The Best Things To Do At Disney World Without Going To A Theme Park, According To Travelers

It is often said that the Disney World theme parks are full of magic, but some travelers may find that they need a break from all the glitz and glam. Sure, it's fun to pose for photographs with Mickey and Minnie. Additionally, who could turn down the chance to ride Splash Mountain? But, at the end of the day, spending too much time at an amusement park can be exhausting — not to mention expensive. The good news is that you don't have to spend time at Disney World theme parks to engage with the Disney spirit. The resort operates a number of other attractions in the Orlando area, each providing a unique sense of fun and appeal.

As Florida locals, we know a thing or two about maximizing our time at Disney. Drawing from our personal experiences in Orlando, we have compiled a list of amazing Disney-themed destinations that go beyond classic theme parks. Of course, we understand that not everybody shares our taste in activities. As such, we cross-referenced our favorite attractions with those that earned praise from other travelers on sites like Tripadvisor and Reddit. The result is a list that provides a wide range of ways to enjoy Disney without spending time and money at the theme parks. 

Disney's BoardWalk in Orlando, Florida, is the perfect place to soak up the resort's signature charm without ever stepping inside a theme park. Designed to resemble an old-timey beachfront like the one on Coney Island, the BoardWalk is brimming with nostalgic appeal. Here, you can grab a vintage ice cream soda, pick up a casual deli sandwich, or even sit for a full Italian dinner. On most clear afternoons or evenings, you can follow your meal with a bit of friendly competition. The BoardWalk provides entertaining midway games in the evenings when the weather is nice. Similarly, Disney's BoardWalk Inn allows visitors to play at their resort arcade.

Previous visitors enjoy the overall ambiance at the BoardWalk. Writing on the r/WaltDisneyWorld subreddit of Reddit, one traveler lauded the environment for its quasi-European feel. "I love that area. Great spot to grab some food and a drink or dessert and walk around. You get a little bit of France's ambiance sitting outside the international gateway entrance by Epcot," they gushed. A second visitor was thrilled with the BoardWalk's live entertainment offerings. As blogger Dana Stanley reported on Somewhere Worthwhile, her husband's favorite thing about the destination is "Night-time festivities like the jugglers + magicians. The lights! And I love when they show movies on the lawn." These activities make it possible for visitors to unwind after a busy week of hopping between theme parks.

If you need to shop, take a break from Disney's theme parks and head to Disney Springs. Owned by Disney, this shopping center is the perfect place to pick up souvenirs from your trip. Need a pair of Mickey Mouse ears? Or perhaps a Goofy plushie? They've got you covered. 

After you've shopped until you've dropped, head to the Disney Springs Coca-Cola store for a unique soda-sipping experience. Grab a seat at a rooftop bar and sample one of 100 different Coca-Cola flavors. Folks interested in learning about different cultures will be especially interested in trying the Tastes Around the World experience, which allows you to try up to 16 different Coca-Cola drinks from a variety of foreign countries. They say Coca-Cola is an awesome cure for traveler's belly, so drink up!

Folks who have gone to Disney Springs in the past wrote that their time at the mall was well-spent. As one visitor shared on Tripadvisor, "You cannot go wrong spending time at Disney Springs. They have wonderful restaurants and lots of shopping ... They also offer free parking. I could spend a whole day here." The international beverage experience at the Coca-Cola store is a particular favorite, with one previous guest writing on Google, "It's fun and surprising experience, as some flavors are sweet, some are fruity, and a few are quite unexpected!"

Disney Springs may be a major attraction, but traveling to and from this shopping center can be an adventure in itself. The reason? You can catch a ferry from the mall to various Disney hotels. The Sassagoula River Cruise runs along a network of canals from Disney Springs all the way to the Port Orleans French Quarter hotel. Park your car at the mall, hop on board the ferry, and cruise to the resort. Once you're there, you can grab a drink in the lobby before riding the boat back. The best part is that you don't have to stay at a Disney resort to enjoy a picturesque ride on the water taxi. Simply jump on board and soak up the relaxing ambiance. 

