When is a mall not just a mall? When it’s also an obstacle course, a go kart track, a resort and a restaurant paradise.

You could spend days at Destiny USA in Syracuse, literally.

This mall is huge, 2.4 million square feet.  And our adventure starts on the third floor, the entertainment level.

"We're all about creating the most outrageous racing experience for everyone who is or isn't,  or would like to be- a racer and that's really I think... key," Karen  Davis- Farage, co-owner of RPM Raceway.

These indoor go-karts have been racing around the track here since 2012. RPM Raceway was one of the first non-traditional businesses to open here after Destiny's expansion. After a year of navigating the pandemic, the staff is ready to step on the gas.

"We really had to restart,” Davis- Farage said, “and put a lot of time and effort into rehiring and getting it back to where it was before COVID."

And the rest of the mall is picking up speed as well. More than 250 retail stores, 45 different options for food and coffee, 18 entertainment venues and a carousel built in 1909, it's the eighth largest shopping center in the country. And rather than compete with the discount outlet centers Destiny USA invited 21 of them inside.

But this mall, as impressive as it is, was not immune to pandemic related restrictions in 2020, and the relentless competition from online retailers. And since 25% of sales come from Canadian shoppers, the extended border closure had the mall bracing for a financial hit... that was until something unexpected happened.

Foot traffic from those desperate to get out of the house more than made up for the loss in business north of the border. And while most malls fear online retail Destiny sees an opportunity.

"We're seeing the trend is different here because a lot of the online shops are putting their roots down in a physical location, Nikita Jankowski of Destiny USA said. “Untuck it for example. So they're online and now they might turn into brick and mortar."

"I think there's so much to be said about an experience today, and that's the business we're in," Davis- Farage said.