City: Washington, DC

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (703) 496-9301

Address: 2700 Potomac Mills Circle

Description: It says something about the power of shopping when one of the most popular tourist destinations in history- and scenery-rich Virginia is an outlet mall, namely Potomac Mills. Several million people shop here annually.Just 12 miles south of Washington off I–95 (you can’t miss the signs), Potomac Mills more than lives up to its billing as a paradise for shoppers, especially those with a penchant for savings. More than 200 off-price and outlet stores include the likes of L.L. Bean, Off 5th–Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, and Nordstrom Rack. You’ll also find Old Navy, T. J. Maxx, Marshalls, and the Sports Authority. A 15-screen theater provides entertainment. Potomac Mills also offers more than 20 restaurants and food-court eateries and full concierge service, including foreign currency exchange.Swedish furniture retailer IKEA, previously one of Potomac Mills’s biggest anchor stores, now occupies a building just a few feet outside the mall. With 300,000 square feet of retail space, double the size of the old location, IKEA features more than 10,000 furnishings, housewares, toys, accessories, and gourmet food items. The store even showcases its products in model homelike settings. The restaurant serves delicious Swedish meatballs and other specialties as well as children’s meals. While parents shop, kids can hang out in a large play area with a Swedish farmhouse theme.