Montgomery Shopping and Districts
(Montgomery, Alabama - AL, USA)
When you come to Montgomery, you will find it difficult not to leave yourself at least an afternoon or two to indulge in a spot of shopping therapy, either in and around the city center, or at one of the outlying giant mall complexes.
Shops tend to be clustered around the main streets within the capital, often also being close to principal attractions, such as the campus of the Alabama State University (Carter Hill Road). It is here where you will find the fairly basic Country Club Shopping Center, which stands just outside of the Montgomery Country Club and is home to a large Rite Aid pharmacy store and a few other shops. There are a number of these strip malls dotted around the city, which have just a few large stores and an adjacent parking lot.
For the best shopping experience, whatever the weather, you will need to hop into your car or catch a local bus and head over to the eastern side of Montgomery. This is where the city's principal malls reside - the Shoppes at EastChase and also the Eastdale Mall, along with department stores and attractions, such as those based within the spreading Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park.
Where to Shop
Home to around 60 different stores and located on the EastChase Parkway, the Shoppes at EastChase shopping center is reachable from downtown Montgomery in under ten minutes, via Interstate I-85. Notable stores based here include the likes of Banana Republic, Dillard's, DSW Shoes, Earth Fare, Gap, Kohl's, PeachMac, Pier 1 Imports and Target, as well as some big-chain restaurants and cafes.
Slightly further away and to the northeast is the considerably larger Eastdale Mall on the Atlanta Highway, an indoor shopping center dating from the late 1970s and boasting in excess of 100 stores in total.
These include Belk, Dillard's, JC Penney and Sears, while there are also various entertainment options onsite, including a cinema complex with matinee specials, an amusement arcade for children, a traditional carousel ride and a central ice skating rink known as the Ice Palace.
For grocery shopping in Montgomery, the Walmart Supercenter is the place to head, being found on the eastern side of the city, on Greenwood Street (just off Ann Street and Chestnut Street).