Nickelodeon Universe Last Year

[Gazza]

So I have a few photos from my trip to the US i haven't published till now. 

One such collection was from Nickelodeon Universe.

https://www.parkz.com.au/parks/US/Bloomington/Nickelodeon_Universe

Parkz actually has some older pics from the place a few years ago (that my mum actually took when my parents were working in that part of the US)

But, as part of my efforts to mop up the remaining parks I've yet to visit in the US, I went there myself (I wanted to visit Minneapolis anyway, as well as visit Valleyfair)

The park is located in the Mall of America, at the end of a light rail line that runs from downtown Minneapolis. The airport is on the same line, so theoretically if you had an extended stop over you'd be able to duck over and visit the park. Easy to reach anyhow.

 

The park is a giant square with a glass roof in the middle of the complex, with three levels of mall that wrap around the outside of the park.

There are a few other attractions to check out, including mini golf, escape rooms, and Fly over America, a Sky Voyager style ride. I got a combo ticket which included unlimted rides as well as an admission to Fly over America.

The place is quite clean and tidy, with bright paint and some pockets of nice theming...I guess being protected from the weather has its advantages.

 

There is actually a fair bit to do as well, even if you are a thrill rider (And i didn't even do all the thrill rides there!)

The park was once known as Camp Snoopy, the biggest reminder of that being a rocky mountain housing a Paul Bunyan themed log flume, (Like, why isnt it Wild Thornberries?) though there are a couple of other random non themed rides that haven't picked up Nick branding either.

And why doesn't Nick Land at Sea World have this? Going down the paw patrol slide would surely be a kids dream, whilst being super cheap.

 

As for the rides i did.

Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge

A punchy little ride with a good layout. The first drop feels like you are going to bang your head on the rafters. A tight loop, a cool little airtime hop, followed by an overbanked turn. There's an awkward roll, followed by a few quick turns to finish the ride.

 

Avatar Air Bender

A halfpipe coaster just like Surfrider, though it ran a longer cycle, and had a broken seat.

Orange Streak

Zierer family coaster with a stupid long train, so at least there is never a queue. Has a lot of long drawn out turns, and shallow drops, so really feels more like a tour of the park. Theres a 2nd lift hill part way through, making this a lengthy beast.

Much Bepis:

Fairly Odd Coaster

A few six flags parks have these Gerstlauer spinning coasters, so I'm well familiar with the layout. I actually got a crazy ride on this one due to having an empty seat. These can be hit and miss because ive also had ride where its seemingly been perfectly balanced and held the same relative position through all the turns, like a compass trying to point north.

 

TMNT Shell Shock

Sky fly like Tailspin. This one had a helpful video clearly explaining how to get flipping going, so good on them for that. I loved the theming, right down to the control panel in a pizza cart. This one was in the middle of the road in terms of how easy it is to get flips happening. I did also like how it only had a lap bar type harness rather than OTSRs.

 

Anchor Drop

This is part of a ropes course / zip line / slide complex. They are all upcharge and can be done separate or as a package, though if you do the slides you get unlimited goes until you leave the area. I just wanted to have a go at the giant Wiegand snake farm slides. They're okay. Going in a spiral just feels a bit repetive, it would be better if they changed directions etc.

Ghost Blasters

Crap blacklight dark ride with unreliable targets. I'm at the point now where im not bothered if i skip these things over.

Log Chute

Actually a pretty lengthy and complex layout, with a giant paul bunyan statue part way through. Not too wet.

 

Overall, the park is definitley worth a look if you are in Minneapolis. Generous trading hours and proximity to the airport make this an easy visit.

[joz]

Well there I was reading the title thinking the place was closing

[Jpw25111]

On 17/07/2020 at 10:47 PM, joz said:

Well there I was reading the title thinking the place was closing

Too many flat sea world beers?

[joz]

8 hours ago, Jpw25111 said:

Too many flat sea world beers?

OMG, you got me right in my weak spot 😂