Rosedale Mall is giving you one more reason to walk through its doors this coming spring. In early 2019, SeaQuest will have a grand opening to give Minnesotans what they hope to be the ultimate underwater experience.
If you’re not familiar, SeaQuest combines aquariums, exhibits, and up-close animal interactions to create a memorable experience for its visitors—not unlike the Mall of America’s Sea Life Aquarium which will no doubt be SeaQuest’s biggest competitor.
The exhibits you’ll explore at SeaQuest are separated by theme, taking you on an interactive journey all across the world allowing you to learn and connect with the animals. For instance, at the Roseville location, you will get acquainted with the creatures that live in the Amazon Rainforest, California Coast, New Zealand, a Shark Lagoon, Mayan Jungle, Asia, Iceland, Egypt, the Caribbean, and Australia.
With approximately 1200 animals and 300 different species, which include stingrays, sharks, snakes, caimans, birds, reptiles, tortoises, tropical fish, and capybara, the main draw is the hands on encounters with these wild animals. You will be able to hand feed sharks (apparently the sharks are well-adjusted to this), as well as feed sulcata tortoises (which seems far less terrifying), tropical birds, fish, and more.
But, if that’s not enough interaction for you, SeaQuest will also offer an experience where you can snorkel in the Caribbean Cove among exotic fish and as they put it “friendly” stingrays.
New attractions for changing malls
These experiences and hands-on interactions are part of the company’s ‘Quest of Edutainment’ i.e. education + entertainment. It’s an effective philosophy. I would indeed remember more facts about a shark if I put my hand near its mouth than if I just stared at it from behind the safety of glass. Very thick glass.
The new aquarium and multiple exhibits will take over the empty space mall-favorite Ruby Tuesday’s once called home, and will span across two floors.
SeaQuest is coming at an opportune moment when the landscape is rapidly changing with online shopping stepping, or rather stomping, on the heels of brick-and-mortar stores. Opening this new attraction is a practical move for the mall with the potential to help draw in consumers who want an experience and entertainment, not just a shopping center.
And SeaQuest is certainly hoping to not only attract visitors by already offering pre-opening discount prices, but also by instilling themselves within the Minnesota community. On their site they are asking for nominations for local charitable organizations that they can partner with in order to give back to local programs and the community.
It will be interesting to see the impact of SeaQuest opening at the Rosedale Mall and if other malls and shopping centers around the state will follow suit and attempt to attract customers with something more than the promise of simply a new outfit.
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