My family’s 6 favorite things to do at Disney Springs

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On our trip to Walt Disney World Resort earlier this month, my family spent some time in Disney Springs. And we loved it. Both those statements are a little surprising to me. To be honest, that area hasn’t ever been high on my list of Disney must do’s. We’ve been once, to see Inside Out as part of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, but the old Downtown Disney never really grabbed our attention. That all changed on this last visit.

6 favorite things to do at Disney Springs

The recent transformation of the space created Disney Springs, and the story of the mythical old town is weaved throughout the hugely expanded property. The expansion has doubled the number of dining, shopping, and entertainment options and added a lot of free parking. I was surprised by just how delightful it all is , and I can say that I’ve been won over by the charm of Disney Springs. My family loved it, too, and there’s lots of fun for tweens and teens. Here are my family’s favorite things to do at Disney Springs.

Amphicar Ride

One of the highlights of our trip was getting to ride in an amphicar, which is an amphibious automobile that drives from land straight into the water, with a splash, of course.

Amphicar Disney Springs Favorites

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.

Amphicar Disney Springs Boathouse

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

The Boathouse Disney Springs

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.

Disney Springs Sunset Boathouse

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!Disney Springs the GanacheryAnd there are some other yummy old favorites, too.

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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).

Disney Springs Vivoli Il Gelato

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

You can go up 400 feet in the air on the Characters in Flight hot air balloon (seen at the top of the post) as long as conditions permit. Turns out, you need less wind than we had on the day we were there. While we didn’t get to take a ride, they were testing it out a bit and there’s something just really fun about seeing a hot air balloon that makes you feel like you’ve stepped out of your ordinary and are somewhere fun and special.

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?

Disney Springs Lego

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.

Havianas

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?

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