If shopping doesn't thrill you, how about riding a zipline through Mall of America?
The Bloomington megamall next month will begin installing two ziplines stretching high above the walkways of its centerpiece Nickelodeon Universe theme park.
Nathan Klutz, the mall's director of construction, said Tuesday that when the ziplines open this summer, the cables will span 405 feet, or most of the east-west axis of the indoor amusement park. Construction is scheduled to be finished by July.
Zipline riders will start about 55 feet in the air, beginning at the existing Dutchman's Deck ropes course in the theme park's northwest corner.
Riders will zip to the east, over the giant pineapple, past the Dora Ferris wheel and over the carousel, before ending the first leg of their ride at a tower near the Swiper Sweeper ride. They then will climb up the tower to make the return trip.
Details on the ticket price weren't available Tuesday. The Dutchman's Deck ropes course is one of the few Nick Universe attractions that aren't included in an all-day unlimited ride wristband, and it's likely the zipline won't be included, either.
Mall of America owns the amusement park, which has been affiliated with the children's TV network Nickelodeon since 2008. Before that, the park was known as Camp Snoopy and run by Ohio-based Cedar Fair LP.
Especially since the park was rebranded, the mall has invested in upgrading its attractions. It has added such rides as Avatar Airbender, the Splat-O-Sphere, the SpongeBob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge roller coaster and, more recently, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock.
The zipline plans show how the space-restricted indoor park is finding new ways to add attractions - by moving upward. It did the same when it added the Dutchman's Deck ropes course and the Anchor Drop circular slide.