According to previous visitors, you should consider riding the water taxi when planning your next trip to Disney. When asked about their favorite non-theme park Orlando activities, one traveler wrote just how much they love riding the fairy. As they put it on the r/DisneyWorld subreddit of Reddit, "I like traveling around the parks ... take the ferry, go to port Orleans and take the boat to Disney springs. Great times!" Another took to Facebook to share that their time at Port Orleans French Quarter was thoroughly relaxing, and "The boat to Disney Springs was peaceful and convenient."

Folks in the mood for whimsical entertainment should sign up for dinner and a show at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. Held at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, this performance is a two-hour celebration of old-fashioned country fun. With hilarious skits, fast-paced songs, and a whole lot of spirit, the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is all but guaranteed to reel you in. The best part is that you don't have to stay at the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground to enjoy this experience. This essentially means that you can get a taste of a top-ranked Disney resort without actually paying top dollar for lodging.

While the main attraction of the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is the performance, previous guests were very satisfied with the all-you-can-eat dinner. As one wrote on Tripadvisor, "So much fun, definitely worth the time and money; you can also reserve a camp site, too. Food was very good and after the first helping you just tell them what to bring since it is all you can [eat]." Another Tripadvisor reviewer added, "Food was great! Salad, coleslaw and cornbread was ready and waiting on the tables when we walked in. Servers were awesome. Main dishes were brought out after a few songs, then dessert later. Everything was delicious and served at a perfect temperature." All in all, this show is the ideal outing for hungry families on the hunt for high-quality entertainment.

To add a little bit of the Great Outdoors to your Orlando, Florida experience, sign up for a night of camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. This unique resort allows visitors to pitch a tent on a modern campground and get a feel for the local environment. Spend your night at the resort's complimentary Chip 'n' Dale Campfire Sing-a-long, where you can roast marshmallows and belt some country songs with two of your favorite Disney characters. Afterward, get comfy and watch an outdoor movie screening. You'll likely head back to your tent feeling a strong dose of Disney magic.

While the nighttime activities at Fort Wilderness are certainly impressive, the daytime ones are arguably even more entertaining. Kayak rentals are available for just $15, and horse-drawn carriage eco-tours cost $65 per session. Former guests say that Fort Wilderness is the sort of place you can't help but return to. "Love, love, love Fort Wilderness. This is our 5th stay and there will be more. You can't beat the atmosphere...so much to do. So much to see," gushed one guest on Tripadvisor. Another recommended the campground for anyone with kids. "We LOVE coming to this resort. It's one of our favorite resorts at WDW. So much for the kids to do. The Trails End Restaurant has yummy fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and other fixings," they shared on Google. 

It's no secret that Orlando, Florida, is home to some of the best amusement parks in the world. However, it's natural to need a break from all the chaos of the fast rides and buzzing crowds. Anyone who realizes they need a day to recharge should consider spending time at Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf. With one beach-themed course and another blizzard-themed, this destination is just as aesthetically pleasing as any Disney-designed attraction. But unlike the Magic Kingdom, where a single-day pass will set you back $199 during the busy season, adult tickets to Winter Summerland cost just $19. Children's tickets are even more reasonably priced at $12. 

Folks who have enjoyed this activity in the past note that it's the perfect way to take a break from the theme parks. Writing on Google reviews, one former traveler shared, "What a lovely afternoon our family spent at this quaint miniature golf attraction! So much focus is placed on the theme parks that the smaller activities, such as this one, are often overlooked." Visitors with kids particularly love this destination for its family-friendly vibes. As one parent wrote on Tripadvisor, "[Mini golfing] has become a family tradition on our Florida vacations and Disney has one of the most family fun [courses] in the state." From April to June 2025, just be aware that the course will not take reservations, although walk-ins will be welcome!

