Guests take a 20-minute tour of the landmarks of Disney Springs. There were only 3,878 of these unique vehicles produced from 1961 to 1968, and there’s a fleet of them at The Boathouse that have been completely restored. It was an amazing ride, made all the better by our very funny and entertaining driver/captain, Alex.

This is an awesome activity for tweens and teens. Even the hardest to impress kid will be wowed by this experience.

Dinner at The Boathouse

There are lots of great dining options at Disney Springs, with lots of new restaurants and some still to come. The Boathouse, however, is my favorite, and not just because of the shrimp and andouille mac’ n cheese or the s’mores Baked Alaska, although those alone would make it a favorite of mine. The atmosphere is as great as the food, with an All-American look, reminiscent of the art deco period. Located in The Landing section of Disney Springs, the restaurant is situated right on the lake and feature dream boats from the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s.

Seeing the sunset over some of them was balm for my winter-weary Midwestern soul.

I have some friends who are very excited about the opening of D-Luxe Burger, and my friend Fadra declares her family’s love of Morimoto Asia, also in Disney Springs, in here.

Enjoy Sweet Treats

You could easily do a chocolate crawl around Disney Springs and it would be amazing. Two words: The Ganachery. (Seriously, doesn’t the name alone make your mouth water?) They have an array of amazing chocolates, and you can even watch them being made. The samples are worth a trip in, as are the fun Disney nods. BB-8 and chocolate are a delightful pairing!And there are some other yummy old favorites, too.

Enjoy Frozen Treats

Yup, in my family’s book, chocolate and frozen treats are each their own categories, especially after you’ve stopped in at Vivoli Il Gelato. It is from Florence, Italy, so you know they know their stuff, and this is their only store outside of Italy. We tried salted caramel, chocolate, lemon, and grapefruit (we each picked one).

It was great to sit, eat our gelato, people watch and just enjoy each other’s company. It’s possible that I perhaps get into drill sergeant mode when at the Disney Parks and feel like we must get to every single thing. At Disney Springs, though, I was able to relax more and it was really lovely.

The Hot Air Balloon

Shopping

There are so many new shops – double the retailers, including ones coming onboard like Anthropologie, LACOSTE, Under Armour, Kate spade New York, Sephora and Lucky Brand. We loved seeing old favorites, including the ginormous World of Disney store and LEGO. How can you not love this guy?

You can see some of the Disney Springs hotels in the background.

My middle schooler loved designing her own Havianas and I appreciated that there were several different stores that allowed you to really create a product, which is a lot more meaningful and memorable. I’d recommend setting a budget in advance.

We didn’t make it to all the shops, so my tween the retail queen is eager to go back. I have to say that I am eager to return, too, because although construction was nearly finished, it will soon be complete and I can’t wait to see how it all comes together. We can hit all the spots we missed, and visit the places that became instant family favorites.

Are you a fan of Disney Springs? What are your favorites?