A Little Shopping and Lunch in Clinton

PLEASE NOTE: This post was written in 2012 and although it should still give you a good overview of the experience, it may also contain some outdated information. Be sure to check their websites (Clinton Premium Outlets; Lobster Landing) for the latest destination details.

---

2012 Post

My husband never asks to go shopping.  He HATES shopping.  I will just pick up some clothes for him every once in a while and he seems happy.

So when he asked me to go with him to Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets, I was a little surprised.  Turns out there is an Adidas outlet there and he was in the market for some new kicks.

So a family outing was organized and we planned a day in Clinton, Connecticut.

I had been to the Clinton Outlets before and loved spending the day there browsing through all the stores (especially Banana Republic!), but I knew this trip was going to be very different from my previous trips for two reasons (1) the two toddlers in tow and (2) my husband’s need for shoes and short attention span when it comes to shopping.  I needed to prepare myself that this trip was just going to be about the shoes and hopefully gathering some information for a blog post 🙂

We arrived in the morning and found a parking spot.  The lot wasn’t too crowded so we did not have to walk a long way to get to the shops.  I know on some days, though, this place is packed and it becomes a bit of a hike from your parking space to the stores.  If you have little ones, I definitely recommend bringing a stroller on this trip!

I knew our first stop was going to be the Management Office and I vaguely remembered where it was located.  I needed to double-check on the map.

Why did I need to head to the Management Office you may be asking?

Well, if you are a frugal girl like I am, the Management Office is where you can pick up the coupons for your trip.  They have several free coupons you can just pick up (like 15% off at Brooks Brothers) and there is also a VIP coupon book that you can purchase for $5.

We knew we would be purchasing a few pairs of shoes from Adidas, so I just needed to check and see if there was an Adidas coupon in the book.  There was.  $20 off a purchase of $100.  Given we would be spending at least $100, it made sense to get the book.  Plus there was a coupon for Banana Republic and I knew I would be back to use that one!

I did realize later that if you sign up for the VIP program offered by the Premium Outlets, you can get the coupon book for free.  So, before you come, sign up for the program here, print out the voucher and bring it to the Management Office for your coupon book.

Outside the Management Offices were strollers available for rent.  The strollers are $6 for a double and $2 for a single.  They will also need a copy of a credit card and you must fill out a form for the daily rental.

Lastly, I scoped out the restrooms.  They were very large and had a huge area that could be used for baby changing.  I only visited two restrooms while I was there, but it was a similar setup in both.

Oh and I really wanted to try out these massage chairs, but there was just no time.  Boo!

Back outside, we saw a sample of the kids activities that are peppered throughout the shopping venue.  Lots of ride on toys and candy machines.  I was actually thinking that this stuff may drive me crazy because when my kids are a bit older, won’t they just whine and tell me they want to ride every ride and buy every piece of candy?  But I guess on a more positive note, these items may be a good place for a kid break when they need it.

We also browsed some of the food options available in the shopping area.  There are two food venues listed on the Outlet’s website, but I saw a third venue as well.

When we entered from the parking lot, near Coach, we saw a food venue called the Patio Grill.

We also passed by Nosh which is located near Polo.

I didn’t get to stop by the third venue, the Bristol Cafe, but they have some good pictures on-line that may be helpful.

Ok, now that we had scoped everything out, it was time to head to the Adidas store.  We kept following the signs that had an arrow pointing us in the direction of the store, but I never saw it and we reached the end of the shopping venue.

I guess I should have done a better job checking the map.  Looks like the Adidas store was in a whole other section of the shopping facility.  Let us review the map now.

Uh-oh.  This pregnant mama was not prepared to walk that far.  But we did it.  Over a bridge and across a huge parking lot and we were at the Adidas store.

I attempted to entertain the kids while my husband shopped.

Once he was done making his purchases it was getting close to lunch time and we needed to get some food.  Our shopping adventures were done and it was off to a venue that I had heard about but never tried.

The place is called Lobster Landing and it is right on the water in Clinton.  I had heard this was a yummy place for lobster rolls (which seem to be a summer staple here in Connecticut) and I wanted to see if it could stand up to the challenge of two very curious toddlers.

This cute eatery had a gravel parking lot in the back and paved parking on the side.  We parked in the gravel lot, but if you need to use a stroller, I would suggest parking in the paved area.

There were two buildings on the property, one is pictured above and is where they keep and sell the live lobsters and the other is pictured below and is where they sell the food.

Bruiser was obviously hungry and led us inside to place our order.

For some reason I didn’t get a good picture of the menu, so I am borrowing a picture from a great review done by a local blogger, Laura’s Food Coma.

As you can see, the menu is very limited and somewhat pricey.  But, the truth was, all we cared about was getting a lobster roll!

I actually brought some food and snacks for the kids just in case and was very glad I did.

We decided to order 2 lobster rolls, a couple of drinks and a hotdog.  The nice lady taking our order told us we could take a seat.  We didn’t need to pay until we were finished eating and she would bring our food to the table.

We decided to take a seat in the covered area.

This venue did not have any high chairs, but that wasn’t a surprise.  Usually my backup plan for no high chairs is to keep the kids in their stroller while they eat.  We didn’t end up bringing a stroller in because the ground cover made me think it would be difficult to get around. So, given that we had man-on-man defense for this outing, we each watched one of the kids while they attempted to sit in the outdoor chairs.

Pretty soon our food arrived.

The lobster roll was really, really good and the kids enjoyed their hot dog.  No lobster roll tasting for the kiddos.  Come on, it was $15.  That is all for me 🙂

After eating and paying for our food, we headed back over to the main building to check out the live lobsters and take a little tour of the other dining area.

Though this other outside area was surrounded by water, it seemed to be fairly secure and I felt comfortable letting the kids explore on their own.  I certainly needed to stay close by, though!

Before we headed back home, I snapped a quick picture of the restroom area.  The restrooms were a port-a-potty.  Not a very exciting shot, but an important shot when you have a kid that needs to go!

Back at the car we got the kids all snuggled into their car seats.  Our hope was that they would take their nap while we were able to explore more of Clinton.  For some, a morning of shopping and eating may have been enough, but I really wanted to find out what else Clinton had to offer.  Fortunately, we stumbled upon a nice beach and playground and were able to fill our bellies with some yummy ice cream before finishing up our trip.  Check back soon and I will give you all the details on those two adventures.

Until then, happy shopping and eating in Clinton!

Have you been outlet shopping in Clinton?  What is your favorite store to check out?

THE MOMSENSE:

Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets

20-A Killingworth Turnpike Clinton, Connecticut 06413

Phone:  (860) 664-0700

Website: http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=12

Get directions here:

Enter your starting address:

Hours:

Regular Hours Mon-Sat: 10am-9pm, Sun: 10am-6pm

Check website for sale and holiday hours.

Tips & Things to Bring:

Then, check in on Thursday for another secret playground revealed!

Want to keep up with all our Out and About Mom adventures?

Check back every Tuesday and Thursday as we dish up more Momsense for getting out and about with your little ones. Don’t have time to check back in? Let us send you an automatic notification of new posts straight to your email inbox by signing up here. Also, you can like us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest posts and get some extra tidbits we share only through those sites.