Heading to Walt Disney World? We share these unique things to do at Disney World, so you can enjoy fun Disney activities off-the-beaten path.
At Creative Travel Guide, we are super fortunate to have Kylee from Theme Parks For Grown Ups (a former Disney cast member and professional Disney Travel Planner) share 12 unique things to do in Disney World!
Blog posts, YouTube videos, and planning guides galore! There is a ton of information regarding Disney World out there like the best restaurants at Walt Disney World or things you need to pack for Disney.
So much that many people become overwhelmed and give up on the idea of a vacation before they even start planning. You can’t accomplish everything at Disney World in 4-5 days and if you want to enjoy your vacation, you shouldn’t try to. As a former Cast Member, a frequent guest, and Travel Agent, my best advice is to choose 3-5 things you want to do in each park and stay flexible if things change.
To get you started, I’ve listed 3 unique things to do from each Disney World park. A few of these ideas are the off-the-beaten-path for those of you who want to experience something new at Disney. The others are popular activities that I feel are worth the hype. Pick and choose a few of your favourites to add to your Disney Wish List!
Unique things to do in Magic Kingdom
1) Explore the Mountains
Magic Kingdom has a figurative mountain range made up of four thrill rides. All four attractions are the most popular rides in the Magic Kingdom and should be added to your Disney Must-Do List.
Due to their popularity, be sure to book FastPasses for any and all of these rides. After scaling Magic Kingdom’s mountains, head over to Animal Kingdom for the largest one, Expedition Everest.
Magic Kingdom Mountain Range
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Splash Mountain
- Space Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain
2) Stay Late for the Perfect Castle Picture
After the park officially closes, the Emporium (Main Street’s largest souvenir shop) remains open for about an hour. This gives you a chance to do some shopping with fewer crowds. This also means you can capture Cinderella Castle without as many people in the background. I personally feel this is one of the most romantic things to do in Disney World.
3) Monorail Bar Crawl
Three Deluxe Resorts surround Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Seven Seas Lagoon. All three resorts are connected to the Magic Kingdom via monorail, which gives non-resort guests a chance to check them out without staying there.
This has created a trend called “monorail bar crawl” where guests disembark the monorail at each resort to grab a quick drink from one of the many lounges located at each hotel. This way you can experience each resort without spending too much on a hotel stay.
Best Lounges at Every Monorail Resort
- Mizner’s Lounge – The Grand Floridian
- Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto – Polynesian Village Resort
- California Grill or Outer Rim Lounge – The Contemporary Resort
Unique things to do in Epcot
4) Befriend a Manatee
The most overlooked attraction in Epcot is SeaBase, located at the end of The Seas with Nemo & Friends attraction. The marine life exhibit has been around since 1986 when the former attraction, The Living Seas, was built. The large aquarium is tucked away in the back of the building and without boarding Finding Nemo, you’d hardly know it was there.
Inside, you’ll find enormous tanks filled with sea life and a small manatee tank where Marine Biologist’s talk about the sea cows and conservation.
Once in a while, you’ll see a Biologist hop inside the tanks to conduct research on the animals!
This exhibit is a very cool piece of Epcot history and a relaxing way to wind down from the park’s hustle and bustle.
5) Drink Around the World
Noticing a trend here? Each country in Epcot’s World Showcase is represented by different countries and each of those countries features drinks and snacks inspired by the origin and culture.
Many guests have challenged themselves to indulge in a cocktail or beer from each place. Some have succeeded and those are the people you see reluctantly dragging themselves onto a Disney bus after park closing.
You don’t have to drink alcohol to experience the best beverages at Disney though! There are plenty of unique drinks featured at each pavilion including milkshakes, bubble tea, coffee, and more. Not to mention all the glorious food!
6) Behind the Seeds Tour
Disney offers many tours that will give you a unique look at the parks and the history behind them. One of the most popular and least expensive is Behind the Seeds. This tour takes you backstage of the Living with the Land attraction and the rest of the Land Pavilion. For an hour, you get to experience Disney’s real greenhouses and learn about past, present, and future agriculture. This tour is only $25 per person and a very cool experience!
