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In the
May 2009 edition of my
newsletter and
podcast, Time Out For Digging Out,
I wrote about a trip to the Madison Children's Museum Annual
Benefit Sale of American Girl Seconds and Returns. If you have a
daughter who enjoys American Girl dolls and would like to
purchase one for less than what they sell for in the catalog or
store, read on for tips on organizing your own mini-vacation
around the sale.
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By
early May, visit the Madison Children's Museum's Website and
sign up to receive e-mail updates about the Annual Benefit
Sale, including ticket information and a price list when
these items become available.
American Girl Annual Benefit Sale Info
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While
you are visiting the website, check out what's new this year
to make sure there are no surprises (or at least as few as
possible) the day of the sale. When we attended the sale, it
was a two-day event that sold doll furniture and clothing in
addition to American Girl dolls and books. In 2009, the
decision was made to condense the sale into one day and make
only American Girl dolls and books available for purchase
(due to new federal safety requirements for children's
products). For me, the books alone made it worth the trip.
American Girl has terrific
titles about everything from managing money to making
friends. Most sold for 70 percent off the cover price,
making them great gifts for birthday parties or at Christmas
time.
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Make
your hotel reservation early if you will be coming into town
the night before.
The
Children's Museum has negotiated a discounted rate for
Annual Benefit Sale shoppers at several hotels in the area.
The year we went to the sale, we chose to stay at the
Holiday Inn located on 1109 Fourier Drive in Madison
because it was the only hotel in the area with an indoor
water park. Note: Although it is not a large water park and
much of the space is dedicated to small children, my seven
and nine-year-old daughters really enjoyed the water slide.
Hotels in the Area with a Discounted Rate for Annual Benefit
Shoppers
The Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites with the Crawdaddy Cove Water
Park
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Bring
your own bags to the sale.
The
Children's Museum does not provide bags and strollers are
not allowed into the warehouse. A lot of women brought the
blue and yellow bags that IKEA uses for their shoppers (you
can buy them at the check out of any IKEA store).
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Plan
other fun things to do to make the trip a worthwhile
adventure.
Our of
our favorite stops during our trip to Wisconsin was a tour
of Cave of the Mounds, located about twenty minutes
southwest of Madison. After our tour, we drove to Mount
Horeb to see the trolls carved out of wood that were
strategically placed along the town's main street. If we had
more time, we also would have stopped at the Circus World
Museum (which we passed on our way back to Madison).
Cave of the Mounds
Circus World
Map of the Trolls and Other Attractions in Mount Horeb
Although
several changes have been made to the American Girl Sale to make
it less of a good deal for people traveling from long distances,
the trip is worth it if you have children between the ages of
five and nine and want to make it a fun and inexpensive
mini-vacation for your family.
______________________________
Visit Julie's website DiggingOutTogether.com
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