Valleyfair

Valleyfair is Minnesota's biggest amusement park and it's a solid full-day trip for families with kids pretty much any age over 3. It sits right off Highway 101 in Shakopee, about 25 minutes southwest of Minneapolis, so it's an easy drive from most of the metro.

The park splits into two main zones that matter for families. Planet Snoopy is where you'll spend most of your time if your kids are under 7 — it's got 15+ rides scaled down for smaller riders, plus Snoopy and Charlie Brown walking around for photos. The rides aren't throwaways either.

Woodstock Express is a real mini coaster and kids feel like they're doing something legit. Lines here rarely get bad, even on Saturdays.

For bigger kids and teens, the draw is the coasters. Wild Thing has a 207-foot first drop and still holds up as one of the better steel coasters in the Midwest. Renegade is a wooden coaster that's rougher and more intense — tweens and teens love it.

Steel Venom does a straight vertical launch that looks terrifying from the ground. There are 8 coasters total, plus a bunch of flat rides and a few carnival-style games scattered around.

Soak City is the water park section and it's included with regular admission, which is a genuinely good deal. It's got a wave pool, a lazy river, a handful of water slides, and a big splash structure for younger kids. Most families spend 2-3 hours here in the afternoon when the heat peaks. Bring your own towels — rentals cost extra.

Food inside the park runs $12-$18 per person for a meal. It's standard theme park stuff: burgers, pizza, chicken tenders. The funnel cakes are the move. You can't bring outside food past the gates, but plenty of families eat lunch at the car and go back in — they do hand stamps for re-entry.

Parking is $25 and the lot is big enough that you won't circle forever. Get there right when gates open if you're going on a weekend — the first 90 minutes have the shortest lines by far. By noon the big coasters are running 45+ minute waits.

One thing to know: most of the park is exposed with minimal shade. Sunscreen isn't optional, and if it's 95 degrees, plan on Soak City as your midday break. The park runs late May through Labor Day, with some weekends in September.