If you are looking for the ultimate VIP experience, book yourself the Disney VIP Tour service and get on all the rides quickly whilst learning more about some of Disney’s hidden magic.
Unique things to do in Hollywood Studios
7) What’s On Tap?
The best place to grab small bites and fantastic drinks in Hollywood Studios is the BaseLine Taphouse. This is a fairly new lounge that serves great brews and cocktails on tap! Inside the bar, you’ll find posters, renderings, and other Easter eggs that pay homage to Disney history and trivia. Outside, there is plenty of seating underneath the Edison bulbs and patio umbrellas.
8) Become a Toy
Toy Story Land opened in 2018 and is the most popular area in Hollywood Studios. There are some great free things to do in Disney World and, once your in the parks, this is definietly a great area to explore.
Here, you’re shrunk down to the size of a toy to ride the Slinky Dog Dash coaster, take a spin on the Alien Swirling Saucers, and play a 4D game with Woody and friends. The land is filled with elements from Toy Story and some yummy snacks like the housemade Nutella Pop Tart from Woody’s Lunch Box.
I suggest getting to this park right when it opens because lines for the attractions get long really fast.
9) Take in a Drive-In Movie
There’s a long-running debate about whether Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre or 50’s Prime Time Cafe is the best-themed restaurant in Hollywood Studios. As far as theming goes, Sci-Fi gets my vote. The restaurant emulates an old drive-in theatre where you eat fried pickles and watch Sci-Fi flicks in the backseat of a Chevy.
50’s Prime Time does strike a nostalgic chord with the mid-century decor, black and white televisions, and homemade classics like fried chicken with mashed potatoes. Although, the best food award would have to go to The Brown Derby with their famous Cobb salad and grapefruit cake.
Restaurant options at Hollywood Studios vary greatly, so it all depends on what you’re in the mood for. You can’t go wrong with any of the three restaurants I mentioned above.
Unique things to do in Animal Kingdom
10) Snack Your Way Through Pandora
Pandora is the newest and most popular land in Animal Kingdom. Much like Toy Story Land, if you want to ride either Flight of Passage or Na’vi River Journey, I highly advise getting to Animal Kingdom at least 30-45 minutes before the park opens.
This area has incredible architecture and renderings of the land from Avatar the movie. More importantly, you can find some really delicious and unique snacks here.
Top 3 Snacks in Pandora
- Pongu Lumpia made with pineapple and cream cheese – Pongu Pongu
- Rum Blossom made with rum, apple and pear limeade, and passion fruit boba – Pongu Pongu
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse with Passion Fruit curd – Satu’li Canteen
11) Take in a Show
Animal Kingdom is home to the best live shows in Disney World. Two live musicals play in designated theatres throughout the day. The first is Finding Nemo: the musical which features original music set to the Pixar movie.
The show is complete with enormous puppets, ornate set pieces, and a talented Broadway-level cast. The second show is a rendition of Lion King with live singers, dancers, acrobatics, and audience participation. Both shows are a joy, especially to those who love Disney films.
12) Drink in the Atmosphere
Tiffin’s is an upscale restaurant decorated in sketches and photos taken by Animal Kingdom’s Imagineers during their research trips to Africa and India. Attached to Tiffin’s is Nomad Lounge, a first come, first serve lounge with a full menu and fantastic drinks.
The outdoor patio is quiet, remote, and wraps around the building with a view of Discovery River and the bridge connecting to Pandora. There are also large fluffy couches where you can lay back with a cocktail and take in the scenery.
If you’re a frequent Disney World guest, you may be looking for something new to do on your next vacation. Or, maybe you’re a first-timer wondering what you should spend your money on in the parks. Whatever your experience is with Disney, try making a loose blueprint of what you want your vacation to look like and don’t fret if you can’t cross everything off your list. This is your time to relax and enjoy your vacation. And always be sure to stop and smell the Disney popcorn!
