American Girl Place - Chicago

[sungazing]

We are planning on taking our girl's to the American Girl Place in Chicago in the spring. I am looking for some advice. :-)

When is the best time to go? I hear they are always busy, but is there a slower time to go? Is a cetain day of the week better than others?

Is the theatre worth it? How much do you have to pay for the hair salon? Are the packages the best way to go?

Any tips, ideas, stories, hotel reccommendations....any feedback would be great! Thanks!

[prasnlrd]

I live in California and we are waiting for AGPLA to open. You will get a lot of responses as there are a lot of memebers that go to AGPC.

I do want to welcome to the board. I forgot; did you say how many dollies you have etc.----we can and will help get a whole lot more! HA! WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME NEWBIE!!!!...mwahahahahahaaaa!!!

[img]graemlins/island.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/island.gif[/img]

[amyjoy]

Welcome!!!!!!!! We have been to the Chicago store many times. I guess it was busy everytime, but we enjoy it and always have fun there and we never really have to wait in lines long.

[Momof3AGgirls]

We went twice, once on a Saturday and once on a Friday..I would say it was busier on the Saturday. We went to the theater both times and really enjoyed it. We only got our dolls hair done once, the second time we went it was busier and we didn't want to wait in line. It was like $20 and didn't think it was worth doing again. We have been to dinner and brunch...we really enjoyed the brunch! The whole experience was so much fun, I would definitly recommend it to amyone.

[dolllover]

If you are going during vacation, it is probably a better time to go early in the morning. We haven't been to AGPC very early in the morning, but I'm assuming more girls will be going to the theater, tea, and lunch during Spring Break.

[sungazing]

I was in such a hurry to ask about the american girl place that I didn't do an entry about being new here (I am sorry if that was rude!) :-)

Anyway, my daughter is 7, her name is Abigail. She just got her very first American Girl doll on Christmas. She chose Kit. :-)

We also got her a matching outfit and the books and a few other things. I think as much as my daughter loves them...I am going to love them more. I am SO excited.

We wanted to wait on getting one for her until she expressed interest on her own - and that is what she did this year! I couldn't be more thrilled.

Anyway...we are certainly skipping the spring break month - as I imagine it is super busy....but the rest of the sprig is pretty open.

Thanks for the suggestions so far! I look forward to reading more!

[shuffar]

I would try to go during the week, but probably not a Friday. I went once during the middle of the week, and during the middle of the day and it was dead. It was great! I usually go on Saturday, and it's a MADHOUSE!!!

I haven't done anything else besides shop, but I would definitely like to go to the theater and to a meal in the cafe, it would be such a fun day with your daughter and Kit. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[karbipbaby]

I have been on Saturday a few times and it is crazy!! There is usually a line just to get in. Last time we ate at Ed Debevics and the girls LOVED it!! The atmosphere was very fun and the food is great. They have a web site you can look at. Enjoy, it is soooo fun!

[amandajg]

Welcome!

I went to AGPC in the middle of the day on a Tuesday in February and it was incredibly quiet! So, a weekday in the middle of the day (until about 4 pm, I'd say) would be your best bet for a quiet store!

Have a great time!

[jlogemann17]

Hi,

When we went our girls were 5 & 7 and we did a lunch in the cafe and LOVED it! I would HIGHLY recommend doing that. It's not terribly overpriced, and you do get quite a bit of food. I was afraid my husband would go away hungry, but he had plenty to eat. WHEN (not if) you go to the cafe, be sure to get there early and ask for a window seat. It's a lot of fun to people watch on the street below. The cafe is so much fun for little girls- there's little chairs and dishes for the dolls, and at least when we were there our silverware was banded with a scrunchie you got to take home with you. That with the fact that the food is so "cute", and the atmosphere is fun- really made the cafe worth it.

We actually went during spring break, and although the store was busy, we were able to eat at the cafe (reservations made ahead of time), and didn't find the store "too busy". We were able to see all the displays, and hang out as much as we wanted without feeling crowded.

My warning will be that parking is high! We had my hubby drop us off at the door, then go park on off-street parking several blocks away. Also know that sales tax is high in Chicago as well, so depending on how much you want to buy you might be better off placing an online order.

Have a fabulous time. My girls are 8 & 10 now and we would LOVE to go back to Chicago, but there are so many other family trips we want to take, I don't know when we'll make it. Maybe we'll have to try and hit AGP-NY!

Jo