Osceola does more than outdoor recreation and wide open spaces. If you’ve caught the shopping bug, look no further than The Loop. With a movie theater, multiple department stores and cute little boutiques, not to mention a plethora of eateries, this outdoor mall (yes, outdoor; it’s still Osceola County) is the place to be.
The Loop is so vast, it’s made out of east and west sides. You could definitely spend the entire day here, if your wallet can stand it. I like coming here because I can almost always find what I’m looking for and it fits my needs whether I’m looking for a romantic-dinner-and-a-movie date night with the hubby or lunch and window shopping with my mom.
Plus, it has a Kohl’s! I love Kohl’s and before I moved here last March, The Loop’s Kohl’s was my first experience with this awesome department store. Sorry, I got sidetracked.
Tonight’s adventure: dinner with the family, browsing the bookstore and searching for a replacement pair of sunglasses (my other ones, which I loved, were an unfortunate casualty at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Saturday).
We went budget (and toddler) friendly tonight with Wendy’s but that wasn’t my first choice. I wanted either Panera Bread (love the Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich) or BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse (yes, they do make their own beer). Unfortunately, my kid is a picky eater so we sometimes have to follow his choice.
After dinner, we checked out The Loop West, home to Books-a-Million, Babies R Us, JC Penney’s and several smaller boutiques. I also looked longingly at BJ’s but since I was stuffed, that wasn’t going to happen. Next time, next time.
I’m an avid reader and although I own an electronic book reader, nothing beats holding a real book or heading to the bookstore to browse. I always find something new. My son enjoys the kiddie section, of course, which also includes toys. We had to play with the collection of silly hats. My son makes a very cute court jester!
After the bookstore, we went to Tilly’s, kind of an alternative clothing shop with skateboard brand clothes and really cute jewelry and purses. I checked out the sunglasses but I guess today wasn’t my day because none of them looked good on me or they had too many rhinestones. I’m a little simpler, less frilly.
Anyhow, I did see something I loved and had to have. Since my grandmother passed away nearly six years ago, I have seen owl-themed clothing, jewelry and patterns everywhere. This is significant because my grandmother collected owl décor. I keep looking for something owl-themed that I actually like (the only thing I’ve bought was my son’s going-home outfit for the hospital when he was born that had a little owl on the front). When I saw this necklace, I knew I needed to wear it.
And that was my treasure from tonight’s shopping adventure. Sure, it wasn’t what I went there with but I love it just the same.
I definitely encourage you to check out The Loop. If you do end up spending the day there and you have the kiddies, there is a small, fenced-in playground located by TJ Maxx in The Loop West. It has nice shade, a few tables and a little bit of room for the kids to run their shopping frustrations out.
The Loop is located on the corner of Osceola Parkway and John Young Parkway.
Blogger Malise Terrell will visit Kissimmee next week! Want to share your Kissimmee story? 
