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Nickelodeon Universe

Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

“Massive indoor theme park inside a mall”

Minneapolis and Saint Paul are often referred to as The Twin Cities. They’re located on the banks of the Mississippi and act as the economic and cultural heart of the state of Minnesota. European tourists tend to overlook the region, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to do. Visitors can embark for a boat excursion on the river, visit one of the many museums or take a tram to nearby Bloomington, home to the largest shopping mall in the United States. And there’s good news for all the roller coaster enthusiasts out there: that mall offers an indoor theme park with no fewer than five roller coasters. Welcome to Nickelodeon Universe.

Nickelodeon Universe in Minnesota is the sister park of the younger Nickelodeon Universe in New Jersey. They’re both indoor parks inside a huge shopping paradise, but there are major differences between these locations. First of all, Mall of America seems to be much more popular than the American Dream Mall in New Jersey, which means that the park in Minnesota attracts a considerably higher number of visitors. Besides, the park in New Jersey charges one general admission fee, whereas the Minnesota location works with a pay-per-ride concept. Unlimited ride wristbands are obviously available, but entering the park doesn’t cost a cent.

ROLLER COASTERS

Gerstlauer is a promising coaster manufacturer these days. Their Infinity Coasters are fantastic and they recently built one of Europe’s most enjoyable family roller coasters at Walibi Belgium. Unfortunately, some of their older rides tend to be less enjoyable. One of my least favourite Gerstlauer models is the Euro-Fighter. These rides provide a rather uncomfortable experience due to their vertical lift hills and heavy shoulder restraints. That’s why I wasn’t overly eager to ride SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge. And although I can’t state that the ride is extremely rough, the layout does contain a few bends where you’re guaranteed to bump your head against the restraint. This certainly isn’t my favourite attraction at Nickelodeon Universe, but Gerstlauer did a fine job squeezing a relatively thrilling ride in such a tight location. And may I add that the coaster’s gigantic entry sign looks fantastic?

Fairly Odd Coaster was also designed by Gerstlauer. But this time, we’re talking about a spinning coaster. The layout has good interaction with some nearby flat rides and the trains spin pretty heavily, depending on weight distribution. It’s an excellent family roller coaster, but there are two major drawbacks. Firstly, I find the trains on Gerstlauer spinning coasters always quite awkward, as you’re often placed face to face with a complete stranger. Secondly, the operations of this attraction were terrible during our visit. The Fairly Odd Coaster crew failed to dispatch more than one vehicle per 90 seconds, limiting the capacity to a maximum of 160 passengers per hour. I’m glad we visited this attraction early in the morning, as queues sky-rocketed during the afternoon.

Nickelodeon Universe’s only attraction with a decent capacity seems to be Pepsi Orange Streak. This coaster uses two trains with 30 seats, so the queue never really stops moving. This coaster confirms that Nickelodeon Universe was originally a sister park to Knott’s Berry Farm, as it seems to be Jaguar’s little brother. Just like that Californian coaster, Pepsi Orange Streak is a custom Zierer Tivoli-model with two lift hills and an impressive track length of 2,700 feet (800 metres). The layout traverses the entire hall, making Pepsi Orange Streak visible from many angles. As a result, this coaster isn’t only entertaining for riders, but also for spectators.

Does it count as a flat ride or is it a roller coaster? As far as I’m concerned, Avatar Airbender should be placed somewhere in between. We’re talking about an Intamin Surfrider. This attraction can be described as a skateboard with rotating gondolas that swings back and forth on a U-shaped track. It sounds more complicated than it really is, but the experience is surprisingly enjoyable. Avatar Airbender treats riders to a few powerful accelerations and we experienced decent airtime on the vertical sections of the track. It’s also cool that the highest point of the ride nearly touches the roof of the mall.

OTHER EXPERIENCES

The weather is always favorable if you’re visiting an indoor theme park, so it’s always a good time to ride a water-based attraction. Log Chute managed to surprise us due to its relatively long ride time and the beautiful integration into a giant rock formation. The ride also includes several dark ride scenes with simple animatronics and there’s nice interaction with the nearby walkways. Although Log Chute has been there since the very beginning of Nickelodeon Universe (when it was still called Knott’s Camp Snoopy), this certainly remains one of the most elaborately themed rides in the entire park.

You don’t have to be a genius to realise that a Nickelodeon-themed park mainly targets families with young children. However, thrill seekers aren’t forgotten. There are several spectacular flat rides, including an Afterburner called Shredder’s Mutant Masher. Two other attractions enable riders to choose their own thrill level. Brain Surge is a so-called Unicoaster from Chance Rides, where passengers can flip upside down using a lever. A little further is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock, a Gerstlauer Sky Fly. You can find this type of attraction in many European amusement parks, but it’s far less common in the United States.

I didn’t expect to find a dark ride at Nickelodeon Universe, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover Ghost Blasters. The layout of this interactive shooter is relatively long and the classic vehicles have a certain old-school charm to them. Besides, those blacklight 2D scenes somewhat reminded me of Cedar Fair’s Boo Blasters dark rides. So honestly, it’s a decent ride. Just beware for extremely slow-moving queues due to horrible operations. The boarding procedures are actually so bizarre that I estimated the hourly capacity at approximately 80 visitors per hour. Very strange.

The Mall of America is not just a shopping mall; it’s an entertainment destination. The complex consists of hotels, a Sea Life aquarium, mini golf courses, escape rooms, a cinema and so much more. One of the most popular offerings is FlyOver America, a flying theatre adjacent to Nickelodeon Universe. This attraction shows the most beautiful places in the United States during a 10-minute simulated flight. The film is stunning and it’s great that these scenes last longer than they do in Soarin’ or Voletarium, but the experience is far from cheap. We paid 24 dollars for a discounted online ticket and I didn’t think that it was worth the price.

WORTH A VISIT?

Planet Snoopy/Nickelodeon Universe was one of the world’s first large-scale indoor amusement parks. This place has always intrigued me, so I’m glad that we finally got to see it in real life. And honestly, Nickelodeon Universe did not disappoint. We expected a children’s park, but it turned out to be so much more than that. Many of the attractions are suitable for the whole family, and Nickelodeon Universe also has a number of good thrills in its portfolio. Besides, I was pleasantly surprised by the overall atmosphere. Although I won’t say that Nickelodeon Universe is thoroughly themed, I did like the visual appearance of the park. The abundance of attractions creates a very pleasant dynamic, and you can admire everything from three different floors and 360 degrees around. That’s a luxury you won’t find in most other theme parks.

In a perfect world, staff members would’ve been a little more motivated, which would’ve also increased overall attraction capacity. But despite slow operations, we spent a fun afternoon at Nickelodeon Universe. We managed to escape a rainy day in Minneapolis and we discovered some amusing rides. Have you had a chance to visit Nickelodeon Universe yet? If so, what was your favourite part of this indoor amusement park? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

This article reflects my personal experience at Nickelodeon Universe during a visit in July 2025.