Orlando Malls and Outlets – The Ultimate Guide

There are plenty of options to buy a lot in Orlando, but it’s easy to get lost in the middle of so many names of stores, malls and outlets. It’s so much that it’s super normal not to know where to go first.

We receive many questions here on the blog and on our Instagram like: “What is the best shopping?” or “Which outlet do I visit?”. So I’m doing this post thinking about who is planning the trip and wants to decide which malls, outlets, and discount stores to visit when you are in Orlando.

How to choose the malls and outlets to visit in Orlando?

I think it’s important to start by aligning expectations here: the differences between Orlando’s many (not all, but many) shopping centers is much more subtle than the difference between many supermarkets.

You often find the same stores in all malls and a few more outlets. If you think this might confuse you, look on the bright side! This means that even if you don’t necessarily visit all of the outlets and malls listed below, chances are you’ll still find everything you’re looking to buy!

When choosing the malls to visit, I recommend setting aside at least half the day for each one. In other words, if you want to visit the two Premium outlets in one day, leave all morning in one and all afternoon in the other.

Since many malls/outlets are large and with a hyper-varied assortment, it takes some time for you to be able to explore what each one has to offer.

Also, when making your choice, you need to think about whether you already know what you want to buy or are going more open to see what it’s worth.

If you are looking for specific items, do a quick search to see which center makes the most sense for your short list (and if possible, buy online now to save travel time 😉 ).

If you have an open mind and heart to see what is interesting about shopping malls, focus on the main ones! That’s what I almost always do.

By visiting at least 1 of Orlando’s malls and 1 outlet, you can already have a shopping party! If you manage to visit the 2 main malls and 2 main outlets, it’s excellent. Hardly anyone visits all the shopping centers, most people focus on the main ones (which are also the most complete).

Hey, so what do I want to know about others?

Because they are a hell of a lot up your sleeve! When you can’t find what you’re looking for on the popular shopping route, when there are incredible but disputed discounts (like on Black Friday) or when you want to avoid the muvuca, you will learn to love these places in a unique way!

In addition, those who have time to research and visit all these places can find different promotions in the same store. I’ve already told here somewhere (in the Macy’s post? Kitchen items? I don’t remember anymore!) that I once got 40% off buying my wonderful set of knives at Macy’s at Altamonte Mall, while in Orlando I would only have it 15% on a smaller set. You know that wonderful buy at a bargain price that you are so proud of? Yes, they are my beautiful knives! hehe

Well, so in summary:

For a more common or standard need, you are doing great with the main outlets and malls.
Set aside at least half a day for each major mall/outlet. For a street store, small mall or smaller outlets, two hours are a good size.

As for super discount stores, it will depend on the time you are willing to mine.

Don’t forget about discount coupons, which are more common and varied at outlets.

Also, don’t forget about shopping online and all the shopping tips we’ve already given you here.

Premium Outlet

One of the most classic shopping spots for Brazilians visiting Orlando, behind perhaps only Walmart. This outlet brings together several famous brands and stores, always with many promotions happening.

He now has two locations in Orlando: one on Vineland and one on International Drive. However, the stores found in each unit are not exactly the same.

So, if you get the chance, go with both! We’ve already written a whole post with tips and more details about Premium in Orlando, and another one with coupon tips, which is worth a look.

Extra: if you are going to Tampa to visit Busch Gardens and want to spend more time there, you can also visit the Premium Outlet in Tampa, which is often more empty than the Orlando units. 😉

When is it worth visiting? I can’t think of a trip to Orlando without at least stopping by here. If you’re thinking of shopping, it’s always worth going to Premium.

Lake Buena Vista Factory

A much smaller and simpler outlet, but which also has some interesting stores. On the bright side, despite the much smaller assortment, the Lake Buena Vista Factory is a quieter outlet, so promotional stocks often end up lasting longer.

When is it worth visiting? It’s worth a visit for those who want to get away from the muvuca and have plenty of travel time to spend their leisurely shopping, but don’t expect anything as big and varied as the Premium.

My recommendation is to always look at the list of stores present here to see if Lake Buena Vista Factory can serve you well or not.

Click here to read more about Lake Buena Vista Factory.

The Loop

This is a place underestimated by many people! I love The Loop because it’s neither a mall nor an outlet – it’s The Loop and it’s alone in its category! This shopping complex spreads out over several blocks in Kissimmee, featuring super cool stores. It’s a combination of several famous high street stores, basically.

Among them are Ross Dress For Less, Bed, Bath & Beyond (which I love dearly!) and Best Buy, just to name a few!

When is it worth visiting? The Loop brings a collection of niche stores, with well-defined themes. So a visit here is recommended when you have a lot of time to spend shopping and interest in one or more stores brought by this set.

This is another case where, in order to know if it will be worth your time or not, it is essential that you take a look at the list of stores and see if it is compatible with your shopping or interest list.

Personally, I really enjoy visiting The Loop when I have time and I still want to shop, because it brings different and excellent stores, while we see a lot of repetition between malls and outlets.

