What Happened to the Mall of America Waterpark that was Never Built?

Back a few years ago there was a sweet waterpark proposed to be built as part of the Mall of America in Minnesota. The mock-ups looked awesome and it would be something my inner child would be excited to go to.

And then it kind of vanished. So what happened?

Mall of America Waterpark

It was going to be called Mystery Cove. According to the City of Bloomington website, it was originally proposed in 2018. I'm not certain how far talks and funding got for the project but then this thing called COVID came around and it put the whole thing on hold.

Once everything with the pandemic started to calm down, talks of the waterpark started to come back. I wrote a post about it in March of 2022. It was set to be the largest indoor waterpark in North America.

READ MORE: Minnesota Will Be Home to One of the Largest Indoor Waterparks in North America

Since then I haven't seen much. I know that all of the planning and funding can be boring and would probably happen behind closed doors. But the very first timeline had the waterpark opening in 2022.

2022 has come and gone now. What's going on?

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When is Mystery Cove Waterpark Opening in Minnesota?

Well, they still plan on building Mystery Cove Waterpark! It's just super behind schedule. Obviously the pandemic played a big role in delaying the project. Then the cost of construction materials went way up.

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However, the group behind the waterpark is presenting to the Bloomington City Council this week their revamped proposal. Yes, revamped. They have made some big changes to the plan.

It Will No Longer be the Biggest Waterpark in North America

One of the big changes to the plan is that it would no longer be the originally proposed 250,000 sqft. KARE 11 says the new proposal would make it 143,000 sqft. But that's not the only big change.

They also plan to add a fully retractable roof so when it's nice out they can pull the roof back and you can enjoy the sun.

There will also be cabanas to lounge in, 30 water slides to scream down, daybeds to kick back and relax, rides to unleash your inner child, and food and beverage services.

How Much It'll Cost to Go to Mystery Cove Waterpark

In 2022 when we talked about this there was a price comparison between other waterparks and how much the city planned to charge for Mystery Cove. I'm not sure if the pricing will change since the waterpark will now be smaller, but we'll have to wait and see.

At the time, during peak season it would be $69 to get in. During off-peak it would be $59.

When Will Mystery Cove Waterpark Open at the Mall of America?

So when can we expect to see the waterpark built? As of the latest proposal, they want to start construction next year, 2025 and would hope to open in 2027. Fingers crossed!