Girls day out in NYC - American girl place? other?

amother

Orchid

Mon, May 30 2016, 2:12 am

we both have off for Memorial Day and I want to spend special time with 6 year old DD.
She loves looking at American Girl catalogs and I hear the store is an experience, but is it an experience for someone who does not have an AG doll and does not plan on spending any money? (she does have a bitty baby but hasn't been into it in a while.)

fao schwartz used to be the perfect place to chill with things to look at and play with but it closed. What's left?

I don't want to spend money if possible.

amother

Orchid

Mon, May 30 2016, 2:53 am

really? fao was really classy. I haven't been to the big toys r us but the others are just really big toy stores where kids ask for everything. then there's the ferris wheel which you need to pay to ride and I hear it always has long lines.

amother

Ruby

Mon, May 30 2016, 3:05 am

Its not like the regular ones....they have a roaring dinasoar, lego sculptures and a section you can play with lego's, a barbie section in a barbie doll house, a cabbage patch section......

etky

Mon, May 30 2016, 3:21 am

I was there a couple of years ago with my girls.
One was way past the American Girl stage and the other just so.
They (me too embarrassed

) were enthralled by the store but alot of it was nostalgia and also curiosity regarding which dolls had been retired and who had taken their place.
My girls had read just about every book about every doll when they were younger and are really familiar with all the American Girl characters.
It was also just fun to see all the new accessories and the new story lines about the new dolls.
We didn't buy anything but then my girls are much older and past the stage.
For us it really was just entertainment.
I imagine it would be difficult not to spend if your six year old falls in love with a specific doll or accessory. Everything is so appealing (and expensive) there.
Also, a six year old is probably not deeply acquainted with all the story lines and historical periods. I wonder how much she would get out of that aspect.
It might just be the commercial aspect that appeals to her and then you will have a very hard time not buying anything.

amother

Blue

Mon, May 30 2016, 8:10 am

Toys r us is closed.
I would never take a 6 year old to the american girl store and not buy anything. That's just cruel. If you don't want to spend money go to a museum or park.

amother

Orchid

Thu, Jun 02 2016, 1:05 am

Thanks for the input. I wasn't sure if the doll place was like a "toy museum" the way fao schwartz was, or more of a store. We ended up going to a museum together and had a great day!

amother

Khaki

Thu, Jun 02 2016, 10:00 am

American girl store is a lot of fun for little kids but really mean and kind of like a tease not to buy anything.

You can go once and just buy a doll when its 30 off and then take her to the store and say let her just buy an outfit. You can get an outfit for $18 and that would probably be the same price as the cost of ticket entrances to a museum for you, dd, and dh.

Many times American girl dolls go on sale buy one then and then go to the store.

Also if you have a doll then you can just take her one day to the salon to do her dolls hair or order in kosher food and eat at the cafe there and there is a seat for the doll.

But the stores main focus is to get people to shop there and buy not a place to hang out for the day with your child for free if thst was the case they would charge an entrance fee.