OT- American Girl Bistro?

[scjo68]

My DD is 10, and really enjoys the books and dolls. I want to do a mom/daughter trip this summer, and was thinking that going to the A. G. boutique/ Bistro in Atlanta might be fun for us. I'm thinking that she will not be into these dolls much longer, so I want to make the most of this "little girl" interest while she still has it.

Does that make sense?

It is about a 10-hour drive, but my sis lives near the half-way point, so we can stay the night there, and visit.

For those who have been there, would it be worth it to take a long weekend, do the AG stuff, and see some sights in Atlanta?
Where have people stayed while there?
Is the store really crowded?

They have some special activities, like "memories with mom" that require reservations. Do those tend to book up way ahead? If I called about them now, would it be like asking for a table for Cinderella's Breakfast at the last minute?

They also have free/ open to everyone activities. Are they really crowded? Or are they so simple that it's not something that would really attract people? Here they have AG nights at our Barnes and Noble. They are nice and fun, but pretty simple, and not really something you would travel for. I'm wondering how these activities compare to the AG B and B.

I would love to hear any opinions anyone would like to share.

 

[RobinFabulous]

I'm not sure about the crowd levels, but we're booked for the Birthday Party for Samantha on May 25th. I think ressies tend to be pretty easy to get. A lot of dd's (10) little friends have gone and all of the girls in her class like the books. There's LOTS of other stuff to do in ATL. There's a children's museum, the new GA aquarium, the world of coke, FAO Schwartz, etc. We're considerably closer than you are so we go to ATL from time to time. I'll post after the party and let you know how the crowds are etc.

I have heard that the food is great.

My dd's birthday is the day before the party we're attending, and she wanted to have a party there, but the cost was so high and I didn't feel comfortable driving that many girls so far. This event should be pretty special so i'm hoping it'll be nice

 

[luvmy3]

Dd and I did the AG brunch and show in NYC a few years ago. I think the package was called My Day at American Girl. It was very crowded and the brunch and show did sell out, but we went during spring break.
We had a great time, and we spent the whole day at AGP. The food was Okay but the cafe is so cute, they give you a little chair for your doll and a place setting for her. I have never been to any others but I'm sure they are decorated the same. I was impressed by the show, and dd loved it. She keeps asking to do it again.
I would plan to spend a good chunk of your day there, between the cafe, show, hair salon and just shopping it can take awhile. The package we bought included AG money (I can't remember what it looked like) and it took dd so long to pick out stuff. It can be very overwhelming.
You and your dd will enjoy it no matter what you do there.

 

[seeking pixie dust]

I can't speak for the Atlanta location, but we have a Bistro here in Dallas. I called 2 months in advance for a lunch reservation and got a terrible time - 1:45pm - so please call early. (Side note - the food was awful...but like the above poster said, the atmosphere was fun. I recommend going straight for the dessert.) Also, I'm not sure if you can make a reservation to have her doll's hair done, but the wait time was over 4 hours - my daughter was so upset. We're going to try to call ahead to make a ressie next time.

Anyway...you should go for it! My daughter is only 4, and I really hope she continues to be interested in the dolls.

 

[scjo68]

Thanks, everyone!
I guess I should call very soon.

Seeking Pixie Dust- When you say 4 hour wait, does that mean you can do something for 4 hours, then come back? You don't have to stay in the salon in line for four hours do you (I hope)?

Robin, my Ds's birthday is May 24th!

This does sound like it would be fun!

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

I have only been to the Chicago location so my experience might be quite different or it may help I don't know. It is pretty expensive to do the things there but It's a lot of fun! I enjoy it as much as my girls!

When we have been on a weekend the store was so packed that you couldn't hardly turn around. I'm talking Christmas eve with a 90% off sale crowd!!! I have never seen a more crowded store in my life! If you planned to do a lot of the activities there then making it a long weekend would be nice. The restaurants fill up weeks or months in advance, and the theaters tend to fill up to.

Last summer we did a week day. It was busy but no where near as busy as the weekends. The restaurants still filled up. I tried for weeks to switch our dinner to a lunch but there was never an opening. So it must have been full for at least a month in advance. I think you could still get into the tea though.

