This post was sponsored by the Outlets of Little Rock. As always, thoughts are 100% my own.
Sometimes, I just need to get out of the house and hang out with adults for a while.
This weekend, I did exactly that. On Saturday, a friend/fellow blogger and I made a trip to Little Rock to attend a Spring Social being hosted at The Outlets of Little Rock. It was just what I needed!
The last time I was at the Outlets of Little Rock was for a Hard Hat Tour back in late 2015. We were invited to tour the open air mall before it was open to the public. I could tell even then that it was going to be a cool place to shop and hang out.
Boy, was I right! There was a crowd of people there- meandering in and out of the 50+shops. Some shopping alone. Some with friends. Others with their families.
And it’s no wonder that so many people congregated there. Not only is the open air mall the perfect place to go when it’s nice outside, they also have a lot of great stores. And since it is an outlet mall, the stores boast some great savings!
During the Spring Social, our group was given a tour by Teresa and Bekah from the corporate office. We walked around the shopping center, making stops at some stores for a bit of learning and goodies.
First, we all met up at Starbucks for a meet and greet with other bloggers and the Outlets team. Corey, one of the baristas, told us about that particular Starbucks store (which is decorated with recyclable materials to align with Starbucks’ stance on conservation) and then let us sample their addictive scones (Cranberry Orange, I love you!) along with some Ethiopian coffee.
The scones were delicious (in case you couldn’t tell by my declaration of love) and were the perfect complement to the black coffee. We also were offered a complementary beverage. I was torn between two favorites: the Java Chip Frappuccino and the Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino. I went with the former since I hadn’t had one in a while. It was just as good as I remembered.
We also got to pick out a cake pop. I chose the cute one at the top and brought it home as a treat for my son. He loved it!
After leaving Starbucks, we headed to Tommy Hilfiger to learn a bit about the store and what they have planned for the future. People were excited about the news that they will have a home goods store coming out in 2018.
We got a cute tote bag with swag inside before heading to Le Creuset for a cooking demonstration.
The food was tasty! However, what I loved the most was their cooking wares. I seriously wanted all the things – especially this tea set.
After Le Creseut we stopped by Asics, where I received a gait analysis. A gait analysis can be conducted to determine the way your foot moves when you walk or run. Knowing this information can help you to find the right type of shoe to not only help improve your running, but to help you reduce the risk of injury. Now that I am really trying to start walking several times a week (shooting for at least one mile a day, 4 days a week), that’s exactly what I need.
After Asics, we headed to another shoe store called Corky’s Footwear. They have some cute shoes at great prices. I had my eye on these.
Next up, we sampled jerky at the Beef Jerky Outlet. My favorites were the Cajun Turkey and Honey BBQ Turkey. But they had sooooo many different flavors and a variety of meats. They even had alligator and kangaroo. I wasn’t brave enough to try either of those.
Finally, we headed to Lindt Chocolate Shop. It was perfect. We started off with coffee and ended with chocolate. If only every day went like that!
One of the Lindt chocolatiers (I don’t know if that’s what they call themselves, but that is what I am calling them) let us sample a piece of chocolate to show us how to use all 5 senses to savor it.
And here I was thinking I knew how to savor chocolate. I tell you, when you slow down and actually savorrrrr it, the experience is different. For example, did you know that you shouldn’t chew good chocolate? You should just let it melt in your mouth. Doesn’t that just SOUND better? Just me? Mmkay. Either way, we went home with yummy chocolate that day.
After leaving Lindt, we met up for a little pow wow in the office and then went our separate ways. My friend and I stayed for a while.We stopped by the food court to have a small dinner. And by small, I mean a 2-plate entree at China Max. I like that the Outlets has fun little touches all around, like the giant Tic Tac Toe game that was at the table next to us.
We did a little browsing at a bookstore (because I couldn’t leave without paying a visit there) and a few other clothing stores. My favorite was Torrid. It was my first time there and I wanted to buy everything! I will definitely have to stop by there again. Perhaps this weekend.
Speaking of this weekend, The Outlets of Little Rock will have their Mobile Video Game Station set up at the 2nd Annual Springfest in Little Rock this Friday, April 1st. Christian and I will be there to enjoy the festivities. If you’re in the Little Rock area, you should stop by. It will be on the banks of the Arkansas River from 10am-6pm. If you happen to see us, say hi!
In the meantime, check out The Outlets of Little Rock on Facebook and their website. They have some cool events in the works. Coming up, they have some Easter festivities as well as the First Arkansas Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival. Also, make sure to stop by and do a bit of shopping.
