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South Metro

The southern suburbs of the Twin Cities have a bounty of fun family attractions. Best known is Mall of America in Bloomington; it’s the largest retail and entertainment center in the country, with an indoor amusement park and an aquarium. Apple Valley is home to the nationally acclaimed Minnesota Zoo, with hundreds of species from around the world, and an adjacent IMAX theater. Explore a cattail marsh in the middle of the city at Woodlake Nature Center in Richfield.

A cluster of attractions in Shakopee include Valleyfair Family Amusement Park, Canterbury Park with live horse racing, the 1800s living history village of Murphy's Landing, and every fall, the Renaissance Festival. Kids enjoy the water parks in Eagan and Bloomington. The Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Bloomington Civic Theatre and Burnsville Performing Arts Centers stage a variety of performances. There are also a number of excellent golf courses in the area, and for winter fun, there’s the Buck Hill Ski Area.