A massive thank you to Kylee! If you’re planning a trip to Disney, don’t forget to head over and check out Theme Parks for Grow-ups – you can even get a FREE Adult Travel Guide for all the parks!
Helpful resources:
Travel essentials:
- We LOVE this camera for our travel photography.
- For a cheap, easy and compact camera, we use this to vlog and take photographs.
- We use this travel drone (but make sure to check drone laws in your chosen destination first).
- This is our favourite travel Insurance because it covers so many activities and travel situations that could arise on longer trips but also offers year coverage.
What to pack:
- No matter where we travel to, I always take these trusty hand sanitizer’s and a mini first aid kit.
- We love these toiletry bags (especially great for smaller bathrooms) and choose a laptop bag like this as our hand luggage.
- We keep our devices charged on long travel days with these lightweight battery packs and bring these worldwide travel adaptors on all our trips.
- I still struggle not to overpack so stick to using an expandable suitcase like these, over backpack and always take my trusty luggage scales to avoid being charged at the airport.
25 Comments
Wow! I’ve never been to DisneyWorld! Now I have a list of things to do!
I love these tips! I didn’t know there was an aquarium at Epcot, so I’ll have to check that out next time we go down. We love visiting during the food festival.
Oh wow, I didn’t realise that you could do any of these things! I’d absolutely love to go and see the manatees; they’re such gentle-looking creatures – that very much appeals! Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you Nicky! We were surprised to hear about all of these unique experiences too! Glad you liked the post and thanks for commenting 🙂
Smart tips! It’s always good to know where you can get a nice drink along the way and find the coolest experiences for your family. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment! Yeah it is great to know there are a few places for a drink during an adult visit 🙂
Thanks for the great article. It has been years since we visited Disney World and that was with the kids. It is time to return and visit in a different light. The Monorail Bar Crawl sounds fun and as you say a great way to see other places.
Thanks for the comment Jane, definitely head back without the kids 🙂 Disney is just as fun for adults I am convinced 🙂
I am not a Disney World person, but this seems to be really fun. I have heard a lot about this theme park and have always thought if I should pay a visit. It won’t be boring I am sure after reading so many activities that you have mentioned of.
Thanks Shreya! Yeah my husband isn’t the biggest fan but it’s nice to experience a different type of way to enjoy Disney 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Your post brought back some old memories. The last time we visited Disney World was in 2001, when our son was just a few years old. He loved the manatees and I remember he wanted to get in the water with them. I never tried that Monorail Bar Crawl. Those drinks look so appealing, I’d love to have one right now.
AWW glad you enjoyed the post! Bless, you should head back, it is amazing how much the parks change over a few years!
I didn’t realize that you could do some of these things despite visiting Disneyland before (I was very small). I absolutely love the Drink Around the World concept. Thank you for this awesome article, I learned a few new things about Disneyland
I love it too! Drink around the world is so much fun 🙂 Definitely try out Disney as an adult!
You had me at the Monorail bar crawl! This is definitely something I would not associate with Disney, but I like the thought of a cocktail or two! The drive-in movie also appeals to me, it sounds so retro.
I didn’t realize there were so many non-ride related activities at DisneyWorld! I have actually only been to Disneyland, but this is reason enough to go see both!
As living in California, I am more familiar with Disneyland than DisneyWorld. But I am looking forward to visit there someday and see how it is. These are great tips for making the day awesome.. or two or three days. I had never even known about behind the scenes tours for example. That sounds like something I would enjoy.
Disney World is one of my dream trips! I’ve been to Disneyland and I imagine Disney World to be even better. I hope I can go there soon, this post makes me want to go even more! Thanks for sharing!
I have never been to a Disney world so this post is very useful. Nice to see that there are so many things to do that are offbeat and unique. Monorail bar will be my favorite i believe.
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The monorail bar crawl is such a fun idea! I had never heard of that before, but will probably give it a try the next time I’m at Disney!