Things to Do in Disney World Outside the Theme Parks

So you're spending an entire week at Disney World. By the middle of it you just need a break from the hustle and bustle of the parks but you don't want to waste a single minute of you vacation. Or maybe you've just arrived, it's late afternoon and you want to do something, but it doesn't make sense to go to the parks just to spend a few hours. No worries! There are just as many things to do outside the parks as in them! Disney World covers 42 square miles and within those boundaries there is something to entertain everyone.

Downtown Disney is an excellent escape from the theme park madness while still staying fully immersed in the Disney atmosphere. Downtown Disney's three distinct areas (West Side, Pleasure Island, and the Marketplace) are teaming with shops and restaurants to please any taste. The West Side is home to a House of Blues, a 24 screen movie theater, Disney's very own Cirque du Soleil show, and Disney Quest, a five story interactive arcade. And those are just the highlights in that area! Since being revamped in 2009, Pleasure Island's main draw right now is the impressive array of eateries along that strip. T-Rex (think Rainforest Cafe, but with dinosaurs) can be found here, as well as Raglan Road, a traditional Irish pub. Pleasure Island also hosts a street party every night with dancers and other performers. Currently, there is still a lot of work being done, which promises even more fun in the future. The Marketplace is host to the greatest concentration of shops and offers everything from a Lego superstore, to a pin trading kiosk, to made-from-scratch hot fudge sundaes, to a store the celebrates Christmas all year round! Also found in the Marketplace is the World of Disney store, which boasts the largest collection of Disney merchandise in the world. (The entire world that is, not just Disney's version of it!) If shopping and eating doesn't thrill you, there are a couple of other options. Downtown Disney also offers a relaxing "paddle boat" ride that will take you to the Port Orleans resort and back, with an excellent view of the DVC Treehouse Villas along the way. It's worth the trip for that unique perspective alone. Finally, you can take a trip on the Characters in Flight Aerophile balloon. For $18, you can travel in this thirty person hot air balloon 400 feet in the air for an unrivaled view of Disney World. The "flight" only lasts six minutes, but I'm willing to bet that the views make it worth it!(Don't worry guys, the balloon is tethered to the ground!)

If Downtown Disney is still too much Disney for the break you need, another fantastic way to pass some time is to check out the Disney hotels. There are over 30 hotels on the Disney property and all are themed in unique ways. You could go and wander throughout the Animal Kingdom Lodge, where certain buildings actually create the barriers of an occupied African savannah. Even if you don't make it out of the main lobby and to the animals, the attention to detail will likely astound you. The African art is museum quality. If the wilderness isn't your thing, try visiting the Grand Floridian. Themed to recreate Victorian-era opulence, this resort perfectly brings to life a picture of what things must have been like for the privileged at the turn of the 20^th century. Treat yourself to a drink in one of the lounges that overlooks the beach, or just take in the sights. And yes, that is a pianist playing in the lobby. Need to try somewhere a little more down to earth? Then go to Port Orleans. Although this resort is split into two different areas, Riverside and the French Quarter, it actually manages to incorporate three different themes. Half of Riverside is designed to look like antebellum plantation homes, while the other half is made to mimic the more private and intimate homes one would find in the bayou. The French Quarter on the other hand looks like, well, New Orleans's French Quarter. The buildings in all the sections are well worth exploring and and if you need a break, just find one of the many benches that sit along the "river". Exploring resorts can take days in and of itself, with all the different motifs and little details to find. Each resort has multiple themed pools, and with the exception of the value level hotels, they all have table service restaurants as good as anything you can find in the parks. In fact, some of Disney's signature dining experiences are resort restaurants.

So you've shopped, explored, and possibly had a meal, and somehow there's still more time to kill. Relax, there's still plenty more you can do. You can play goofy golf at Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland. Both places have two themed, 18-hole courses, so there's four rounds of fun. If mini-golf isn't your thing, Disney also boasts four "championship" courses that can repeatedly be found on lists of top-ranked courses in the country. There are also tennis courts, boat rentals, horseback riding, a speedway, and bike trails. In fact, if you can think of a hobby or a sport you enjoy, Disney probably offers it somewhere on the property. There are also a few places to treat yourself to an ultimate spa experience. If getting pampered is what you've gone on vacation for, the spas at Saratoga Springs and the Grand Floridian can help make that a reality. The spas even have their own website- www.relaxedyet.com.

Needless to say, whatever your pleasure, and however long you need to escape the parks, Disney can, as always, accommodate anyone. As with the parks, Disney goes out of their way to offer experiences of all shapes, speeds, and sizes in every aspect of the World, and if you can't find something to enjoy or entertain you, well, I just can't even imagine that can happen!