital of the world.” Get a close-up look at the relentless strength of nature’s most dramatic—and least understood—weather phenomena—all from the comfort and safety of your Omnitheater seat.

CAMP ICE AGE AT MALL OF AMERICA
OPEN: May 10 – October 15
LOCATION: Level 4, East

CAMP ICE AGE is a touring experience that features many interactive activities for kids of all ages to explore – including climbing aboard a re-creation of Captain Gutt’s ice-ship, enjoying games in the ICE AGE carnival, taking a “movie walk” with highlights from the ICE AGE film franchise, meeting the costume character Sid the sloth – and much more.

Visit Website for more information >

Hippity Hoppity Hooray – the Easter Bunny is on his way! The fun will begin on Saturday, March 9 and will last through Sunday, March 31! So come on out to Mall of America to share in this wonderful Easter tradition! Parents can make the memory last by purchasing a special souvenir photo of their child with the Easter Bunny. Children will also receive a special treat from Peeps & Company! The Easter Bunny at Mall of America is presented by Peeps & Company.

The Easter Bunny hours can be found here. Please note: break times will vary and will be no longer than 15 minutes in length.

Recycle Your Cell Phone and Receive Free Admission to the Minnesota Zoo
March 1 – 17, 2013

Recycle your old cell phone at the Minnesota Zoo March 1 – March 17 and receive free admission.

One admission per cell phone donation.  Valid for either child, senior or adult admission.  Free admission applies only on the day of your cell phone donation. Not valid with other promotions. Parking fee extra.

Learn more about Recycle for Rainforests.

The Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship makes it way to Saint Paul, Minnesota, for the second year in a row on January 24-26 as one of five stops around the world. Two hundred of the toughest, fastest, ice cross downhill racers will go head-to-head through a downhill course full of mind-and-body-bending jumps, turns and slides – all against the backdrop of the historic Cathedral of Saint Paul with thousands of spectators bearing witness.

After the visit of the World Championship here in 2012, this year’s track promises to be one of the most difficult in the series, with a number of changes expected for the course. With record crowds expected to come and root for Team USA, this year’s stop in Saint Paul will be one not to be missed.

January 24-26, 2013
Cathedral of Saint Paul
239 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul
Visit Website for More Information >

Take a breathtaking tour of the human life span from conception to old age. It’s a journey you won’t soon forget.

In a new special presentation of the original exhibition of real human bodies, witness the human body living through time—as it changes, grows, matures, peaks and finally wanes.

In BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life, the latest exhibition from physician and pioneering anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens, you’ll see the body throughout the human life cycle and across the arc of aging.

Real human specimens, preserved through Dr. von Hagens’ remarkable process of plastination, will reveal the human body in all its phases and stages of health. You’ll see individual organs and systems, as well as full-body plastinates in various action poses, including a baseball player, a ballet dancer, a pair of ice skaters, a woman executing a yoga pose, a male gymnast, and more.

BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life will be at the Science Museum of Minnesota from January 18 through May 5, 2013.

Visit Website for more information >

A must see for visitors and residents a like.  Book your Mall of America Great Stay Package in Inver Grove Heights and then go out and see this amazing masterpiece!

40-foot high Ice Castle to create winter wonderland at Mall of America®
From Mall of America:

This winter, Mall of America® will bring a one-of-a-kind experience to visitors from around the world. Ice Castles, LLC, will build its largest structure ever, a castle that will stand more than 40 feet tall at its peak and span more than one acre.

It all starts with an icicle. Unlike typical ice structures that are built with ice blocks, the Ice Castle is made of icicles organically grown from 4 million gallons of water and then fused together. The castle will join 50 large ice towers together to create a series of shimmering archways, tunnels, walls and caverns. In the center courtyard looms the largest frozen tower, reaching more than 40 feet high. Latticed icicles connect the icy columns to the tower, creating roomy caverns. Inside the Ice Castle, there will be several “Throne Rooms” with an ice chair large enough to seat several people. At night, the castle will take on a magical look as thousands of LED multi-colored lights illuminate the ice from within.

“We cannot wait to watch this magical ice castle come to life,” said Maureen Bausch, executive vice president of business development at Mall of America. “We’re always looking for ways to enhance the Mall of America experience for families, couples and friends alike and what better way than with a one-of-a-kind attraction like this ice castle?”

Even after opening, the castle continues to be “grown” because ice melts and evaporates. This continuous evolvement keeps the castle looking fresh and exciting. It is estimated that throughout its run at Mall of America, more than one million icicles will have been used in the castle’s creation and maintenance.

Beyond the castle itself, there will also be a children’s snow park area with a snow pile that is 40 feet in diameter and 4 feet tall. This is a great place for kids to play and even make snowmen. Warm drinks and food will also be available for purchase.

The attraction, constructed over the course of four to six weeks during the holiday season, plans to open in late December and stay open through the end of February 2013, weather permitting. The Ice Castle will be open from noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Guests can purchase tickets at the guest service desks at the four main entrances to the Mall beginning Thursday, Oct. 25. Tickets can be purchased on-site at the castle starting the day that it opens. Adult tickets will be $10 and children ages 3 – 12 will be $5. A family four pack can be purchased for $25 with add-on’s to the family pack at $4 with a limit of three.

Want to learn more? Visit www.mallofamerica.com or www.icecastles.com

About Mall of America®
Mall of America is the nation’s largest retail and entertainment complex. At 4.2 million square feet, MOA is home to more than 520 world-class shops; Nickelodeon Universe®, the nation’s largest indoor family amusement park; SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium, a 1.2 million gallon walk-through aquarium; Moose Mountain Adventure Golf; Theatres at Mall of America® – a 14-screen movie theater with VIP theatre and more. The Mall opened in August of 1992 and is located in Bloomington, Minn., just minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. Follow Mall of America on Facebook and Twitter or visit our blog.

The Omnitheater at the Science Museum of Minnesota will take you on a storm chasing ride of a lifetime!

In Tornado Alley, you’ll join Storm Chasers star Sean Casey and the researchers of VORTEX 2, an ambitious project that seeks to understand the origins and evolution of tornadoes, on a heart-pounding science adventure through the “severe weather capital of the world.”

Armed with an IMAX camera, a fleet of customized vehicles designed to withstand gale force winds, torrential rains and unrelenting hail, and an arsenal of the most advanced weather measurement instruments ever created, Casey and the VORTEX2 researchers will attempt to surround tornadoes and the supercell storms that form them, gathering the most comprehensive severe weather data ever collected. The ultimate goal? A better understanding of how tornadoes form and, hopefully, increased warning times to protect the people in their awesomely destructive paths.

Get a close-up look at the relentless strength of nature’s most dramatic—and least understood—weather phenomena from the comfort and safety of your Omnitheater seat. The state-of-the-art 90-foot domed screen is the perfect place to witness never-before-captured tornado footage. Hold on tight—Tornado Alley just might blow you away!

Tornado Alley is now showing in the Omnitheater through June 20, 2013.