I bet you've been to Northpark Center (or what the actual world calls "Northpark Mall" or simply "Northpark"), but you may not be maximizing all it has to offer for parents. Whether you have an hour to kill or a full day, Northpark is that reliable friend you can always count on. Unless you can't find parking, in which case bite the bullet and get your car washed on the ground floor of the Nordstrom parking garage. They will park your car for you and wash it while you're inside. It's multi-tasking at its finest. Or you can valet outside of Maggiano's or Neiman Marcus.
Northpark is extremely stroller-friendly with its wide walkways, elevators, and glorious air conditioning. There are restrooms in all four big department stores — Nordstrom, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Dillard’s — and family restrooms across from Breadwinner's/Bookmarks on level one and near Auntie Anne’s Pretzels on level two.
The seasonal events at Northpark warrant their own blog post. Look for that in November 2021. Here is a sample of the special events: the Trains at NorthPark, several options to see Santa, puppet shows, special performances, make your own gingerbread house, and so on.
Here’s a sample itinerary for a typical day at NorthPark:
Visit Bookmarks, a branch of the Dallas Public Library. Bookmarks offers story time, musicians, creative projects, interactive events, computers for kids, coloring books, and other activities.
Stop by the pond with ducks and turtles outside of Neiman Marcus. No kid can resist the makeshift slide. If you know, you know.
Stop by the big fountain outside of Dillards.
Grab a snack from the food court and take it to the big grassy lawn outside of Breadwinners where kids run free.
Check out the performances (dancers or pianists) and balloon artists near the food court and AMC, on level one.
Visit the LEGO store, near H&M.
See a movie at AMC theaters.
Treat your kid (and yourself) to the many cookie, ice cream, and popcorn options, including Paciugo, Great American Cookies, Mrs. Fields' Cookies, See's Candies, and Uptown Popcorn.
Shop the full corridor of kids clothing stores, including H&M, Janie and Jack, Vineyard Vines, J. Crew crewcuts, and Lilly Pulitzer.
The best places for diaper changes and private nursing are: (1) the women's restroom in Nordstrom (2nd floor) has a separate lounge with couches inside the restroom, (2) the family restroom near Auntie Anne's pretzels, and (3) the restrooms near Breadwinner's/Bookmarks.
