Family-Friendly Spring Break in Inver Grove Heights

Sea Life Aquarium at Mall of America®
By Stacy Brooks

Time to spring break in Inver Grove Heights! With budget-friendly accommodations, kid-friendly restaurants, and activities the whole family will enjoy, here’s your guide to fun spring break getaway.

DAY 1

The Grove Waterpark- Spring Break in Inver Grove Heights
Photo Credit: Inver Grove Heights Park & Recreation

Start off your spring break by splashing around at the VMCC Aquatic Center.  The indoor water park has two large water slides, splash features, a dumping bucket, and a floating log crossing.  There’s also a pool available for recreational swimming and a dive pool with regular and high dive boards.   Day passes are available for open swimming.   Check out the open swim schedule here.

Next, zoom across the ice at the VMCC Ice Arena.  Day passes are available for ice skating, and skate rentals are offered for a small fee.  Find the open skate schedule here.

Iwa Sushi in Inver Grove Heights
Photo Credit: Visit IGH

Wrap up the day with dinner at a local restaurant that has something tasty for the entire family.  Los Portales Mexican Restaurant serves up traditional Mexican favorites including street tacos, tortas, enchiladas, and fajitas.  At Iwa Sushi, enjoy sushi and hibachi meals, with kid-sized junior hibachi meals available for kids under 10.  Inver Grove Brewing has a family-friendly taproom with high chairs and carrier holders, kids’ games, and a kids’ menu with pizza, chicken tenders, burgers, and pasta.  Adults can enjoy locally-brewed craft beer and a menu of elevated pub fare.

DAY 2

Strawberry Pancakes at Cahill Diner
Photo Credit: Cahill Diner

Fuel up for another day of fun with breakfast at Cahill Diner, which has retro 1950s-inspired decor and serves breakfast all day.  Specialties include the apple fritter French toast, Cajun omelet, and Tex Mex hash browns.

AMC Movie Theater in Inver Grove Heights
Photo Credit: AMC Movie Theaters

Catch a movie at AMC Inver Grove 16 and enjoy recliner seating, a full food and beverage menu, and special discounts on Tuesdays and matinee screenings.  

Hometown Sweets, Inver Grove Heights
Photo credit: Visit IGH

Swing by Hometown Sweets for ice cream, flavored popcorn, and bulk candy.  Can’t decide which of the 16 flavors of ice cream to order?  Get the ice cream flight and try six!

Drkulas's 32 Bowl
Photo Credit: Drkulas’s 32 Bowl

Try a new spin on bowling at Drkula’s 32 Bowl, which has a state-of-the-art Hyperbowling system that adds a video game-style element to the classic game.  There are also automatic bumpers and ramps to make bowling accessible to bowlers of all ages and abilities.

Carbones Pizza Inver Grove Heights

Go out for a crowd-pleasing dinner at a local pizza spot.  Dominick’s Pizza serves both the classics and creative pies like a gyro pizza, plus homemade chocolate chip cookies baked fresh daily.  Serving up family recipes that date back over 50 years, Carbone’s Pizzeria menu is full of family favorites for everyone to enjoy, including pizza, hot hoagies, wings, soup and salads.  Turitto’s Pizza & Subs has a menu with tasty thin crust pizzas, submarine sandwiches, and pasta.

DAY 3 & BEYOND

Sea Life Aquarium at Mall of America®
Photo Credit: Sea Life Aquarium

Inver Grove Heights is a convenient base for exploring the Twin Cities’ top family attractions.  Animal lovers will enjoy the Minnesota Zoo, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory (which offers free admission), and the SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium at the Mall of America.  

Dinosaurs at the Science Museum of Minnesota
Photo Credit: Science Museum of Minnesota

Want to visit a museum?  Check out the Science Museum of Minnesota, Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing, Twin City Model Railroad Museum, Minnesota Children’s Museum, and Minnesota History Center for family-friendly educational experiences.

With over a dozen interactive attractions, 500 stores, and  50 restaurants, it’s easy to spend a day (or more!) at the Mall of America.

This winter, book a stay in Inver Grove Heights!  Inver Grove Heights hotels offer excellent value and are conveniently located to downtown St. Paul, the Mall of America, Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.  Warm up with amenities including complimentary breakfast, free parking, indoor pools, and more.  Book your stay at these Inver Grove Heights hotels today!

Fun Family Winter Indoor Activities in Inver Grove Heights

The Grove Waterpark
By Stacy Brooks

Stay warm and have some fun with these family-friendly winter indoor activities in Inver Grove Heights!  Whether you want to burn off some energy, visit a museum, or enjoy a relaxing staycation, Inver Grove Heights has something for kids of all ages.  

