Since 1998, the Great Lakes Crossing Mall has been serving the Detroit area in Auburn Hills, Michigan. This mall is different than most in the country in that it was built to have six themed areas. With hundreds of stores, a movie theatre, restaurants, and events, there is something for everyone at this mall.
There are eight main anchor stores at the Great Lakes Crossing Mall: Bass Pro Outdoor World, Bed Bath & Beyond, the Saks Fifth Ave Outlet, T.J. Maxx, Neiman Marcus Last Call, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshall's, and Sports Authority. This is the first Bass Pro Outdoor World in Michigan, and the store itself is the size of about five football fields and includes a huge fish tank complete with real fish.
Along with the anchors, there are a number of apparel shops, including Aeropostale, Jones New York, Bebe, Express, Charlotte Russe, Eddie Bauer, Dress Barn, Gap, Nike Factory Store, Nautica, Wet Seal, and Tommy Hilfigure, just to name a few. They also have stores selling things in any category shoppers might need, including bridal wear, toys, electronics and music, books, shoes, jewelry, and specialty foods.
The food court is the most popular place to eat at the Grand Traverse Mall, but they also have a number of sit-down restaurants with unique cuisine. At the Rainforest Caf, (the first in the state), shoppers can dine in the middle of a jungle and enjoy foods with a rainforest theme. Visitors can also eat at GameWorks, a combination restaurant and entertainment zone, which has fun grill foods and over 200 game like pool, pinball, Dance Dance Revolution, and arcade machines. Yet another popular place to eat is the Miyako Japanese Steakhouse, where shoppers can eat at a hibachi grill, watching the chef prepare the food at each table.
While shopping the mall provides a number of amenities to make the trip easier. There are ATMs and payphones located throughout the mall, and lockers or shopping cards that can be rented for shoppers that don't want to continuously walk back to their cars. In the food court, parents can let their children unwind at a free play area that features larger-that-life cupcakes and hot dogs, and nearby is an antique-style carousel for shoppers of all ages to ride. Built in Venice, the Great Lakes Island Carousel also has a birthday club, so children under the age of ten can register to get a free ride on their birthdays.
The Great Lakes Crossing Mall opens its doors at 7:00 AM Monday though Saturday and at 9:00 AM on Sundays for people who wish to walk around the halls earlier than normal. One lap around the mall is equivalent to about 0.8 miles, or just over one mile for those who also walk each entrance hallway. All stores and restaurants are open at least from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Saturday and from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays, though some have extended hours. The entire mall also has special, longer hours around the holidays to help shoppers with tight schedules. To learn more, shoppers can call 877-SHOP-GLC
