The Mall of America is in the works of building a new water park called Mystery Cove. The park was supposed to begin construction in 2020, but due to COVID-19 and inflation, the project was put on hold. If approved, construction is expected to begin in 2025, and it is set to be ready for visitors in 2027. The projected cost of this project is $345,000,000, and the Bloomington City Council is using tax-increment financing (a method of financing real estate developments)to make this water park a reality. The Bloomington City Council stated in a KARE11 interview they want to “keep the Mall of America destination fresh and developing attractions and experiences that bring new audiences.” The owner of Mall of America, Triple Five Group, aims to expand with new attractions that would bring in a different kind of audience, as it is essential to the “financial health” of the mall. 

According to the design plans, Mystery Cove is set to cover 143,000 square feet. Inspired by the 1950s, the team developed posters that incorporated a retro style, which will also be incorporated into the park’s theme.

There has been much speculation about what inspired Mall of America’s decision to initiate the project, but ultimately, it was driven by the prediction of its potential profitability. Drawing parallels with the financial success Great Wolf Lodge achieved after acquiring Waterpark of America, which had no connection to the Mall of America, the mall seeks to replicate such success with Mystery Cove. “We also wanted to make sure we were designing the park for 20 visits, not just one visit, so we wanted to be aware of the casual observer, the curious explorer, and the super sleuth. We want to make sure that we have something for everybody. That’s what led us to Mystery Cove,” said creator Chris Grap in an interview with Blooloop.com. 

Although the waterpark is now in development, it was originally supposed to open this year. Grap expressed that it took many obstacles to make this project happen. “We’ve gotten through the pandemic, and we’re getting through the financial crisis. I have no doubt that we’ll make this happen.”

Mystery Cove would be built on the old parking lot and connected to the mall through a skyway between Nordstrom and Sears. Parts of the park have named attractions. “The Cove” will be a big section with the wave pool and “Eureka Reef” will contain all of the water slides and “daredevil” attractions. According to Blooloop, this project is a theme park but with “water-based attractions.” The park will have a massive wave pool that is over 52,000 square feet as well as a lazy river. “The main attraction in this area is the lazy river, which takes you through different parts of the park. It doesn’t just live in this outpost, which is something we’ve done with other attractions too, like Captain Vesuvio’s ship. That divides our giant wave pool into two,” said Grap.

Some students expressed their excitement about the new attraction saying they would be keen on going to Mystery Cove. “It sounds interesting, intriguing, and full of mystery like I would want to go and explore,” said junior Sam Kingsriter. 

Upon seeing the designs, some students looked forward to what was going to be in store for this project. “It kind of looks like a family-friendly place, but [also] looks like there could be places where teens and adults could go. It doesn’t seem like a little kid place, and the ideas look very cool, so I would go,” said junior Taylor Edwards.  

Many explained how something new like this would be an improvement for Minnesota as they have grown tired of the other water parks around the area. “We have the same waterparks all over the state and I think it would be good to open a new one to see what it has to offer,” said junior Calvin Fant.