American Girl Chicago: A St. Louisan’s Guide to the Luxury Doll Store
Joshua also contributed to this post.
As both a native St. Louisan and an avid doll collector, I’ll always mourn the St. Louis American Girl Doll store. Located in the now demolished Chesterfield Mall, it was always a treat to visit, whether it was a day I purchased a doll, ate at the bistro, or just browsed. It was a smaller AG store, but it had a very cute, quaint feel to it. I still distinctly remember where all the different product lines were located.
Alas, the store only lasted 7 years, opening in 2012, and saying goodbye in early 2018 due to issues related to the mall. The next closest store, a smaller location with no bistro in Kansas City, closed in mid-2019.
So where does the St. Louis American Girl fan go? As of 2025, the closest AG stores to STL are located in Nashville or Chicago. While the Nashville store is easier to get to, it’s a little farther away and is also much smaller.
Chicago, on the other hand, is one of three AG flagship stores in America, alongside New York and Los Angeles. The Chicago store is by far the most iconic of the three, and it is considered by many fans to be the best American Girl location in the United States. As someone who has visited this location four times, I can tell you it’s well worth the visit if you’re into AG.
Getting There
American Girl Place Chicago (Google Maps link) is located in a two-story store inside Water Tower Place along North Michigan Avenue, also known the Magnificent Mile. By car, it’s roughly 300 miles (4 1/2 hours) from St. Louis to the store in the heart of downtown Chicago. The straightest path is to take I-55 north from St. Louis straight into Chicago, then go north on du Sable Lake Shore Drive (U.S. 41) for a few miles before turning left on East Chicago Avenue, and then a right onto North Michigan Avenue. Water Tower Place will be on your right.
We can tell you from experience that driving into downtown Chicago is not for the faint of heart. Traffic is much heavier than St. Louis, and the drivers are more unforgiving. You stand a good chance of being honked at by one or more fellow drivers if you take too long to make a turn, and even if you don’t. We’ve seen it, and we’ve experienced it.
Alternatively, you can get there by way of Chicago’s many public and private transit options. You can, for example, park and take Metra in from the Chicago suburbs, or you can park and take the South Shore Line in from Indiana, something we’ve done. These options will drop you off at Millennium Station, about a mile south of the store.
If you want to skip driving entirely, Amtrak will take you from one of its St. Louis stations and drop you off at Union Station in Chicago. Union Station is about two miles on foot from American Girl. You could also walk east a half mile from Union Station and pick up The Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) “L” Red Line at Jackson and take it north to the Chicago Avenue exit.
There are a host of other ways to get there, too, from buses to Uber / Lyft to taxis, to even flying from Lambert into Midway or O’Hare if you really felt like it. And none of that even includes staying overnight, which you will likely want to do given the distance. Keep in mind that each paid option has its own details, prices, and ways of paying, so you’ll want to research that carefully before going.
Parking
Assuming you decide to drive there, you can find parking in Water Tower Place itself. If you turn right off of North Michigan Avenue onto East Pearson Street, you’ll find yourself on a one-way road. The entrance to the garage under Water Tower Place is on your left. Exiting the garage will drop you onto East Chestnut Street north of the complex. It costs a fair amount to park there, and you can see the current rates here.
Hours of Operation
The store’s hours vary depending on the day of the week and the time of year. The store typically opens between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., and closes between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturdays tend to have the longest hours of the week.
The cafe operates under its own hours, which also vary. It typically opens between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and it can close as early as 1:30 p.m. or as late as 4:30 p.m. In addition, there are days the cafe is closed, especially on weekdays outside of the summer.
In all cases, you’ll want to check the AG calendar for the store hours — and, if needed, the cafe hours — of your chosen date before visiting. You can find that calendar on the store website.
Water Tower Place
American Girl is one of many businesses in Water Tower Place, including other shopping and dining options. If some people in your party aren’t big on dolls, for instance, they can drop by the LEGO Store just off the AG exit on the second floor.
Overview of American Girl Chicago
American Girl in Chicago is truly breathtaking in person. Spanning two stories, AG Chicago offers as many amenities as any American Girl store. I’d recommend entering on the first floor from outside the mall, as it’s a spectacular view that way.
The first floor is impressive, with high ceilings and pillars adorned with intricate details. This is where the historical dolls are located, along with a small Truly Me — these are lookalike dolls — section in the back. This is also the area where there are the most opportunities for photo-ops, with life size doll boxes and the iconic American Girl logo.
