When planning their Walt Disney World vacation, most people will tend to focus on the 4 Theme Parks and plan their days around their visits to these spots – and with good reason – the Theme Parks are FULL of amazing rides, shows, characters, food, parades, and more! But there’s also plenty to do outside the Parks too. Don’t believe me? Well, then I invite you to read on and learn more about all the great NON Theme Park things there are to do at WDW:
Shopping: You can definitely give your credit card a workout with all the amazing stores there are at Walt Disney World – and some of the very best ones are found outside the Theme Parks. Every WDW Resort has at least one souvenir shop that offers a wide variety of Disney gear – and most also offer some specialty shops as well. But the BEST place to shop at Disney, hands down, is Disney Springs (Formerly Downtown Disney) – where a veritable mecca of shopping options awaits – and we aren’t talking just Disney themed stores either – there’s a Harley Davidson store, art stores, jewelry and clothing stores, and MUCH more
Swimming: If you happen to be staying at a WDW owned Resort, then you’ll have multiple options for taking a dip – you’ll find family friendly pools with waterfalls, slides, and toddler play areas; plus there’s quieter/more secluded pools tucked away in various places around the Resort grounds too. Even if you aren’t a big swimmer, you can relax in the sun and enjoy an adult beverage from the nearby pool bar. If you aren’t staying at a WDW Resort – fear not, as it’s likely that your Resort will have at least one pool for you to enjoy – after all, you’re in Florida (where pretty much everyone has a pool)
Explore Your Resort: The Disney Resorts offer TONS of fun on site things to do – most have movie nights, trivia, activities for kids, and more. Plus – there are some great things to see if you take some time to walk around the Resort – play areas, cool photo ops, gardens and other cool décor and landscaping that all adds to the theming. Personally I love to wander around whatever Resort I am staying at, and I recommend you take some time to do this too – you never know what you might find!
Dining: All WDW Resorts (and most offsite hotels too) offer at least one dining location – and they are usually pretty great places to grab a bite! All WDW Value Resorts have large “food court” style eateries – and the food is actually REALLY good at them! There’s your standards like burgers, chicken nuggets, pizza – but there’s also unique items like a Mongolian grill menu, create your own salads, gelato, and plenty of grab’n’go options as well. Most Moderate and Deluxe Resorts offer quick service dining as well as sit down restaurants too – and there are some pretty great places to eat – sushi, steak, seafood, 5 star fare – you name it, the WDW Resorts have got it! So don’t limit yourself to eating just at the Parks – make sure you check out your Resort and neighboring Resorts for dining too
While the Theme Parks are one of the best things about WDW, I think that getting to stay on site at one of the WDW Resorts is almost as good as the Parks – there’s so much to do and see and explore! I HIGHLY recommend you take some time out and check out your Resort – it may seem like just a place to sleep – but it’s got so much more in store for you!
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I agree there is so much to do and see outside the parks that I can easily fill several days without stepping foot inside one of the 4 parks. I love resort hopping for meals, shopping, and photo ops! I love taking the ferry from Downtown Disney to the Riverside resort and back. The resort is beautiful and themed so well and it’s great fun to visit and tour the grounds plus it has YeeHaw Bob in the lounge several nights a week and the horse drawn carriage ride.