{"id":56852,"date":"2017-09-14T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2017-09-14T16:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=56852"},"modified":"2022-04-09T00:33:27","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T04:33:27","slug":"enjoy-disney-springs-family-without-shopping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/enjoy-disney-springs-family-without-shopping\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Enjoy Disney Springs with your Family Without Shopping"},"content":{"rendered":"

Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney, is a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex along the banks of Village Lake; after a major overhaul, Disney Springs has become a destination in its very own right. Families can have fun all day without shopping, and here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/p>\n

If you are staying at Port Orleans Riverside or Port Orleans French Quarter, take the boat into Disney Springs. The gentle 2 1\/2-mile ride on the Sassagoula River, past the Treehouse Villas and Saratoga Springs, is absolutely wonderful. If you are not staying on property, you can still enjoy a free boat ride from the Marketplace dock to the Landing and then onward to the West Side dock.<\/p>\n

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Little tykes will love to ride on the old-fashioned\u00a0Marketplace Train Express\u00a0or take a spin on the\u00a0Marketplace Carousel.\u00a0Riding the choo-choo train or one of the 16 handcrafted horses of the Venetian merry-go-round costs $3 per turn.<\/p>\n

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If you make it clear that this is not a shopping expedition, great fun can be had at the\u00a0LEGO\u00a0store, where kids can play for free with the little bricks.<\/p>\n

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At the\u00a0Once Upon a Toy\u00a0store, there is a section where kids can enjoy some playtime with lots of different Mr. Potato Head parts without parents being obliged to purchase any.<\/p>\n

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Disney Springs is the perfect place to do some serious pin trading. Bring your pins (you can purchase them in bulk on Ebay) and visit\u00a0Disney\u2019s Pin Traders,\u00a0a store that regularly hosts pin trading events. Several times a day, World of Disney and the Once Upon a Toy stores bring out pin books or pin boards for trading. Many Cast Members wear lanyards signifying that they are up for pin trading. It\u2019s a lot of fun.<\/p>\n\n

Five Best Places for Lunch<\/h3>\n

The best burgers are available at\u00a0D-Luxe Burger<\/a>,\u00a0a restaurant offering classic and gourmet variations on the all-time American favorite.<\/p>\n

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The best pizza is found at\u00a0Blaze Fast-Fire\u2019d Pizza<\/a>.\u00a0Guests can pick from eight signature pizzas or customize their own 11? artisanal pie by choosing from more than 40 delicious toppings and sauces. Make sure to get one s\u2019mores dessert pie. All pizzas come with a choice of High-rise Dough or Gluten-Free Dough. Both fast-casual, quick-service restaurants are located in Town Center and offer ample indoor and outdoor seating.<\/p>\n

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The fun d\u00e9cor and the life-size animatronic dinosaurs make the\u00a0T-Rex restaurant<\/a>\u00a0a favorite among children. If eating among dinosaurs is not your thing and you don\u2019t mind the kids getting a bit dirty, check out the giant sandbox outside of the T-Rex restaurant. Playing in the Paleo Zone is free of charge at all times, even without dining reservations.<\/p>\n

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Chef Art Smith\u2019s Homecomin\u2019\u00a0<\/a>pays homage to the Southern kitchen, with the majority of ingredients sourced from local farms, ranches, or fisheries. Indoor seating provides a view into the open kitchen. Additional seating is available in a screened-in porch and at a small outdoor terrace. Fried chicken, fried catfish, shrimp and grits, deviled eggs, and hushpuppies are staples at this restaurant located at The Landing.<\/p>\n

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If you are visiting on a Saturday or Sunday, consider the\u00a0brunch at Raglan Road<\/a>,\u00a0where you can delight in authentic Irish music, food, and live entertainment. Options range from the chef\u2019s Full Irish Breakfast (sausage, black and white pudding, bacon, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and fried eggs with potato \u201croasties\u201d) to pancakes with cr\u00e8me fraiche, maple syrup, and berry compote. Enjoying the in-house Irish band and Irish dance troupe are one of my favorite things to do at Disney Springs. If you do not feel like eating a sit-down meal at Raglan but want to enjoy great Irish music, you can always go for the outdoor patio.<\/p>\n

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During the summer months, kids enjoy the two\u00a0splash-pad fountains. Hanging out here is a wet affair, so bring a change of clothes, slap on the sunscreen, and let them have fun! Parents can keep a watchful eye from the benches surrounding the jumping water jets.<\/p>\n

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All year long, there is plenty of musical entertainment throughout Disney Springs, including free concerts and dance performances on the Waterside Stage in Marketplace.<\/p>\n

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There are two ways to impress your tween or teen. How about hovering over Disney Springs in the world\u2019s largest, hand-painted, tethered helium balloon? The\u00a0Aerophile balloon soars 400 feet high and offers a 360-degree view of Walt Disney World Resort. The 8- to 10-minute experience comes at a price tag of $20 adults and $15 ages 3-9.<\/p>\n

Another pricy-but-fun activity is the\u00a0Amphicar<\/a> ride\u00a0at The BOATHOUSE<\/a>. The 25-minute ride on Village Lake costs $125 and includes your own Car Captain and offers seating for up to three.<\/p>\n

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Best Sweets at Disney Springs\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ghiradelli\u2019s Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop\u00a0distributes free chocolate samples throughout the day.<\/p>\n

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At\u00a0The Ganachery,\u00a0you can watch the signature ganache squares being made. The price for one piece is $3.\u00a0A small cup of delicious ice cream at\u00a0Vivoli il Gelato\u00a0or a cupcake at\u00a0Erin McKenna\u2019s Bakery NYC\u00a0will set you back about $5.<\/p>\n

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For a real treat, visit\u00a0Amorette\u2019s Patisserie\u00a0and go for Amorette\u2019s Petit Cake ($15), a miniature version of the patisserie\u2019s signature cake, made out of 11 layers of red velvet cake, chocolate cake, cherry mousse, chocolate mousse, raspberry fruit jelly, and Italian buttercream.<\/p>\n

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End your visit with drinks at\u00a0Jock Lindsey\u2019s Hangar Bar<\/a>.\u00a0The bar, named after a character from the Indiana Jones movie, looks like a\u00a01930s-era airplane hangar. The outdoor seating area is perfect for watching the sunset over Village Lake.\u00a0If you\u2019re still in the mood for some music, consider drinks on the outdoor patio of\u00a0House of Blues.\u00a0For the price of a drink, you can enjoy great music.<\/p>\n

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Touring Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0Make sure to visit the welcoming and beautiful new\u00a0Guest Services,\u00a0complete with a porch and rocking chairs.<\/p>\n

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The building is located next to the beautiful Disney-created springs that\u00a0wind through most of Town Center. The guest center offers free cold water and plenty of outlets next to comfortable seating inside, convenient if you need to charge your cellphone.<\/p>\n

Have you spent a day at Disney Springs without shopping? What did you do? Share your suggestions in the comments.<\/em><\/p>\n

Did you like this article? Make sure to share it with your friends! Check below for easy ways to share!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney, is a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex along the banks of Village Lake; after a major overhaul, Disney Springs has become a destination in its very own right. Families can have fun all day without shopping, and here\u2019s how. If you are staying at Port Orleans Riverside or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":56857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walt-disney-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56852"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66425,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56852\/revisions\/66425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}