If you’ve ever visited the Mall of America in Bloomington, you might be curious about the mini golf course inside called Moose Mountain Adventure Golf.
Even if you’ve checked out the course from directly out front, you’re still not given any clues. All you see is a wall of rocks, which hide the 18 holes that lie behind the cash register.
So, is Moose Mountain Mini Golf any good? Is worth the money, or is it a total tourist trap?
Fresh off 18 miniature holes, I’m here to report back with DTC’s honest review.
Contents
Course Location
Moose Mountain Adventure Golf is located in the ever-touristy and always massive Mall of America. Specifically, it’s located on the third floor, on the North side of the Mall.
Since despite its square shape the Mall of America can often feel like a maze, the Northern Food Court is a good landmark to follow when trying to find the course. (Moose Mountain is just across the food court, on the same floor.)
If you’re hoping to avoid leaving with a few too many shopping bags and would rather get in and out of the mall as quickly as possible, the North Parking Ramp offers the most direct access to the mini golf course.
- Course Address: 376 North Garden, Bloomington, MN 55425
- Phone Number: +19528838777
Cost
As of this writing, 18 holes of mini golf at Moose Mountain Adventure Golf cost $11.99. Families of four or more can purchase a group ticket which brings the price down to $9.75 per person.
And if 18 holes of adventure golf just isn’t enough for ya, for $19.99 per person you can grab a combined ticket good for both Moose Mountain and the Rock of Ages Blacklight Mini Golf course, which is the Mall’s only other mini golf course and is located on the other side of the Mall.
Hours
The course is open seven days a week.
- Monday through Saturday, you can golf to your heart’s content from 10 AM to 9 PM.
- On Sunday, the course is open from 11 AM to 7 PM.
You can find the most updated cost and hour information on the Mall of America’s Directory.
Quick History of the Mini Golf Course
While there’s always been a mini golf course at Mall of America (sort of…) the Moose Mountain Adventure Golf Course didn’t always exist.
When the Mall of America opened in 1992, the area which is now Moose Mountain was a mini golf course under a different design. That course’s reign was short lived though; by 2000 the area was transformed into a bizarre marketing experiment known as “General Mills Cereal Adventure” which included, among other things, a two story tall Lucky Charms slide.
That experiment lasted for three years. Shortly thereafter, the Mall of America announced that a mini golf course would return to the area. They contracted with a famous mini golf course designer from Canada named Dan Sawatzky, who also helped build important pieces of the mall’s flagship Nickelodeon Universe.
By 2003, 18 holes of mini golf action had returned to the area. The new course promised a magical north woods theme mixed the obstacles from an abandoned mine!
Does it live up to the hype?
Our Review
From the moment you check out your putter from the course’s the cabin-themed gift shop, you realize the Mall didn’t skimp on the scenery.
From the beginning of the course, mini golfers start by walking through caves of faux rocks. The adventure continues as golfers then work their way underneath railroad tracks, over bridges, and past moving obstacles. (At one point, they’ve cleverly implemented what looks like the classic mini golf windmill, but upon closer inspection is a true-to-theme water mill. There’s also a themed mine train and life size animal sculptures!)
The holes themselves aren’t that difficult. Most are large open spaces interspersed by a few minimally themed tree branches. Some might consider this ease of play a bit of a negative, but considering the Mall’s target audience includes many youngsters, I’m not sure we can really hold this against them.
Maybe the biggest highlight of the course is the location itself. As a third floor resident, the course includes several awesome overlooks of the Nickolodeon Universe’s rides whizzing around down below. It’s a unique angle to the mall that you otherwise wouldn’t get to experience, although the South Food Court’s viewing locations provide a similar feel. (I’d argue Moose Mountain vantage point is cooler though, since you’re closer to the park’s most notable roller coaster and feel more “immersed” in the caves and scenery.)
Final Verdict:
I’m a sucker for mini golf, so I’d probably enjoy this course no matter what. That said, I really do feel like the Mall of America did a great job with Moose Mountain.
Overall, the theming is really neat and the location is fantastic. Plus, the indoor setting makes for a great winter activity!
If you’re in the mood for mini golfing, or even just looking for something fun to do while at the Mall of America, Moose Mountain Adventure Golf is a solid choice!
Looking for more mini golf? You might also like our article about the 17 best mini golf courses in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Misc FAQs:
Is Moose Mountain Adventure Golf Wheel Chair accessible?
Yes, it actually is. The course designers removed the ball guard/lip surrounding many of the holes, so wheelchairs can roll right up to most of the greens.
Are there any coupons for Moose Mountain Mini Golf?
Not really. You could try double checking Groupon (and earn cash back through our affiliate links) but coupons for Moose Mountain seem rare.
(An affiliate link means DiscoverTheCities.com will get a couple bucks if you sign up through through those links.)
What about discounts?
Your best bet for a discount at Moose Mountain is gathering up 4 or more people and purchasing the discounted “family pack” tickets, which drops the price per person by about $3.
They also sell the combined ticket with Rock of Ages Blacklight Golf (also located in MoA) which reduces the cost per course by roughly the same amount.
