It took me awhile to recognize the Vera Bradley label belongs on a dizzying array of quilted fabric accessories but, as soon as I did, I understood the appeal of the Queen of Fort Wayne and her famous outlet sale.
Vera Bradley’s Pucci-like bright-colored, floral and paisley-patterned fabric totes, purses, and laptop bags are ubiquitous… and expensive. And her famous Spring outlet sale, postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, is rescheduled for April 7 – 11, 2021.
The Cult of Vera Bradley
Now a tote-carrying member of the cult of VBistas, it’s no surprise that the brand is behind the largest tourism event in Fort Wayne, Indiana: the annual Vera Bradley Outlet Sale.
Although manufacturing is now done in China, partners Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and her neighbor, Patricia Miller, began their sewn handbag business in the basement of the Bradley family’s Fort Wayne home; their very first ‘sale’ was in the backyard.
At this annual extravaganza — now held in more than 100,000 square-feet of the Coliseum — up to 45,000 acolytes from 50 states and several foreign countries revel in 40% to 60% off retail prices of handbags, luggage, stationary, clothes and myriad accessories. Additionally, the VB design team releases a new pattern done just for the event. It’s crazy.
Just take a look at our video:
Made in Fort Wayne Products Join the Fun
The VB outlet sale spurs other local businesses to do sales, too. First, check out the Vera Bradley retail store in the Jefferson Pointe Mall, which is offering 25% off all items if you can show proof of having shopped the outlet first. Of course, the mall has lots of other great shops.
For sales, count on Peg Perego, the high-end Italian baby goods company, whose stroller is like the Maserati of baby carriages. All the baby items manufactured by the Perego family in Italy are sold at 20% off during the mid April outlet sale.
Best yet, the adorable ride-on toys such as John Deere tractors and Polaris ATVs made in their Fort Wayne factory, are discounted up to 50%. All year long, the company gives free factory tours of their Fort Wayne facilities, really fun for children and their grownups. Plus, Nicolas Perego, grandson of founder Guiseppe “Peg” Perego, personally greets every customer who visits.
Love factory tours? Sweetwater, the world’s largest online retailer of musical instruments and gear founded by local Chuck Surack in 1979, welcomes visitors to their distribution warehouse every day. A musical instrument sale is not necessarily one when the others are, but it’s fun to watch amps go by on the conveyor belt. You can spend a half day at the café, retail shop, kids’ rock music academy and just admiring the amazing employee facilities like a fitness center, medical clinic and concierge service to handle daily chores.
Additonally, the businesses who are most proud to say “made in Fort Wayne” offer free tours of the premises, though some require advance registration online. Debrand Fine Chocolates is a tasty option, as is the Country Heritage Winery and Three Rivers Distilling Company.
Plannng A Girls Getaway Galore
The biggest local announcement is a 124-key hotel opening under the aegis of Barbara Bradley Baekgaard (Vera Bradley co-founder) and Provenance Hotels, set to open by early 2021. The hotel will be located by the new Riverfront Development and The Landing. We are looking forward to some colorful decor and great views from the planned rooftop bar.
Keep in mind that Vera Bradley’s famous sale takes place every April at the Memorial Coliseum, so room rates rise during that time. To shop, everyone must register for the event and timed entry tickets can be acquired online. Paid tickets are required Wednesday through Friday, and cost $5 for each 2-hour session. Trust us, that’s about as long as you’ll last… unless you really want that vintage February 2012 tote your neighbor found on e-Bay.
Go early! Saturday and Sunday the tickets are free; sessions are open to the raving masses of local public and thrifty fans. Too busy for those shoppers with a curatorial eye!
The Visit Fort Wayne and Vera Bradley websites offer information on Fort Wayne area hotels that are celebrating this shopfest, with specials designed for femme warriors in mind. Book early. And of course, Fort Wayne has lots of other family attractions and activities to do when you’re all shopped out.
Ready to shop till you drop? Save some energy to share your top finds with us.
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Have you ever actually traveled with kids? It doesn’t seem like it by the tone of this article.
Hello Dr Ramesh,
If both legal guardians or birth parents of the child are traveling with the child, you will not need any other documentation, except everyone’s visas and passports. Check with your employer about medical insurance. If they will not provide medical coverage overseas, you can inquire with your U.S. based insurance company about what they provide. Some travel insurance companies sell one-year policies to cover students studying overseas and that might be another option. Safe Travels!
Sir, we both are going Europe with work visa on base of permit. Taking our 3year old child with us. Any letter or medical form/ paper we need to carry with us?
A Great Family Activity and one that will bring the family back together in the future when they all grow up!!
Take a look at our adventures. https://www.youtube.com/user/00Shaddow00 . We just started doing this to bring the family together and stop wasting our time setting in front of the television. We are filming our trips to document our adventures to remember and to share with family and friends. Maybe to motivate others to get out there with there family.
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Dubai is such a nice place to stay and famous for its wonderful sightseeing’s attractions. The best trip is Dubai sightseeing’s tour and desert safari in Dubai. We had great time couple of years ago.
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Let me add http://www.babyquip.com to the list.
