The mall is definatly worth the trip. Nikoldean Universe is a great time and only about 18 dollars for unlimited rides from 5p to 9p. Usually by that time most of the children are leaving and it can be pretty empty with almost no lines by 7p on a weekday. Underwater world is also worth the $20 if you have never been there. it is a pretty cool experince. Nothing like the
Dallas World Aquarium, but still very cool.
There are also a lot of other things to do in the area:
The World Of Fish in Richfield. Really cool fish store with over 10,000 gallons of fresh and salt water fish. Probably the most diverse collection of fish in MN. I would guess they might have more species then underwater world.
Water Park of America is a pretty good indoor water park.
IKEA, is across the street from the MOA
The
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is about a 1/2 mile from the MOA and is a great place to hike and bird watch. They also have an really nice visitor center with several displays and gift shop. This is one of my favorite places to go fishing and hiking in the twin cities area.
Historic Fort Snelling is also only around 4 miles from the MOA.
There is a large number of great restaurants in the are also.
I guess the my point is that if you get bored of the mall or want to make a weekend out out of the trip there are plenty of other things to do in the immediate area. Let alone the rest ot the twin cities, where there are so many fun and interesting things to do it would take at least month to do them all.