By You may be surprised to learn that every Walt Disney World hotel offers its own unique recreational activities and experiences. Guests can do anything from taking an art tour to playing giant-sized board games to enjoying a spa day…and it’s all available on-site!
Here are some of the best recreational activities at Disney World.
Arcades
To the best of our knowledge, every official Disney World hotel hosts an arcade. This information could save you on a rainy day, too.
While the arcades aren’t free and require tokens to play, they’re still an economical form of entertainment at Disney. So, should you prefer this distraction – and we’re both gamers so we really, really do – you can have a lot of fun for not much better.
For parents with bored kids, arcades make all the difference in the world on a rainy day or just when you need to kill an hour or two. We say this because Disney arcades are good.
Guests will discover a combination of recent S-tier games, interactive ones that require a bit of physical exertion, and many of the classics from the golden age of gaming.
To us, Disney’s Contemporary Resort will always be THE gaming mecca at Disney World. The arcade on the fourth floor here resides right by the monorail station, making it easily accessible.
However, several other Disney properties host nearly as good arcades that aren’t quite as crowded. In truth, on some days, your family may be the only ones in the arcade, which is pure joy when it happens.
Bowling
We realize that bowling isn’t a conventional recommendation during a Disney vacation but A) Disney Springs is home to a really great one and B) we have a Simpsons Bowling Arcade 1-Up in our living room.
Still, we heartily recommend Splitsville at Disney Springs as a dynamic way to spend an hour or two. This combo restaurant, sports bar, and bowling alley makes no sense…until you get there.
Once you’re in the building, you’ll fully understand why the place is so popular. In fact, it has become a chain due to the success of the Disney Springs location.
We won’t try to sell you on bowling, as you instinctively know whether you like it or not. However, we’d argue that Splitsville is much more than just a bowling alley. It has as many televisions as any place at Disney World, making it an ideal place to watch the big game.
Campfires
We’re about to list several activities you’d never think you could do at Disney World, starting with sitting by a campfire. Yes, several Disney resorts host these at night.
In fact, most official Disney hotels in the Moderate and Deluxe Tiers offer campfire activities, including the tried-and-true tradition of toasting S’mores. Alas, the S’mores aren’t free, as you’ll purchase a toasting kit for $10 or so.
There’s a hidden benefit to these campfire hangouts. Sometimes, Disney characters like Chip ‘n’ Dale appear. We make no promises on this front, but we’ve seen it firsthand.
Even when that doesn’t occur, Cast Members host sing-alongs, and it’s just a great time to be had by all. Also, while Disney rarely gets cold, it’s still a wonderful thing to do in autumn and winter. It just feels right.
Cirque du Soleil
A family member once told us that Disney Springs hosted a Cirque du Soleil show, and we’ll just level with you. We didn’t believe it. At the time, we were spending more vacation days at Cedar Point than Disney World.
Our ‘ohana knew that we adored Cirque du Soleil, though. We even watched that single-season reality show competition that had terrible ratings. We’re diehards.
So, once we found out that the Cirque rumor was true, we made a beeline for Disney Springs. The show was different at the time, but the new one is even better.
Drawn to Life Presented by Cirque du Soleil marries the concepts of freakishly flexible acrobats with Disney storytelling. We know it sounds absurd, but it just works. This is a VERY good show and one to add to your Disney bucket list.
Golf
Yup, Disney World has become a sneaky-good place to sneak in a few holes before your grandkids notice you’re missing.
That’s because the campus hosts four different courses…and good ones at that. The PGA has hosted several events at these locations! So, golfers can relax at Disney World while also playing on championship-level golf courses.
You can read the details at GolfWDW.com, which tells a story in and of itself. Playing golf at Disney World has grown so popular that it has its own dedicated website.
Mini-Golf
Then again, maybe you’re like David and hate golf but love putting. Kim thinks he’s weird for that, as her father loves the sport, and she’s a natural at it.
Still, Kim humors David by taking him to mini-golf courses around the world and absolutely destroying him. This isn’t a joke. He’s like 1 and 40 against her.
Remarkably, Disney World hosts two of our four favorite courses in the world, the others being one from our honeymoon and another in our hometown called Sir Goony’s.
All four courses share the same similarity. They’re highly themed. The Disney courses are next-level, though. One is located near Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. So, it features a similar winter theme and is called Winter Summerland.
The other embraces the spirit and legacy of Fantasia. So, it’s our favorite. Fantasia Gardens features a Sorcerer Mickey shrubbery and some legitimately trippy holes.