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Your blog helped me to plan my family trip to Bangkok and Pattaya. Just made a video blog out if it, https://youtu.be/tok17yOR1W8 please watch ang give feedback.
Ranch Vacation with family is a real fun. Here we spent quality time with each other. Truly said, we eat a lot and on-time as well. Riding is also a fun in ranch vacation, Created a perfect picture.
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We have actually done the ATV tour in Cozumel Mexico, and had an amazing time. We booked with Cozumel Cruise Excursions. Net which is a family business and we had an amazing time. Theres nothing better than going to another country and getting great customer service and amazing people as guides. I would highly recommend checking them out next time your in Cozumel http://cozumelcruiseexcursions.net
This sounds like so much fun! From the haunted houses to the different drinks offered. I didn’t know HHN was such a major part for Universal Orlando. Good to know! Thanks for the article!
Hello Annetta,
Yes, one Permission to Travel or Consent Letter can list more than one child on it, if the contact information for the legal guardians/birth parents is the same.
Safe travels!
Can I use one concept form to apply for two sibling from the same father
Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table,but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for all of these suggestions.
Chicago is a wonderful place to visit.
Excellent very nice! No doubt Dubai is very famous for more activities but desert safari is very unique activity.i love this one…
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Thanks, recommendation cheap hotels is very useful for the preparation of our vacation that will not be soon. Really nice!
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Our family of 3 adults booked a tour with Kalka Travels in April 2018. Our tour included transportation and accommodation in Delhi, Pushkar, Udaipur, Bundi, Jaipur and Agra. We then caught an overnight train to Varanasi where we met up with a third party contracted by Kalka Travel. Overall we were very happy with the tour company as they delivered on what we had pre-arranged with them. We upgraded our vehicle to a SUV rather than just a sedan, and added an elephant ride to Agra Fort, tickets to traditional dance show in Udaipur, a movie at the Raj Mandir theatre in Jaipur as well as water was supplied each day to us. All breakfasts were included. Our driver Ravinder was exceptional in that he was always on time and patient with us sometimes being late; the vehicle was always cleaned that morning and comfortable. He was highly attentive to our needs, very reliable, polite, and humorous, and told us what to expect at each stop. We always felt very safe with him as he was an excellent driver. His English was good in that we were able to ask many questions of him. Kalka Travels was flexible with our itinerary and our driver stopped at a few places that were not on our list of stops, unlike the other company we had considered booking who told us the drivers could not be flexible.Our wonderful driver, Ravinder, made our trip very special. Kalka Travels also only asked for a $100 deposit in advance and the remainder when we arrived in India, which put us at ease. Bobby Thakur was very quick to respond to any concerns we had. All in all, a wonderful vacation and experience with Kalka Travels.
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For Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ebrydobby.app.plates.free
Great article & very practical. Thanks for all the tips – I’ll be thinking about them for a while as we work on our website redesign.
Great vacation ideas and post too..!!!
There are many famous forts and palaces along with wildlife sanctuaries and other monuments which has attracted thousands of visitors and some of them have become a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site as well.
We are completely in accord with these ‘not to miss 5 experiences in Dubai.’ We experienced them on a family trip last year. The one thing we missed out was the charter yacht. Now we have taken it as a priority for our next trip after reading your post.
Look like you had a great adventure trip. The ship looks awesome.
Dubai is amazing. I really enjoyed reading your article! 🙂
I just found a website that lists apple festivals all over the country! So you can find something in your area. They all seem a little bit different, which is fun. http://pickyourown.org/applefestivals.php
St john is more quite than other Caribbean islands. St John accessible only by ferry from the other U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John is a true gem in the Caribbean with crystal clear waters, lush green mountains and gorgeous white sand beaches. Though it is the smallest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John’s unspoiled beauty is perhaps the greatest found anywhere in the Caribbean.
Rajasthan is one of the most vibrant and colorful states in India with its rich culture and traditions since ancient times. It is known as the land of warriors and beautiful princess who even chose to die for saving their chastity and had a great affinity with their motherland. Whether it is the cuisine or the dress sense everything is unique about Rajasthan’s culture. There are many famous forts and palaces along with wildlife sanctuaries and other monuments which has attracted thousands of visitors and some of them have become a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. The famous sites are described in this blog which is good for the history lovers and for those people who want to explore more about the diversity of Rajasthan.
Being in the city of Royal Tents in Jaisalmer of moving sand ridges, you can’t get away from the seat travel. A rough ride on a camel in the Thar Desert is one of the energizing things to do in Jaisalmer Royal Camps. It enables you to investigate the remote and segregated spots tucked amidst the abandon. Absolutely, the additional time you give on your safari, the more remote spots you are probably going to see and the more you may acclimate to and appreciate the abandon serenity.
I am going to Dubai next month thanks for sharing this information will come in handy
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Thanks, for posting such and Informatic blog. I had been to Amer Fort in Jaipur and it was an amazing experience.
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A rough ride on a camel in the Thar Desert is one of the energizing things to do in Jaisalmer Royal Camps. It enables you to investigate the remote and segregated spots tucked amidst the abandon.
I think that is a wonderful experience at Dubai. I’ve been to Dubai and it’s pretty