Indoor Activities in Inver Grove Heights

The Grove Waterpark- Winter Indoor Activities in Inver Grove Heights
Photo Credit: Inver Grove Heights Park & Recreation

Visit the VMCC Aquatic Center’s indoor water park, where kids can zoom down water slides, play in the splash features, and scramble across a floating log crossing.  The Aquatic Center also has a pool and diving area.

HyperBowling at Drkula’s 32 Bowl m
Photo Credit: HyperBowling

Check out Drkula’s 32 Bowl for a fun new twist on bowling: HyperBowling!  The game combines bowling with video game-style technology, and in addition to knocking down pins, you can take aim at colorful targets.  HyperBowling makes bowling exciting for everyone, regardless of ability level.  Drkula’s also offers automatic bumpers and bowling ramps for young bowlers.

Perple Bunny's Axe House Inver Grove Heights
Photo Credit: Perple Bunny’s Axe House

Try something new with your teens at Perple Bunny’s Axe House.  An axe master will teach you how to throw axes and play games—whatever your experience level or physical fitness, everyone will have a good time!  Note that you have to be at least 14 years old to throw.

AMC Movie Theater in Inver Grove Heights
Photo Credit: AMC Movie Theaters

Watch a movie in style at AMC Inver Grove 16, which offers recliner seating and tasty snacks like flatbread pizzas, nachos, and churros.  Enjoy discounted prices during matinees and all day Tuesday.

Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing
Photo Credit: Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing

Get up close to WWII aircraft kept in flying condition at the Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing.  In addition to aircraft, the museum is home to motor vehicles and WWII artifacts, and admission is free of charge.

Holiday Inn Express Indoor Pool
Photo Credit: Holiday Inn Express

Treat your family to a staycation at one of Inver Grove Heights’ hotels, and grab a pizza from a pizzeria.  The AmericInn Hotel and Suites has a pool and game room, the Holiday Inn Express offers a pool, and the Microtel Inn and Suites and Coratel Inn and Suites have great rates and complimentary breakfast.  

Indoor Activities in the Twin Cities

Children's Theater Company
Photo Credit: Children’s Theater Company

Attend a show at the Children’s Theatre Company, which stages entertaining, engaging productions that the whole family will enjoy.  Current and upcoming shows include holiday classic Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (running through January 8, 2023) and Locomotion (January 24-March 5, 2023) which explores how poetry can bring you closer to others and yourself.

Minnesota Children's Museum
Photo Credit: Minnesota Children’s Museum

Visit the Minnesota Children’s Museum, a kid-centered space that utilizes the power of play to spark learning.  The three floors of exhibits include a sensory space for babies and toddlers, a pretend town, and an “underwater” shipwreck.  Special exhibits include the storybook-themed The Amazing Castle (through January 8, 2023) and Framed: Step into Art, where you can explore three-dimensional versions of well-known paintings (January 21-May 7, 2023).

Dinosaurs at the Science Museum of Minnesota
Photo Credit: Science Museum of Minnesota

Make learning fun at the Science Museum of Minnesota.  From dinosaurs and fossils to a real Mississippi River towboat and sports-themed experiments, exhibits are an interactive way to learn about science, math, and technology.  Through January 22, 2023, check out the Nature All Around Us exhibit to discover the hidden natural worlds and ecosystems in cities and towns.

Como Park Zoo
Photo Credit: Como Park Zoo

Travel to the tropics without leaving Minnesota at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, where the indoor Tropical Encounters trail immerses visitors in the sights and sounds of rainforest plants and animals.  Other indoor spaces include the Zoo’s large cats, African hoofed stock, primate, and aquatic buildings, plus the Convervatory’s Sunken Garden and Palm Dome.

Twin City Model Railroad Museum
Photo Credit: Twin City Model Railroad Museum

Discover a miniature world at the Twin City Model Railroad Museum, where kids will be entranced by the detailed layout complete with trains, towns, and more.  Check out the Night Trains exhibit Saturday evenings through February 25, 2023, which features low lighting, special lighted model trains, and winter decorations.

Sea Life Aquarium at Mall of America®
Photo Credit: Sea Life Aquarium

Walk through an underwater ocean tunnel and watch thousands of tropical fish, sharks, and sting rays at SEA LIFE Aquarium, located in the Mall of America.  The aquarium also features a kid-friendly touchpool inspired by the Pacific Northwest, rainforest exhibit, and jellyfish.