Visiting Potomac Mills Mall Outlet Center, Woodbridge Va.

If you are living in or visiting northern Virginia or Washington D.C. and you are a shopping enthusiast, Potomac Mills is the place to go. Many vacation spots offer great outlet centers or malls, but this one is a shopping experience. Especially now as we head towards the holiday shopping season.

With hundreds of retail brand name stores, a movie theatre with numerous screens, a large food court and multiple specialty shops, Potomac Mills is a shopper's dream. You can easily spend hours in this outlet center and still not see everything it has to offer. I'm not a huge shopper, but I do like heading out over there every once in a while.

Image credit: Ben Schumin, CC accessed via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potomac_mills_mall.jpg

Describing the outlet center as large is a gross understatement. The shopping mall is so extensive the building is broken up into "neighborhoods". There are approximately five of these smaller shopping communities located within Potomac Mills. The neighborhoods are all interconnected with visible signs directing you towards the stores you are looking to shop.

With stores such as Old Navy, JC Penney, Lego Store, Correlle, Disney Store, to name a few select, there is truly a diverse selection to choose for your shopping; the outlet center even contains a nurse's uniform store. Anything you're looking for from generic shopping items to brand names and niche stores, you'll probably find it here.

Through many shopping experiences, it has illuminated to me how a shopper can truly find great bargains at Potomac Mills. One word of advice, before indulging in a shopping spree here, it is good to know your prices, because, despite appearances, not all stores charge outlet prices as you might think based on the advertising. Many do, but if you don't want to overspend, do some price checking online on specific items you are looking for before you head out.

In my experience, stores such as JC Penny, Correlle and Disney do charge lower than their counterparts would in other traditional malls, but there are a few stores and shops that appear to charge high-end prices under the guise of a "deal".

Additionally, dozens upon dozens of specialty niche-oriented kiosks are spread throughout the center in addition to the traditional brick and mortar shops. During the holidays or even for other special occasions, there are often some nifty gifts you can find at one of the kiosks, the kind of stuff you usually don't find any place else.

Navigating the mall is easy because there are plenty of signs and directories throughout the corridors. Additionally, there are plenty of benches if you need to stop and take a break for a few minutes.

As an added bonus, in addition to the outlet center itself, there are many anchor stores and other smaller merchants located in the immediate vicinity. This area of Prince William County is highly commercial. Navigating the many side roads and parking lots can be a little confusing in my opinion, but you'll certainly not lack for any place to shop or stop and have a bite to eat.

Potomac Mills is located conveniently near I-95 just south of Washington DC, maybe 30 minutes or so depending on traffic, the Potomac Mills outlet center is open daily. The mall address is 2700 Potomac Mills Circle, Prince William, Va. 22192.

If you love to shop until you drop, Potomac Mills is worth exploring. It's been a while since I've visited, and I'm thinking I'm due to make a visit later this year.