Our family has never been big birthday party people. And by our family, I mean my husband and I do not have the energy to have 20 screaming kids running around our house or the financial means for a birthday party venue. We tend to give our kids experiences…with a friend.
This year for my daughter’s birthday we decided to go to tea at the American Girl Bistro at Florida Mall with a few of her friends. I took 3 third grade girls dressed to the nines and accompanied by their dolls on an adventure and here are 5 things we learned about tea time at American Girl Bistro.
1. Tea is Only Offered at Certain Times
One thing that made this a little difficult is that Tea is only offered during the week between the hours of 2 and 4:30pm. Thankfully, we had the MLK holiday coming up soon after her birthday and her friends did not have prior plans.
2. There is a Set Menu for Tea
One of the things that I love about tea is that there is a set menu. No hemming and hawing over certain sandwiches or treats. With the exception of allergy concerns, everyone gets the same thing. It looks like only a small amount of food since everything is little girl/doll sized, but once you are done, you are filled up.
3. Don’t like Hot Tea? No Problem!
If you, or someone in your party, is not a fan of tea they have the option of a delicious hot cocoa topped with a hearty amount of whipped cream and heart sprinkles. In fact, I was the only one of our group to have tea and the girls loved their fancy hot cocoas. Bonus: Without asking, we all received a glass of water.
4. The Treats Don’t Come Out Until After the Food
While the girls were all wow’d by the 3 tiers of tiny burgers, sandwiches and muffins that came to our table…they kept looking for the treats that they had seen on the menu. At American Girl, our individual treat plates did not come out until after we had finished our tea sandwiches. I love this because then the “good stuff” didn’t get skipped over for sweets.
5. There Are Freebies!
Who doesn’t love freebies?! Since we had brought 3 dolls to tea they were each placed in their own highchair-like seat and set up with a place setting (place mat, cup and plate) that they were allowed to keep so they could have a tea party again another day! There were also hair ties holding the napkins together that had an American Girl bow on them that we got to take home. Such wonderful bonuses!!
A Birthday to Remember
After our tea and window shopping the girls all declared that this was the best day and that they had so much fun. Having tea at the American Girl Bistro at The Florida Mall was a perfect birthday celebration when you want to keep things low-key, and at $13.50 per person it was a reasonable way to have an American Girl treat without breaking the bank.
Does your family do big birthday parties, or do you opt for more intimate events? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!!