Both courses are world-class but don’t require much skill, something David appreciates. Also, some admission tickets include a free round of mini-golf. If yours does, use it!
Movies under the Stars
Here’s one of our favorite Disney activities, although we never plan for it. Several times a week, your Disney World resort will host movie night. It’s an outdoor experience on a projection screen.
The video monitor is…puffy, as Disney uses inflatable projectors. Cast Members wheel them out and then play a combination of classic Disney movies and new releases.
Anything currently available digitally could play as a part of Movies under the Stars. So, you won’t get in-release titles as happens on Disney Cruise Line, but recent releases are in the rotation.
Really, though, you’re attending for the experience. You’ll spend an enchanted evening sitting on the ground or, in some instances, a chair, and staring at one of your favorite films.
Surrounding you are other families, including dancing children who relish every second of watching a movie while at Disney. These exhibitions have evolved into some of the most relaxing evenings you can have on a Disney vacation.
The best part is that you don’t even need to do anything. Should you be walking on the hotel campus and notice a crowd forming, that’s probably the Movies under the Stars group.
Everyone will show up for the same thing. They want to enjoy a tranquil evening of Disney storytelling.
Shop at Disney Springs
We’ve got a full guide to every section of Disney Springs as well as a list of shopping suggestions. Still, we’ll include it here just so that you remember.
Simply stated, you’ll discover no better place to shop than at Disney Springs. Dozens of vendors, a combination of well-known brands and high-end retailers, have opened stores here.
During your vacation, you should plan to spend at least one afternoon or evening at Disney Springs. Don’t be surprised if that’s your favorite day of the trip. We always have a better time when we spend a few hours at Disney Springs during our vacation.
Tri-Circle-D Ranch
Here’s the Disney World recreational activity that delights us the most, even though we rarely spend time here. Just knowing this place exists is more than enough to charm us.
Disney owns and operates an entire dude ranch on its Orlando campus! This place houses all the horses you’ll notice on Main Street, U.S.A. and in various Disney parades.
So, you can visit here and pet the horseys…but that’s not all! You can ride them, too! Tri-Circle-D Ranch offers a plethora of horse-related activities. You can choose between carriage rides, trail rides, pony rides, and even wagon rides. During the holiday season, you can even take a sleigh ride! How great is that?
You can also go on a Segway tour of Fort Wilderness Campground or receive archery training. These aren’t the only outdoor activities, either.
The Fort Wilderness area is one of several at Disney World where you can rent boat equipment or have a captain sail you around the various rivers and lakes in this area. You can go fishing or rent a canoe/kayak! Here are the other Disney properties that host marinas:
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
First-timers and infrequent Disney vacationers shouldn’t consider this option. For those of you seeking something different, it’s an unforgettable experience, though.
Visit ESPN Wide World of Sports
Disney hosts a shocking number of daily sports events. Some of them are high-profile, such as the occasional Pro Bowl competition. Others are for highly competitive elementary school students.
We prefer the latter, as we love watching a kid get a base hit and immediately run to third base.
Leave the Disney Bubble
We almost never do this, but we should mention that you’ll find other recreational activities outside the Disney Bubble. You’ll need to bring your own transportation, rent a car, or rideshare to do this, but it can be quite rewarding.
Currently, the most popular destination is Universal Epic Universe, the new theme park at Universal Orlando Resort. This place opened in 2025, making it the first new park of this scale in nearly a quarter-century.
To a larger point, Epic Universe qualifies as the most Disney-like park in the history of Universal Studios, which is to say it’s MUCH better than anything the company has ever done.
So, we understand the appeal of the place, especially since there’s a themed land dedicated to How to Train Your Dragon and our beloved Night Fury, Toothless. The Dark Universe themed land based on Classic Universal Monsters has also won awards for its immersion and detail.
Basically, what we’re saying is that we understand why you’d consider a quick trip to Universal Studios. David’s brother’s family just did this the other day. They visited Disney World and Universal Studios while in Orlando. It’s perfectly doable, although we wouldn’t advise it for those of you who have never been to either park. You’d feel overwhelmed.
During college football season, you can also attend University of Central Florida football games as well as their other sports throughout the year. Several professional sports teams call Florida home, too. You can take the Brightline to most of these places.
Central Florida also hosts plenty of concerts and even a couple of music festivals. In addition, the Dr. Phillips Center hosts Broadway in Orlando, which features several touring shows each year.
So, you can entertain yourself in numerous ways when you’re willing to leave the Disney Bubble. We just don’t think it’s a good idea since you’d find more to do on the Disney campus, as this list of recreational activities – and the entire book, for that matter – shows.