Oh, how I love Sawgrass Mills (www.sawgrassmills.com). Definitely my favorite place in all of South Florida since it's a city almost onto itself which keeps growing and growing. I've easily spent eight hours at Sawgrass -- and only left because the mall was closing. To get there from Ft Lauderdale (downtown), take 595 all the west to 75 and head up 75 north to Sunrise Blvd.

Besides the best outlet stores you'll ever find, there are more restaurants than you can count -- including Cheesecake Factory and Rainforest Cafe -- good choices for the little ones. Just note that Cheesecake Factory does NOT have a kid's menu (something which surprised me when I went with my daughter). There are also two food courts at both ends of the mall -- which have a variety of foods from pizza (Sbarro) to Miami Subs, Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, Cajun Grill and on and on.

So, where can you shop for kids? My favorites are Children's Place (where I've gotten dresses for $4!), Gap Kids and Carter's (which has great sales). There's also an Osh Kosh B'Gosh and kid's clothes and toys available at TJ Maxx, Marshall's and Burlington Coat Factory. And just looking in Toyworks or KB Toys can provide entertainment.

There's a playground near the Target end of the mall for the little kids, and a Muggsy Meadows Kids Club you can sign up for. There's also an enormous movie theater on the outside of the mall.

The biggest attraction for kids is Wannado City, where kids can do what they want to do. Kids can pretend to be anything from a firefighter to a circus clown. Yeah, it's expensive, but isn't your little one worth it?

There's tons of parking although you'd be surprised how quickly the closer spots are taken. I always go early so I don't have to fight the crowds. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is to go to the mall before it has opened, get in some exercise with the stroller, and then get to the stores when they just open -- before anything is crowded. When my daughter was a baby, I met friends at the mall before it opened to get some stroller exercise in -- there's also an organized Stroller Strides class which takes place at the mall. And I hoped and prayed that all the walking would put the baby to sleep.

Parking is organized by color and animal given the size of Sawgrass. And the mall actually tells you which entrance you're coming into -- both in English and Spanish -- so you'll be reminded of where you parked!

Sawgrass Mills is a haven for tourists so be prepared to be bombarded by hundreds of people and hundreds of languages. As I mentioned earlier, Sawgrass is really like visiting a country onto itself -- a refuge for shopping and fun that shouldn't be missed.

Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall is billed as the largest Outlet Mall in the world. We spent about six hours there and did not cover half the Mall. The mall is being remodeled now, so there were roped off sections and places where the floors were being redone. Many, if not all the major retailers have stores in this mall. Some of the prices were no better than in their retail stores. We did, however find a few bargains. What can I say — it is a BIG mall.

This place has something for everybody. Let the shoppers shop till they drop. Or you can probably find a good deal on that one thing you're looking for. It's big enough that you'll get your exercise just walking around the place. There's a movie theater, too.

And there are several restaurants -- we recommend The Cheesecake Factory. Make sure you save room for cheesecake (remember you can take half of your entree back for tomorrow's lunch since you have a kitchen!). The Jamaican black pepper shrimp is a very tasty entree.

We also ate at the Rainforest Cafe, which is neat, especially for kids, with big aquariums and moving animal sculptures.

This was a great outlet mall that has every type of shopping that you could want at great prices. I purchased another pair of Rockport shoes at the Rockport Outlet. I did not need another pair, but the $80 shoes that I buy in the DC area were there for $30. Great food and good indoor and outdoor walkways to shop in. On a nice day, shop in the outdoor walkways and feel the nice sun on your body. On bad days, you can go inside and be protected. This place is very large - I read it is the largest outlet mall in North America.

Sawgrass Mills says they are the largest outlet mall in the world and I believe it. They have 5 buildings with stores from clothing to electronics, plus movie theaters, restaurants, etc. It is huge and you need your walking shoes (and hours) just to cover it. Some of the stores are inexpensive while others are like any other mall stores, but it is quite interesting to visit regardless.