Hi Darlene,
Welcome to planDisney and thank you for asking us a question, my fellow Canadian! There are so many great shopping and dining options to be found throughout Walt Disney World Resort, and Disney’s BoardWalk and Disney Springs are two areas that have some of the best choices in both categories.
Disney Springs is a massive outdoor shopping and dining complex, one that my friend described as a “Theme Park for Foodies and Shopaholics” and she isn’t wrong. My family and I typically spend at least a half day poking through all of the shops, including
World of Disney and other “
Distinctly Disney” stores, as well as other more known brand-name stores. What I love about shopping at Disney Springs is how “hands on” many of the shopping experiences there can be. For example, I love to cook so I always make sure to stop at
The Spice & Tea Exchange. My kiddo loves coming with me because he can smell and look at all of the different jars of spice blends and tell me which ones he think he might like. He’s a budding foodie, so it’s been fun to watch him discover new smells and flavours as he picks up each jar to sniff it! And, speaking of food, there are some pretty incredible choices to discover at Disney Springs, from
Wine Bar George, to
Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ and casual quick-service locations such as
D-Luxe Burger and decadent treat locations like
Gideon’s Bakehouse and
Sprinkles.
Disney’s BoardWalk is an area that connects several of the
Epcot Resort Area Disney Resorts Collection hotels. There are some great dining options there as well, including one of my favourite places to “carb load” during a runDisney race weekend:
Trattoria Al Forno. I also love the way that area comes to life at night with outdoor entertainment and midway games.
The best part? You don’t need admission or a Theme Park Ticket to visit either of these locations! For Disney Springs, just hop on
Disney Bus Transportation from your Disney hotel or drive directly there. As for Disney’s BoardWalk, the best way would be to take either Disney Bus Transportation to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and then either walk for 15-20 minutes or to take the
Disney Skyliner to Epcot’s International Gateway entrance.
Tip: While I'd absolutely recommend devoting at least half a day towards visiting Disney Springs during your vacation, I wouldn't say a visit to Disney's BoardWalk is a "must do" with your kiddos.
I hope my answer helps you plan a delicious visit to Walt Disney World Resort! Please don’t hesitate to come back and see us if you have any other questions.
Have a Magical Day,
Lynne