Spectacular entertainment, dining, and shopping adventures await at Disney Springs! This waterfront district offers unique experiences and entertainment at the Walt Disney World complex through four distinct neighborhoods: The Landing, The Marketplace, West Side, and Town Center – all of which are connected with a flowing spring and gorgeous lakefront vista. We recently spent an evening at Disney Springs and were blown away by the endless family fun and experiences that were offered – it is a perfect way to spend a day with the family! Here we look at our top five must-see experiences when visiting this mega entertainment complex – and why Disney Springs needs to be on your Orlando must-do list!
1. Take Flight
Take to the sky for a Disney experience that includes a balloon ride! The world’s largest tethered helium balloon awaits for a fairytale flight over Disney Springs. The Characters in Flight helium balloon operated by Aerophile floats 400 feet above Disney Springs – allowing for unobstructed views of downtown Orlando, all four Disney parks as well as all of the Disney resorts. The mammoth balloon is filled with 210,000 cubic feet of helium and holds up to 29 guests in its basket. The exciting experience is similar to a hot air balloon ride except it is tethered (and simply raised and lowered) and instead of hot air is filled and sealed with helium (reducing noise and pollution). The balloon ascends for approximately 8 minutes and returns to the dock once again. No solo flights here- you’ll be joined by silhouettes of beloved Disney characters that illuminate on the balloon sides while in flight.
Characters in Flight. Located on the west side of Disney Springs. Safety first! The balloon will not fly if winds exceed 22 mph or if there is a storm. Balloon flights are first come first serve, and cannot be reserved. Guests over 12 years of age are permitted to ride by themselves. However, children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult (18 years of age or older). Price: $25 for adults (ages 10 and older) and $20 for children.
2. Build a Memory
Brick-tacular memories are made at the amazing Lego Imagination Center in Disney Springs. Spectacular Lego sculptures of Disney Characters await – while the Loch Ness monster (made completely of Legos!!) stands guard over the Disney Springs Lake. Little ones will love to build their own memory brick-by-brick at the (free!) play tables or fill their own assortment with the pick-a-brick wall that allows their imagination to run wild. Don’t forget to stop by the interactive hands-on kids’ activities like mural construction and beat-the-clock building contests. A must-visit.
Lego Imagination Center. Located in the west side of Disney Springs Marketplace.
3. Have a Roar-ing Adventure
For a prehistoric family adventure unlike any other – head over to T-Rex Café on the east side of Disney Springs Town Center. Enjoy face-to-face prehistoric encounters and dino-mite fun at this uniquely themed restaurant. Life-size animatronic dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, and jumbo jellyfish stand within elaborate scenes and meteor showers and put on a show for all guests. Outside children can dig for bones in the (free!) Discovery Dig fossil sandpit (made of pebbles, not sand, which means no clothing mess!). Inside a full gift store including dino-themed merchandise and the unique Build-A-Dino™ by Build-A-Bear Workshop™ where you can make your own dino friend! A visit to this restaurant will be a prehistoric experience that little ones won’t forget.
T-Rex. Located in the Town Center area of Disney Springs. Dig Discovery is free! Build a Dino requires a fee. The restaurant is immensely popular – reservations are essential to avoid a long wait. Make one HERE.
4. A Boat Load of Family Fun
Float on by for family fun at the incredible Boathouse Restaurant. The restaurant offers savory land and sea fare in a nautical atmosphere – but the fun floats on further than just a yummy lunch or dinner. Most exciting – the Boathouse is home to the Amphicar – a car/boat hybrid that runs on both land and water. Fun fact: Amphicars are super rare. Only 3,878 were produced, and today fewer than 400 remain. About a dozen or so of these cars are at Disney Springs. Amphicar tours are available – where your car-boat drives into the water for a unique tour of Disney Springs around the harbor. During your visit – don’t miss the museum! On the restaurant docks is a fleet of rare (and truly incredible!) boats on display – a walk-at-your leisure museum boat tour that is free to explore. Bonus – Live music and events take place harborside daily.
The Boathouse. Located at Disney Spring Landing. Reservations are recommended for dinner HERE.
5. Entertainment for any Age
There is no shortage of entertainment for any age at Disney Springs. Strike up the fun at Splitsville – offering boutique bowling with a full-scale restaurant and entertainment center complete with 30 high-tech bowling lanes, outdoor seating, and live entertainment. Need something for younger children? Disney Springs offers a charming carousel and train rides perfect for toddlers (or those young at heart), while older kids would love the awe-inspiring Cirque du Soleil La Nuebla show offering artsy fun. Disney Springs also offers (free!) pop-up stage shows, live performances, and unique specialty acts throughout the park. We saw a ballet and roaming piano player during our visit! Check the calendar for details.
Disney Springs Entertainment. Splitsville HERE, Cirque du Soleil HERE. Calendar HERE.
One Sweet Bonus Listing!
Looking for a ‘sweet’ spot in Disney Springs? Look no further than the Goofy’s Candy Company! This super fun, colorful candy emporium has a huge assortment of candy treats to choose from. Not only will you find prepackaged cakes candy and sweets, here you can even build your own customized treat! For the customized treat, you can pick between a caramel apple, red velvet or chocolate cake pop, rice cereal treat, or marshmallow. Good to know: only the apple and cake pops have “ears”. From there, you can select what you would like to have it dipped in, a topping, and a drizzle. It is completely customized and so fun. Highly recommend this for a dessert stop.
Goofy’s Candy Company. More on the store HERE.
We haven’t visited since they made the Disney Springs switch! I know my kids would love T-Rex cafe. It looks really fun but I have to know…how was the food??
T-Rex café is so much fun – your kids will absolutely love it! We didn’t get a chance to eat there unfortunately so I can’t speak for the food (we had dinner at The Boathouse instead – which was excellent!) But I can tell you that the line/wait for T-Rex Café was crazy long! Hopefully a sign that the food is good too? 🙂