The Winter Summerland Miniature Golf course is not the only Disney-owned destination that's way less expensive than the theme parks. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon are two incredible waterparks that fully embrace the Disney aesthetic, and tickets are relatively reasonably priced by Orlando standards. Adult-day passes to each water park start at around $75 and include access to numerous waterslides, poolside dining options, and a relaxing lazy river. This is a great deal as entry to Epcot starts at $129 per day, making it a way pricier option than Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

Previous visitors loved the short wait times at these parks. One traveler wrote about their Blizzard Beach experience on Tripadvisor: "The park itself is well laid out with loads of rides. We managed to get 3 water rides done within the first 20 minutes before moving over to the huge wave pool which was great fun ... We then went and did the 3 medium slides that are all together and managed to get these down in under 30 mins." A Google reviewer similarly wrote about Typhoon Lagoon, "I visit[ed] in mid October and the crowds were minimal. Basically walked on each slide with hardly any wait." Just note that in 2025, Typhoon Lagoon will be closed until May 1. Blizzard Beach will close from May 1 to 21. 

Vacationing in Orlando is not cheap, but there are some free things to do at Disney World. Among these activities, our personal favorite is riding the iconic monorail. This sleek train provides free transport between Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, and several Disney hotels. While this train system may be intended for parkgoers, you don't need to have any special day pass or hotel reservation to ride it. Simply hop on board, enjoy a relaxing ride, and soak up the sights. If you want the full Disney World experience, feel free to stop at any hotel. Swing by the hotel bar or restaurant for a chance to try one of the resort's signature items.

Travelers love riding the monorail from one Disney hotel to the next. Writing on the r/WaltDisneyWorld subreddit on Reddit, one visitor shared, "Boarding in Magic Kingdom allows you to ride to [the] Contemporary, Grand Floridian and the Polynesian [resorts] ... My family loves the Poly, so we always get off there on the MK Loop. Can get a tropical drink/snacks at the bars there, or try to get into Ohanas. The resort's gift shops are also cute and island themed." A second user on the same thread recommended using the monorail to facilitate a hotel bar crawl. "One of my best memories from my last trip was monorail bar hopping ... highly recommended if you don't have a park ticket for that day," they wrote.  

There's nothing quite like getting away from the crowds — or straight up whizzing past them. Travelers who want to plan a stress-free day at Disney World should consider renting Surrey bikes to explore other parts of the resort. These bicycles can hold anywhere from two to six people and are available to rent at six locations. This means that you could rent Surrey bikes at different places to check out new parts of Disney World.

Previous guests love that the bicycle rentals give them the chance to take a break from normal theme park wanderings. As Mike Belobradic wrote on his blog of the same name, "One of the things that I always recommend to Walt Disney World travelers is to break away from the parks and crowds ... to enjoy the rest of the World around you ... renting a bike and peddling around for a few hours is a great way to see some parts of Walt Disney World that you'd probably never visit otherwise."

You don't need to be a guest at a Disney hotel to rent Surrey bikes but know that they rent out on a first-come-first-serve basis. With this in mind, be sure to schedule some time, especially for this relaxing activity. Otherwise, you might miss out on the fun and end up falling into one of the many pitfalls of planning a half-baked family trip to Disney World. 

As Florida residents, we were excited to craft this list of the best activities to do at Disney World other than the theme parks. Over the years, we have visited Orlando several times and, on many occasions, have preferred to engage in low-key Disney activities rather than full-blown theme park tourism. Because of this, we began this process by writing down a list of our favorite Disney-related attractions. Our initial aim was to provide suggestions that were heavily influenced by local tips.

Of course, it would be imprudent to assume that our favorite activities would truly appeal to everyone. Because of this, our next step was to perform a deep dive into traveler reviews of each destination. The idea was to cross-reference our own impressions with other people's experiences. To ensure that our final recommendations would have broad general appeal, we eliminated all suggestions that did not have at least 4.0 stars on Tripadvisor and Google. We also discarded choices that lacked glowing reviews on the aforementioned sites, Reddit, or personal blogs. The result is a list of activities that blends local tips with visitor reviews to create fun yet unique recommendations for what folks can enjoy beyond Disney's theme parks.