Florida Mall

For a long time it was the only really important mall in Orlando. Then it became outdated, a bit under frequented for a while, and lost space to the Mall at Millenia. But nowadays it’s well renovated, full of great stores and restaurants and makes for a really nice ride.

Even the brands you’ve already visited at the outlets, you might want to visit the mall again, right? Many stores have different products in malls and outlets (and promotions running at both!), so it’s always worth looking at both if you get the chance. Click here to read more about Florida Mall.

When is it worth visiting? As I said at the beginning of this post, in general you need to visit at least one mall and an outlet to be well covered in Orlando’s shopping offer. If you have time to visit both malls, even better! If not, then it’s worth comparing the stores you find in each one.

Although I love the Mall at Millenia, the Florida Mall has a lot of super popular stores and even more varied than other malls! In addition, he has a Carlo’s Bakery (from Cake Boss), Shake Shack, Crayola Experience and M&M shop as interesting additions.

Mall at Millenia

I love the Florida Mall with all its wonderful news, but I confess that the Mall at Millenia still owns my heart when it comes to shopping. It’s beautiful inside and out and has some of the stores I like the most, such as William & Sonoma, Crate & Barrels (both for those who like cooking like me), Anthropologie (I think more than half of my clothes I buy here ), among others.

In addition, in the restaurants it brings the Cheesecake Factory, which needs no introduction, right? Besides her, there’s also Brio, who I love!

When is it worth visiting? Look, if you want to visit just for a carpaccio at Brio or a cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, I won’t judge you, okay? hehehe Other than that, the same thing I said for Florida Mall is worth it: try to visit at least one mall and an outlet. If you have time to visit both, even better, but if you have to choose which one brings more stores of interest to you.

Altamonte Mall

Off the traditional route for tourists visiting Orlando, this mall is in Altamonte Springs, about 40-50 minutes from Orlando (if I-4 traffic helps, right!). The mall is quite varied and quite large, bringing the main brands without the hustle and bustle we find in Orlando malls.

Despite this, it will only be worth the gas and the time it takes to get there if you have a concrete reason to visit it, whether it’s to get away from the crowd, research promotions or whatever. In the case of the promotion of the knife itself, I was in Altamonte Springs to get a suitcase of my father that I had gone to fix there.

When is it worth visiting? When you want to get away from muvuca or when you are passing through Altamonte Springs for any other reason. It can be interesting for example for those who want to find the latest generation iPhone right after launch.

Pointe Orlando

Undoubtedly the mall that impresses me the least in Orlando. It is located in the International Drive area and is quite small, with few interesting shops and even charges for parking. By the way, the scheme to pay for this parking is very confusing, because you have to pay by card and I never see anyone giving support on where to pay, how to pay and everything else.

Here, the only highlights are the Tommy store, where I’ve found much more interesting deals than other outlets, and Hollister’s outlet store. Besides, there’s nothing you can’t find in other malls that makes it worth the visit.

Ah! It’s worth saying that a nice point of Pointe Orlando is that it has several different restaurants, but I think this is valid much more for those who stay there than for those who are thinking of shopping, right?

When is it worth visiting? When you stay nearby, for example at the Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando. In this case, since you can walk to this mall, it doesn’t hurt to stop by, right?

Super Discount Stores

These are stores that bring clothes from famous brands (and not famous ones), to home items and even some electronics, all with very low prices. They are REALLY places to save money, but in general you need to dig a lot to really separate what’s worth in the middle of the rubbish.

Each one has its own proposal and specific assortment (don’t go looking for clothes at Dollar Tree, for example!), and each one has better products to find and specific tips on what’s worth it, how to get the best discounts, etc. Click on the name of each of them to see the stories in more detail:

• Dollar Tree
• TJ Maxx
• Marshalls
• Ross Dress For Less
• Five and Below
• Burlington

Independent Stores

In addition to all these points I mentioned, you might be interested in fitting some high street stores into your shopping itinerary (I really like to do that). The most interesting ones for your trip will vary according to the subjects you are interested in, but here are some of my favorites:

Bed Bath and Beyond
Container Store
Ikea
Babies R Us and Toys R Us
ultimate beauty
party city
Home Depot

Important: note that when I talk about high street stores I’m not talking about those crumbling stores that sell electronics or tickets at half price, as we’ve already told you in Orlando’s most famous scam post. I am referring here only to well-known stores.

Disney Springs

I won’t go on too deep here because I already have a super Disney Springs guide, with an entire post dedicated to shopping in this complex. Anyway, you can’t finish this post without remembering that Disney Springs is practically a mall, full of wonderful stores that go well beyond the Disney theme, and the only UNIQLO unit in town. This is not the only reason to visit this center, but it sure is a great addition to the tour.

Anyway, that’s it! One more post to organize all these shopping centers to ensure that you will not miss any of your interests.

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More Tips for Your Trip to Orlando

As we talked about above, be sure to check out our youtube channel where we give several travel tips to Orlando.

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