The second floor houses most of the Truly Me and Girl of the Year lines, though historical pieces are scattered here and there. The displays rotate: you never know what you might find there.
The second floor also offers a number of major experiences, including doll ear piercings, doll hair styling, and doll manicures. You can get doll hearing aid installments here, and there’s a care center where you pay for your doll to essentially go into surgery if they’ve been loved a little too much, offering everything from cleaning to limb replacements.
Doll owners can get some services, too. At Avenue AG, a small hallway decked out like a market, girls can get their ears pierced. Girls can also get their nails manicured alongside their dolls. There are kiosks here where you can purchase small snacks, or, if you prefer, there’s a full cafe along the back of the second floor. We’ll have a lot more to say about the cafe later.
Additionally, with AG’s Create Your Own dolls, there’s a station on the second floor where you can create a custom doll from the store and have it shipped to your home. You can do this at home through AG’s website, but this is just a more fun way to experience the customization process. We’ll get into the specifics of some of these services and talk about what I’ve learned from experience.
Side note: Chicago isn’t the only AG store to offer these amenities, so even if you are visiting a different AG location, this piece may still be helpful. Some things, like the cafe menu, may vary from store to store.
Store Customs
If you’ve never been to AG before, there are some things you might want to know.
For example, bringing your own doll from home is actually encouraged! They don’t really advertise this, but even if you’re just coming to browse, it’s common to see people of all ages bring their AG dolls with them around the store. If you don’t have an AG doll, bringing other 18-inch dolls like Our Generation, My Life As, or Disney ILY dolls is still acceptable.
If you plan on doing other things around Chicago that day, I’d recommend investing in a doll carrier. Lots of brands sell these, but in my experience the AG one is superior. It fits kids to adults, is sturdy, and is a super cute way to display your doll without having to carry her. As you would expect, the store has plenty of these carriers for sale.
Every store may be different, but in Chicago, casual dress is fine, regardless of what you’re doing in the store. That includes the cafe.
It’s also worth mentioning the displays. AG is a master of beautiful displays in its stores. Obviously, if something is in a glass case, you can’t touch it. However, you are welcome to touch any dolls, items, or accessories on display that aren’t in a case. If a doll is attached to a stand, don’t take her off of the stand, but you can pick her up, play with her hair, etc. Additionally, if you brought a doll from home, you’re welcome to place her in any of the displays for cute photos.
The Cafe
The cafe in Chicago is much larger than the old bistro in St. Louis, although it offers a similar experience. Your doll gets to borrow a “treat seat” during her visit, a chair that attaches to your table. Your doll also gets a teacup and plate to take home, as well as a hair tie that functions as your napkin holder when you first arrive. Don’t have an American Girl doll? There are shelves on both sides of the cafe entrance where you can choose a doll to borrow during your cafe visit.
You can visit the cafe for a meal or for tea. You can find current prices and make reservations on the AG Chicago website.
To book tea, the cost is $45 per person. There is also a $50 non-refundable deposit that is applied to your bill at the end. Tea consists of a plethora of different bite-size treats, set up as a kind of three-course experience. You also get a craft activity.
For standard dining, the cost is $30 per person, with a $50 non-refundable deposit that is applied toward your total at the end. It’s a four-course meal, consisting of 1) cinnamon buns, 2) an appetizer tower, 3) a main course of your choice, and 4) dessert. The appetizer and main course offerings will differ based on the day of the week, as the cafe offers all-day brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
A note about drinks before we get into food: a beverage is included with your meal, which includes pink lemonade, juice, soft drinks, milk, tea, and coffee. In addition, you can pay extra to get glitter bombs, edible straws, or a souvenir cup. You can also upgrade to Kit’s Old-Fashioned Cherry Soda, which is basically a Shirley Temple, and a really good one, I might add. There are milkshakes and — for the adults — alcoholic beverages you can purchase for an additional charge.
Let’s talk courses. There are three courses: appetizers, a main course, and dessert.
Before the first course, your server will bring out Warm Welcome Cinnamon Buns. These are, to be honest, the weakest part of the meal. They taste okay, but they’re a little hard and dry. At least they’re complimentary.
That brings us to the first course. The appetizer tower is forever changing, but there’s always something for everyone, from cucumbers and hummus to ravioli with marinara sauce. On weekends, you might see breakfast items like mini-muffins or egg bites.
