Shakopee 2023 MEA Weekend Itinerary

Activities Attractions Best of Shakopee Events Festivals History Outdoors Parks and Trails

This MEA break, visit Shakopee for fun activities to keep kids (and grownups!) entertained all weekend long. From fall festivals to the world’s largest candy store, there’s plenty of outdoor and indoor activities everyone will enjoy.

Thursday

Kick off your stay in Shakopee with some seasonal activities at Sever’s Fall Festival. Navigate through a corn maze, zoom down a giant slide, jump into a corn pit filled with millions of kernels, and meet friendly farm animals at the petting zoo. Live entertainment is included with admission, with daily wildlife shows, pig races, magic shows, and interactive kids’ dance parties. Come hungry and savor selections from the on-site food vendors, from wood-fired pizza to Mexican street food to kettle corn.

Next, splash around at the Indoor Aquatic Center, which has a zero-depth entry pool with play structures for smaller kids and a large water slide with twists and turns.

Friday

Start off your day with a crisp apple fresh from the tree at Ferguson’s Minnesota Harvest. The large apple orchard has favorite varieties like Honeycrisp, and you can take a hayride to the pumpkin patch for a peek at a working farm. Stop by Apple Blossom Park to mine for gems, spin around in a giant apple, and race rubber ducks. Once you’ve had your fun, savor a sweet treat at the market stocked with kid-friendly goodies like apple cider donuts, cookies, and caramel apples.

For more treats, stop by Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store. It’s much more than a sweet shop—in addition to every variety of candy you can imagine (including nostalgic and international treats), there’s an enormous selection of craft soda, chips, freshly-baked pies, and much more. You might even spot your favorite movie or comic characters in a mural or as a life-sized statue. Other fun attractions include a giant Pez machine, the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle, and an animatronic band.

Saturday

Celebrate Halloween a little early at Valleyfair Tricks and Treats. The theme park has been transformed into the playfully spooky Land of Tricks and the nostalgic Land of Treats, with special Halloween-themed entertainment, make-and-take crafts, games, and food. Plus, the park’s most popular rides are open for some extra thrills. Remember to wear a costume and hit the Trick or Treat Trail to collect some goodies.

End your day with a friendly game of bowling at Shakopee Bowl, which offers open bowling all day long on the weekends. There are kid-friendly features like automatic bumpers and automatic scoring, plus special toddler pricing for kids ages three and under.

Sunday

Fit in some educational fun at The Landing Minnesota River Heritage Park. Check out a timeline of historic buildings from the 19th century to see how Minnesotans lived on the frontier, on farmsteads, and in villages. The site also has a mile-long trail along the Minnesota River with scenic views and fall foliage.

Burn off some energy before the drive home by exploring some of Shakopee’s parks and trails. Lions Park has an 18-hole disc golf course and an inclusive playground designed for all ages and abilities. There’s also a large accessible playground at Huber Park with a hammock-style universal swing, zip line, and climbing structures.

Spend your MEA weekend in Shakopee! Shakopee is home to Valleyfair, Canterbury Park and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It’s also conveniently located to area attractions like Mystic Lake Casino and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.