Streets at Southpoint - Lots of Options for a day inside or out!

Brace yourself, this may be a big one! It's an indoor activity and an outdoor activity - there were great spots and not so great spots - but at the end of the day, Streets at Southpoint in Durham is super kid friendly and has a lot to offer. I cannot wait to visit again and see what else we can find.

PLAY AREA

First, there is a clean, fun little play area (if you enter near Panera Bread and Belk) just inside the doors and about 50 yards down. It's creative, fun and has a play helicopter, lighthouse, boat raft and more - my kids would have played there for hours. But I wanted to check this place out, as it was my first real visit in my six years as a resident of North Carolina. (I hate shopping). The biggest drawback to this place was the nearest bathroom, which was located in the Panera Bread restaurant. It wasn't too bad, but could have been more convenient. Otherwise, we loved it.

POTTERY BARN KIDS



From Pottery Bard Kids store.



Next, we went to Pottery Barn Kids for their "story hour" ... YIKES! No thank you. First of all, I was afraid my kids would break something and we'd have to take out a second mortgage on our home to pay for it. But it was a no frills story hour, with a young girl and a not-so colorful book. After 5 minutes in the store, Ella (2) stood up and gave the sign for all done. My 2-year-old jumped up with her and the crew led us directly out of the store. Best part of the visit was a VERY cool idea for a kids room. We will not go back to that store any time soon.

BARNES & NOBLE

Then we cruised on over and outside to Barnes & Noble to check out the train table. My kids looooove choo trains (grandpop would be so proud). Jordan (3) played at the train table the whole time while Dani (2) marched around, looking at books and throwing them on the floor. They have a very cool stage set up (I'm told it's much like the one at Barnes & Noble in Cary) where they have their own story hour on Friday mornings. I'll have to check that out one day. They had a fantastic selection of pop-up books, science books and learning kits. My kids are a bit too young to fully appreciate them, but it's good to know it's there.

STATUES & FOUNTAINS

In addition to the kid-friendly stores and play areas, there are these great statues placed throughout the mall of kids climbing, playing and walking dogs. It's fantastic! I missed the photo opportunity but caught my 2-year-old holding the hand of a little girl statue that was walking a dog. It was adorable, and the kids had to stop at every one to check them out. The fountains were equally impressive. We made our fare share of wishes in those fountains. I wished for my 3-year-old to nap today. Guess I should have thrown in a nickle or a dime instead of that penny.

FOOD COURT

The food court was great - plenty of kid-friendly foods such as pizza or Chick Fil-A. And they had a set of little tables and chairs for the little kids to sit at in the middle of the food court. Unfortunately, they were flanked by a kiosk selling candy and another selling Haagen Daas Ice Cream treats. So my 2-year-old refused to eat anything and screamed candy and ice cream for a good portion of the lunch break.

The mall is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon-7 p.m. Check out their website for current adult events at http://www.streetsatsouthpoint.com/events.

6910 Fayetteville Road
Durham, North Carolina 27713

HIGHLIGHTS: Lots and lots to do! Very nice mall, clean bathrooms, and very kid friendly from the kid statues and fountains to the kid tables in the food court and lots of story hours, in addition to the play place.

LOW LIGHTS: This is a VERY big, spread out mall and you're not always close to a bathroom, plus kid friendly doesn't always go hand-in-hand with a malls' desire to sell toys, food and candy, so they put the kid-friendly places next to the not-so-mom friendly kid-desired stuff.

COST: It's free, unless you eat at the food court or buy the products sold near the kid activities.