The main courses offer the same variety. There are kids’ favorites like chicken tenders and mac and cheese, as well as unique salads and their newest edition, chicken pesto pasta. (The menu also includes a surprisingly good burger and fries.) On brunch days, you can either get lunch foods or get breakfast items like scrambled eggs or pancakes.
Dessert is typically a chocolate mousse in a “flowerpot,” which may or may not have other garnishes such as artificial flowers.
There are additional desserts you can purchase for extra cost, but I’m always stuffed, so don’t count on having room to indulge in any more.
One more note: it’s not advertised, but if you tell your server that it’s your birthday, they’ll give you birthday stickers for you and your doll, and they will put a candle in your dessert and sing happy birthday to you. It’s not as grand as a cake, but it’s still super cute.
Parties
You can reserve party packages at a variety of price points. The cheapest just gets you a drink, cake, and goody bag, but you can upgrade to a full meal, or to a private party room that includes additional activities. All packages come with digital invitations.
Salon
AG doesn’t skimp on experiences, so if the cafe wasn’t enough, there’s also a full salon for girls and dolls. Only the three flagship stores offer pampering for girls, so this is more specific to Chicago. Services offered include.
- Girl and doll hairstyle of the month (exclusive styling)
- Girl and doll hairstyling
- Girl and doll manicures
- Girl and doll ear piercing
- Girl and doll birthday style packages (hairstyling with crowns and goody bags)
- Doll hearing aids
- Doll spa and pampering packages (doll cleaning)
- Pet and horse pampering (cleaning and styling)
Whether the salon is worth it will depend on your skill level and interests. I think a lot of the hairstyles can be replicated at home if you have some skill with hairstyling. The spa / pampering packages just use baking soda and water to form a scrub, which again can be done at home for a fraction of the cost. With these, you’re paying more for the experience than for an expert service.
The services I do like are the hearing aids and ear piercings, since those can’t be easily DIYed. I’d recommend making reservations for any hairstyling or manicures, but doll ear piercings and hearing aid installments will frequently take walk-ins, as it only takes a few minutes.
Personal Shopping
If you want your day extra special, you can reserve free personal shoppers. Limited to groups of four or less, they’ll hold your items and give you more info on the characters and other experiences. They’re great for anyone new to AG.
Additionally, there’s a newer personal shopping experience called Styled by You, which doesn’t require reservations, and is described as a step-by-step process. You choose a doll, outfit, and accessories as a sort of AG starter pack. But this service has its limitations: you can only choose from a selection of Truly Me dolls, and it isn’t whatever outfits or accessories you want, they are curated pieces that you can view on the Styled by You tab on their website. You also get a doll carrier and a selfie to commemorate the day. There’s no set price; you just pay whatever all your items add up to. It’s fun and unique, and again, it’s great for anyone new the the American Girl fandom. I personally won’t use it because I want the freedom to roam the whole store, but it’s up to personal preference.
Doll Care Center
Formerly the Doll Hospital, the Doll Care Center provides repairs to damaged or worn dolls. The cheapest package is just a cleaning, eye replacement, and limb tightening, but you can pay more to have limb replacements done as well. In Chicago, you can talk to “doll doctors” about how to care for your doll. You can also send your doll into the hospital, and she’ll be delivered to your home once she’s done. There are interactive kiosks set up around the area for customers to perform “check-ups” on their dolls, and it seems to be a hit, especially with younger kids. The doll hospital accepts 18” American Girl dolls, WellieWishers, and Bitty Babies.
Other Considerations
I haven’t said it outright, but American Girl is … expensive, so if you plan on eating there and going on a shopping spree, make sure to set the budget accordingly.
Additionally, fans have reported AG quality control issues in recent years, especially with the dolls’ faces. Being in the store gives you the advantage of being able to check things like the face before purchase. Don’t forget.
My favorite time to go to American Girl in Chicago is during the winter holidays because 1) everything is decked out for Christmas, and 2) AG usually does an end-of-the-year sale, and there’s a whole section on the first floor with dolls and accessories on clearance, sometimes even the holiday collector dolls if you show up a few days after Christmas. The only downside is that everyone has the same idea, so be prepared for bigger crowds.
Closing Thoughts
American Girl is an iconic franchise going back decades. While it’s aimed at kids, I believe adults can enjoy all of these experiences as much as kids can. Plenty of collectors and influencers have come to AG to shop and dine, and no one will bat an eye at it. It’s such a unique experience, and whether AG was a part of your childhood, or if you hope to introduce a new generation to the iconic dolls, this location is the best place to start.