The other activities took a long time. My dd wanted her doll's hair done. We waited 2 1/2 hours for it if my mind serves me right. We didn't have to wait there for the 2 hours, but we did have to keep checking back if we wanted to be there to see it get done. Which was kinda the point of doing it for dd.

We were able to do everything we wanted in one day when we went on a week day.

We have never done a special event or free event but since the all the other events fill up so fast I would assume the special ones would as well. Just my opinion though.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

...I have to say that we enjoy the food there. We really do

 

[Miz Diz]

I live about 20 minutes from the AG store in Atlanta. I took my dd and nieces in December.

Do call as soon as you can for ressies. I made mine at the last minute and they laughed at me for even trying. They told me that they were booked for 6 months. Keep in mind - the store has not been open an entire year yet, so that place is crowded all the time. Turns out, they had a cancellation and I lucked up by getting that.

The store is not huge. It has the hair salon, dolls, cafe. The cafe has the option to sit at the counter and order ice cream. There may be a limited menu for that - not sure, but I was told they don't take ressies for the counter, but it is usually a long wait.

Someone else posted things to do in Atlanta - all of those, except FAO. They closed those several years ago. There is also 2 water parks (Lake Lanier Islands & Whitewater) and six flags.

 

[F1Julie]

I also live near the Atlanta location. DD7 and I went once for dinner. I would not drive 10 hours to go. I don't think I'd drive over an hour to go. The store is crowded and just like looking in the catalogue. The wait for the doll hair salon was over 2 hours (they don't take reservations for that). We had a good time, but it really isn't that big of a deal. If I were going to travel to an AG Place, I'd rather go to NY or Chicago where you can see one of the stage shows.

 

[Miz Diz]

I also live near the Atlanta location. DD7 and I went once for dinner. I would not drive 10 hours to go. I don't think I'd drive over an hour to go. The store is crowded and just like looking in the catalogue. The wait for the doll hair salon was over 2 hours (they don't take reservations for that). We had a good time, but it really isn't that big of a deal. If I were going to travel to an AG Place, I'd rather go to NY or Chicago where you can see one of the stage shows.

ITA.
My neices were 4 hours away and they thought it was worth it, but they were also visiting me.

 

[seeking pixie dust]

The hair line - no you don't have to wait in line that long, but you do have to leave your doll.

 

[lastminutemom]

Hi. I live in the Atlanta area and have also taken my DD to the store in NYC. there is absolutely no comparison and unless you are making the AG store part of a trip that you really want to (as opposed to just visiting the store as part of a bigger trip to ATL), I don't think it is worth the drive. How far are you from Chicago?

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

FYI - the curtain is closing on all stage shows in September. I'm so sad about this, as I wanted to take my older DD for an AG weekend in NYC for her birthday in January. I may still be able to do it this summer.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

FYI - the curtain is closing on all stage shows in September. I'm so sad about this, as I wanted to take my older DD for an AG weekend in NYC for her birthday in January. I may still be able to do it this summer.

Oh my goodness! I hadn't heard that! We were planning on seeing the Christmas show this year. DD just turned 6 this last April and was so excited that she was now old enough to see it. BUMMER!!

We'll have to make a trip to see it before it closes. She has been waiting 2 years to be able to see it.

Thanks for the heads up!!

 

[Elvis33]

I took my 6 yo DD to the Atlanta ( actually Alphretta, north of the city) store in Feb while I was in Atlanta for a business trip. We have been to the AG in NYC, and no, Atlanta does not compare in size, but I have to say, my DD was just as thrilled. She looked at all the displays, watched the videos, touched all the clothes, looked at the other kids dolls and chatted with them. We were there on a weeknight, about 5 pm. No crowds. We waited for 60 min for the doll hair do. There was no wait for the table. I am a picky eater, but I had no complaints about the food either time-it was better than most chain restaurants. Would I drive 10 hours for a girls only AG weekend- Yup- because the anticipation and memory for DD is worth it. She begged me to take her back another day- but I couldn't fit it in. Don't miss the aquarium or the Center for Puppetry Arts. We didn't have time for the CNN studio tour, but many people rave about it.