The San Marcos Outlets heard that everything is bigger in Texas and said, “hold my locally brewed craft beer.” To say that the San Marcos Outlets are big is, well, an understatement. It is MASSIVE! In fact, the San Marcos Outlets are made up of two outlets: Tanger Outlets and San Marcos Premium Outlets. Combined they offer 210 name-brand and luxury stores and total 1.2 million square feet of shopping. Now, that’s a lot of shopping, and for some, it may be a bit intimidating, but have no fear your guides are here!
Wear your walking shoes. To walk the entire center, you’re clocking four miles on your pedometer! We highly recommend wearing comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing (it’s hot here, y’all).
Should you or your shopping companions need a bit of rest and refreshments, you can refuel and regroup at one of the 20 eateries and restaurants on-site. There is also a play area outside of the Food Court on the San Marcos Premium Outlets side for any littles that need to get some energy out between bouts of shopping.
Make a list of your favorite stores. With so many stores to choose from, you may want to prioritize where you want to shop first. We recommend perusing the directory (see Tanger’s here and Premium’s here), seeing where your must-shops are located, and creating a plan of attack.
Oh, and speaking of favorite stores… Did you know some of your favorite stores may only have one Texas outlet located right here in San Marcos? Bally, Brahmin, CH Carolina Herrera, Citizen, Clarins, Dooney & Bourke, Etro, Gucci, Lafayette 148 New York, MCM, Saint Laurent, Salvatore Ferragamo, Stuart Weitzman, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma are brands that chose San Marcos as their one Texas location.
Park somewhere accessible for potential drop-offs. Our team knows how easily our arms fill up with bags of discounted treasures. You just bought those shoes there, and that fun shirt there, oh and a jacket that was so affordable you couldn’t pass it up, and that hat your brother will love… next thing you know, you’re laden with bags and struggling to keep up the pace. Lighten your load by dropping your finds off at the car and keep on trucking! We recommend putting your finds in your trunk and hidden away from view for safekeeping, just in case.
We think the outlets are amazing, and we aren’t the only ones! More than 14 million annual visitors shop the San Marcos Outlets and shoppers have come from 75 countries so far. With that said, if crowds or lines aren’t your thing, make sure to plan your shopping adventure for a non-holiday weekend, on a weekday or start earlier in the day to beat the crowds.