We are an American Girl house.* For the past two years, our girls have steadily amassed four dolls and various pieces of clothing, accessories, etc. Last year we decided (OK, I decided and my husband went along with the idea) that it would be fun to surprise the girls with a post-Christmas trip to the American Girl Cafe and Store in Dallas. To say the visit was a huge hit is putting it mildly. I wish you could see their faces in the pictures I took. The American Girl people have thought of everything. There were doll seats at the table, a doll hair and earring salon, there was even a spot for the girls to place their dolls in the bathroom stalls. So cute. The store itself is massive and a bit daunting. Fortunately, I made reservations for lunch. If you decide to take your little girl to an American Girl Cafe, reservations are a must. The day we went, there was a huge line of people waiting to be seated (without reservations). 
The Cafe is done in pinks and greens and is just the cutest thing. (Imagine a picture here, all my pictures from our lunch have the girls' faces in them-no posting.) My word. So adorable. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the wait staff was and how good the food tasted. Having lunch with my family at the American Girl Cafe is definitely a Friday Favorite. I should note that going to American Girl Cafe was NOT my husband's favorite. (Shocking that my hunting & fishing football watching husband didn't like the doll store, huh?!) However, if they had a bar, that might be a different story. He even said "If they charged me $25 for a beer, I'd probably pay it!"
*I made a decision years ago to choose the American Girl dolls over Barbie. Let me be clear-There's nothing wrong with letting your daughter have Barbie. It's just not what I want to give to my children. I think Barbie is an idealized version of what a woman "should" look like. I try to be selective in the female models I set out for my children. American Girl dolls, while expensive, stand for good values such as girl power, independence, compassion, and other worthwhile virtues. An added bonus is that the American Girl accessories aren't as small so you don't constantly step on teeny tiny high heels and sunglasses. My daughters have gotten a couple Barbie type of dolls and those dolls are cast aside pretty quickly. Watch out though, once you're on that American Girl mailing list, those catalogs are like crack to little girls.
**Not a paid or sponsored post in any way. I really do like the American Girl dolls. However, if American Girl wants to provide me with free dolls, doll stuff, or sponsorship, that would really come in handy. (Those doll accessories aren't cheap!)
Molly is still sitting in the back of the closet. She is all dressed in her robe and glasses, just waiting for someone to play with her.
ReplyDeleteI bet they were in heaven!! We took Naya to the big store in NYC last December and let her pick out some outfits for her doll. We didn't even attempt to have lunch there but the store was quite impressive.
ReplyDeletexo~
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