1 Illinois Mall & 1 Shopping Center Named Among Nation’s Best

We've been hearing how malls are dead or dying, and shopping centers have been turning into ghost towns for years now, even before the pandemic did everything it could to speed up the process.

While that may be true in many cities and towns across the United States, there are definitely exceptions to the doom-and-gloom outlook that so many malls and shopping centers are dealing with.

Sure, the "retail apocalypse" and the pandemic have done huge damage to malls and shopping centers everywhere, but there are still malls all over the world that are doing okay.

The world's biggest malls in 2025:

• The Dubai Mall (Dubai, UAE): 80 million annual visitors, 1,200 stores, 12 million square feet of space.
• The Avenues Mall (Kuwait City, Kuwait): 13 million square feet of space.
• IOI City Mall (Putrajaya, Malaysia): 8.8 million square feet, including an Olympic-sized ice skating rink, an indoor adventure park, a 13-screen cinema, and a rooftop exhibition space known as IOI City Farm.
• SM Mall of Asia (Pasay City, Philippines): 6.3 million square feet, 3,500 stores.
• Starfield COEX Mall (Seoul, South Korea): The world's largest underground mall. 1.65 million square feet, with 250 stores, a cinema, aquarium, and a library.
• Bloomington, Minnesota's Mall of America comes in at number six at 5.6 million square feet and 520 stores.

Since Few Of Us Have The Time Or Budget To Jet All Over The World To Check Out Those Places, Let's Take A Look At The 2 Illinois Spots That A New Survey Ranked So Highly

According to USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for 2025, the best shopping center in the entire country is The Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio, Texas.

Not far behind, in the number four spot, is Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook, Illinois. Here's what USA Today had to say about Oakbrook Center:

Oakbrook Center offers an elegant open-air shopping experience just west of Chicago, with green spaces filled with interactive art installations, as well as over 170 stores. The center features a mix of upscale retailers, national brands, and dining options that range from quick bites to chef-driven restaurants. Seasonal events and a walkable layout make it a popular year-round destination for shoppers from the city, suburbs, and beyond.

We Now Go From Shopping Centers To Outlet Malls

The USA Today survey ranks the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in Wrentham, Massachusetts as the very best outlet mall in the United States, but an Illinois outlet mall is just two spots back in 3rd place.

That outlet mall would be the Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont. USA Today's take:

Fashion Outlets of Chicago is a two-level indoor center featuring over 130 designer outlets, including names like Gucci and Burberry. Shoppers can enjoy a mix of dining options and take in the mall’s curated contemporary art collection, all in a sleek, climate-controlled setting. Located just 5 minutes from O’Hare International Airport, the mall is convenient for both travelers and locals.