Today is not only the celebration of the New Year (Happy 2017 Everyone!) but did you know it was Melody Ellison’s , American Girl’s latest BeForever doll, birthday?! 

Melody Ellison made her debut back in August and our friends at American Girl sent our #outandaboutAva one to review. She immediately loved the doll’s outfit (a bright A-line dress,headband for hair, socks plus shiny-blue patent shoes) and enjoyed learning that the BeForever character from 1964 loves music just like she does! It was like love at first sight when she noticed the doll has deep-brown eyes and skin “just like me”!

In the book, No Ordinary Sound,  Melody’s story unfolds..she grew up in Detroit during the Civil Rights Movement and, while facing many challenges, she wants to help change her world for the better. It is a very inspiring story based on true historical accuracy and authenticity based on the input of esteemed educators and historians.

Fairness, equality, hope, harmony..those are just some of the important messages that every reader shall take away from Melody Ellison’s story. Her courage is something to celebrate. So when I learned the character’s birthday was New Year’s Day, I decided to make the holidays magical by planning a visit to the American Girl Store in Charlotte, NC for my daughter and her doll to enjoy a signature dining experience. Every birthday girl needs a birthday dress, so we dressed Melody in her Christmas outfit and we were on our way!

Located at SouthPark Mall, the American Girl store offers festive dining in the Bistro. This is every girl’s dream to get all dolled up and go dining with their doll! Reservations are highly recommended as this is a popular experience and seating at this location sits only 25 with a special party room for birthday groups up to 12 people.We got seated at a beautifully decorated table where Melody had her own special dining chair. How darling!

We were promptly greeted and asked our drink order. Sprite, Pink Lemonade, and Sweet Tea were the drinks of the day for us 3. And for Melody, her own little saucer and drink..what a nice surprise! While we waited for our food, we enjoyed the conversation starters game that was available on the table to play.

Their menu is very unique because they encourage you to “design how you dine”. You can order dessert prior to an entree or vice versa. Do not think though that because the menu is kid friendly that quality suffers. That is not the case. Everything was top notch, great tasting food. I especially enjoyed my spinach salad with grilled chicken and warm bacon dressing. 

Our wonderful bistro experience ended with a DIY cupcake.Two plain cupcakes {one reg size and one Melody sized} with all the cupcake topping ingredients on the side. My daughter basically custom made her own cupcake. Spreading the amount of icing and sprinkles as she saw fit {which was almost all of it !}.It was like a dessert science project that you can eat ! Hubby and I shared the dessert sampler, which included warm cookies and brownie bites. We presented Melody, the birthday girl, with her own cupcake and candle and lifted our voices to sing Happy Birthday! See video here.

What wonderful memories made and a great experience to share with any lityle loved ones in your family! Next time you want to celebrate any special occasion or just have a nice lunch or dinner date, definitely plan a visit to the American Girl store and dine at the Bistro.