We didn't see very much of the Grove as The American Girl Doll Place is the first store you see if you come in on Gilmore Lane. We spent the better part of the afternoon shopping there! However we did surface and had a nice outdoor lunch at Marmalade directly across the street. We spied the free Grove Trolley that goes along First Street between The Grove and Farmer's Market but didn't hop on. There are so many great shops here you could window shop (or shop for real) for hours. The outdoor plaza atmosphere is really nice. There is a Kids Club with regular events so it pays to check the web site before you go.

Your teen/tween may appreciate high caliber stores here like BCBG, Bloomingdales, Burberry, Coach, Diesel, Gucci and even Jimmy Choo but I am not sure your wallet will! My 10 year old and I enjoyed window shopping and purchasing a few things at stores like H&M. We live in an area that doesn't offer much in the way of shopping at all so this was a real treat for us. In terms of family friendly there are a handful of "kids retail stores" but really how kid-friendly is shopping?

Magnolia is all that and more when it comes to a cupcake shop. If you have a little sweet tooth, or are one yourself, caution before entering! This place is one big sugar high! The cupcakes are gorgeous, but not cheep. Classics (Vanilla/Chocolate) start at $3/each. There are daily specials like s'mores, the sno-cap, the flour-less chocolate cupcake with vanilla bean and meringue butter cream frosting and the list goes on! It is best to check the web site or call ahead to see what will be on the menu that day.

The shop itself is cute and designed like an old fashioned soda shop. Stay and have yours there or take an egg carton of a dozen to go!

Eat here for breakfast, lunch or dinner! The menu is HUGE! Smack in the middle of the chic West Third Shopping District is the perfect pit-stop for hungry kids and their parents. With home cooked items like the "afterschool special" (grilled cheese & tomato soup), beefy mac & cheese, pizzas, and Grandma Rose's Rainy Day Special (tuna melt & chicken noodle soup) bellies will be full. Make sure to leave room for their famous single serving Red Velvet Cakes!

We don't live in a state where there is an American Girl Doll Store. This year I decided to treat my daughter to a really special birthday gift-- a stay at The Orlando Hotel on W. 3rd, just 10 blocks from the American Girl Doll Store. There, they offer an "American Girl Doll Package".

From the moment we stepped into the store, my daughter’s eyes were as wide as saucers. I wasn’t sure we would even make it past the first section! She perused every nook and cranny of the store, carefully looking over everything she had circled in the catalog before we had arrived. After spending several hours in the store she settled on her purchases.

Then she made an appointment to have her American Girl Dolls hair done. There is the cutest hair salon on the first floor. $10 for short hair styles and $20 for long. We left the girls, grabbed a bite to eat across the street and then came back to watch them be styled.

I had also signed her up for a specialty class that was being held that afternoon in the upstairs cafe - Haunted Gingerbread Houses ($40/child). This was great. Parents are not invited, it is a drop off and dinner was included. They started by decorating their own chef hat donning aprons before entering the room. Girls could bring their own dolls or borrow one if they forgot theirs. After an 1 & 1/2 you could come back to pick up your child and their project.

We have been to the American Girl Doll store in NYC several times and I have to say that we enjoyed this one so much better. The pace, staff and store as a whole was a lot less frenetic making the entire shopping experience so much more enjoyable.