Ever since I was a little girl I wanted an American Girl Doll. That never happened. But I digress. Now that I have my own daughter it’s safe to say I’m BEYOND thrilled that she is into American Girl and I can just go ahead and live vicariously through her. This year for her birthday she got the gift she’s been asking for since she could talk – a trip to the real American Girl Doll store.
Yes, my friends, this is Lydia’s first trip to the REAL American Girl Doll store. Here in Pittsburgh we get a pop-up store once a year at the mall but it’s obviously without the bells and whistles of the stagnant stores. Luckily we have family in McLean, VA and the American Girl Doll in Tyson’s Corner is just a hop, skip and a jump away.
What you need to know on your first trip to the American Girl Doll store
what you need to know
When I first made the reservations online (which is an important note, YOU MUST make reservations for everything… dining, hair, spa treatments, etc) I was shocked at how quickly everything had filled. I made the reservations about a month in advance and was aiming for lunch or dinner. We ended up scheduling brunch because that was all that was left. This ended up working out because YASSS breakfast! It’s incredibly easy to schedule (and cancel if you need to) with the system that American Girl has in place and for that I was thankful.
What you need to know on your first trip to the American Girl Doll store
What you need to know on your first trip to the American Girl Doll store
During my reservation adventure I didn’t opt for any birthday party package because I thought you’d need an actual party to do that. Not true, you can do a birthday party package with even 2 people! Luckily American Girl is very accommodating and I was able to upgrade the package that very day that we had our brunch.
What you need to know on your first trip to the American Girl Doll store
Wear your comfy shoes because if you’re going to let your kid just run around in the doll version of Disneyland they’ll have absolutely no sense of order. We were in that store for several hours, armed with her birthday and Christmas money. I’m sure you can imagine.
What you need to know on your first trip to the American Girl Doll store
We only scheduled one hair appointment so Lea got her hair done by the best-of-the-best (she desperately needed it!) and was looking fab by the end of our trip.
What you need to know on your first trip to the American Girl Doll store
What you need to know on your first trip to the American Girl Doll store
Lydia brought her doll Lea along on the trip and also purchased Tenney (who Lydia has been begging for since her release). Of course, what trip is complete without accessories like earrings and clothing lol. She had a blast and made a good decision asking for money for her birthday and saving from Christmas.
What you need to know on your first trip to the American Girl Doll store
After Lydia had spent a good bit of her cash we headed out to explore the rest of the mall. All in all it was a fabulous trip and completely unforgettable. We can’t wait to go back!
Have you visited the American Girl Doll store? Leave your experience and tips in the comments so we’re ready for our next adventure!
I have never seen an American Girl Doll Store before! I’m not sure we have one around – but my niece would love it!
It’s a wonderland!
Your daughter is beautiful and it looks like you had a great time – a hairstylist for dolls??? Omg! I never had a daughter, nieces and no grand nieces -all boys so legos run amok; I’m hoping for a granddaughter someday! I’m sure I would spoil her with the whole American Girl doll scene! I’m slowly converting my son’s girlfriend into a makeup junkie, lol. I started with a Sephora lippie set on her birthday and then a boat-load of eye pallets for Xmas!
When I was young, Barbie was THE doll (and there was only one). I replaced my original blonde pony-tail Barbie head with a 1960s version with” flip”, “beehive” and “page boy” wigs (you and your readers may have to google to know those hairstyles, lol). And, being a girly girl – I’m now 62 yrs old and I still have my Barbie and clothes – somethings you just can’t give up (but no, I don’t play with her still – I’m not that crazy).
Thank you!!! My daughter is the ONLY girl grandchild on my husbands side (out of SEVEN!) so she’s very spoiled lol! There wasn’t even a girl cousin in his extended family for 8 or 9 years even until she came around. We all need at least one girl so tell them to get cracking on a granddaughter for you lmao
I remember those Barbies! My mom had them too but they also released retro ones maybe in the early 90’s? I forget but I know we bought them all. I’m not sure where they are right now but they were all left in the box. I’m sure my mom has them stored away somewhere still. I remember being sad I couldn’t open them. They had Wizard of Oz dolls too (I can’t remember if they were barbie brand) that I also had to leave in the box when I was a kid lol
I never got to visit an American Girl store when I was younger! I wannnnaaa goo!!!
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That may or may not have been another reason why I took her lmao it was the coolest place and the food was AMAZING!
What a fun trip for your daughter! It looks like she had a blast!
She did! She’s still talking about it! =D