Free & Cheap Things to Do in Bloomington

Town & Shops

The biggest mall in North America is genuinely free to experience: 500-plus stores to browse, the Nickelodeon Universe theme park to watch from the railings, free daily events and exhibits, and people-watching without rival. Rides, SEA LIFE aquarium, and attractions charge — walking the spectacle doesn't.

Address: 60 E Broadway, Bloomington, MN 55425

Tip: Parking is free — rare for an attraction this size. Walk the full circuit of all four floors for the spectacle, catch free seasonal events, and treat Nickelodeon Universe as a (loud) free show unless the kids revolt.

Parks & Nature

A national wildlife refuge threading 14,000 acres along the Minnesota River — with its free Bloomington visitor center perched on the bluff minutes from the Mall of America. River-bottom trails, marshes loud with waterfowl, and the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge birding hotspot all cost nothing.

Address: 3815 American Blvd E, Bloomington, MN 55425

Tip: Start at the visitor center for maps and exhibits, then hit the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge trailhead — one of the metro's best birding spots, especially during migration. A wild antidote 10 minutes from the mall.

Parks & Nature

A 1,000-acre Three Rivers reserve in the middle of Bloomington with free daily entry, lake trails, and the metro's most famous playground — the giant Chutes and Ladders climbing structure that draws families from across the Twin Cities. Paddleboat and kayak rentals run summers on Hyland Lake.

Address: 10145 Bush Lake Rd, Bloomington, MN 55438

Tip: Chutes and Ladders is legendary — weekday mornings beat the weekend crush. Winter flips the park to cheap downhill skiing at Hyland Hills and free groomed cross-country loops.

Parks & Nature

Inside Hyland Lake Park Reserve, this free Three Rivers nature center pairs hands-on exhibits and live raptors with prairie and woodland trails, observation decks over busy bird feeders, and seasonal naturalist programs. The easy trail loops suit the youngest hikers.

Address: 8737 E Bush Lake Rd, Bloomington, MN 55438

Tip: The live birds-of-prey windows and feeder-watching room make it a perfect bad-weather save. Free naturalist programs run most weekends — check the Three Rivers calendar before you go.

Parks & Nature

Two acres of hill-and-pond Japanese garden on the Normandale Community College campus — arched vermilion bridge, stone lanterns, waterfalls — designed in 1976 by Takao Watanabe and maintained as one of the metro's most serene free spaces. Open sunrise to sunset, spring through fall.

Address: 9700 France Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55431

Tip: Closed in winter; peak photo seasons are crabapple bloom in May and maple color in early October. Weekday visits dodge the wedding-photo crowds; park in the campus lots off France Avenue.

Family & Kids

A hands-on engineering museum built for ages 5 to 12 — design challenges, a giant lever, take-apart stations, and a maker studio that sends kids home thinking like engineers. Small enough to do thoroughly in a half day, priced at a flat $14 for everyone two and up.

Address: 9740 Grand Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55420

Tip: Monday school-year mornings run quieter hours popular with homeschoolers; check the calendar for discounted community events. Pairs naturally with free Hyland Park playground time five minutes west.

Family & Kids

Minnesota's 485-acre state zoo in neighboring Apple Valley sends its famous Treetop Trail — the longest elevated pedestrian loop in the world — right over the animals, with Northern Trail tigers and camels, a tropics building, and Russia's Grizzly Coast. The big sticker hides real access routes.

Address: 13000 Zoo Blvd, Apple Valley, MN 55124

Tip: The zoo's Free to Explore program offers no-cost admission for income-qualified Minnesotans — apply online. Everyone else: the 1.25-mile Treetop Trail is included with admission and worth planning around; arrive at opening for animal activity.

Parks & Nature

Bloomington's free swimming beach anchors the western lobe of the Hyland-Bush-Anderson Lakes reserve — sand, swimming area, picnic grounds, and quiet fishing piers ringed by woods that hide the suburbs completely. Lifeguards staff summer weekends.

Address: 9140 E Bush Lake Rd, Bloomington, MN 55438

Tip: Free entry and free parking make it the budget alternative to waterpark admission. The beach is open but unguarded, sunrise to 10pm from June through Labor Day — keep close watch on young swimmers, and arrive before 11am on hot weekends.