City ❀ Country ❀ Beach
Hilton Tokyo Bay is a beautiful & wonderfully located unofficial Disney resort located only a shuttle away from Tokyo Disneyland. That is one of the main reasons why we decided to stay here because we are huge Disney fans. In addition, it’s easy access via …
Let’s face it. You want to have fun, get the most out of your trip, but you also don’t want to spend a fortune. We totally understand because that’s how we always plan our trips. New York City can be expensive and you’ll hear it …
Did you know that it is possible to have Disney fun without the price tag? Take it from me. I have lived near both Disneyland®, CA and Walt Disney World®, FL most of my life. I can assure you that there are many fun activities you can do that you don’t need to pay a dime for. Since I now live only 1.5 hours away from Walt Disney World®, FL this is my list of free things to do at Disney.
You may have visited here already and know that there is no fee to park , but did you know you can veer off to visit many Disney resorts from Disney Springs? First, let me be clear. Visiting Disney Springs can take you an entire day in and of itself. There is so much to do here. You can shop, eat, and enjoy some entertainment depending on the time of day you go. Make sure you bring some comfortable walking shoes.
My top three favorite places to shop at Disney Springs is the World of Disney store because they have everything that you could possible want under one roof. My next favorite store is Star Wars Galactic Outpost because in our household we are huge Star Wars fans. And, my other favorite store is The Art of Disney because there are just so much beautiful artwork there and we own a cell from the Snow White movie.
* Post-Covid policy of day guests visiting has changed in which they must have a confirmed resort stay or dining reservation in order to visit any Disney resort. This may change back in the future. Check with each resort prior to visiting for up-to-date information.
I mentioned that you can veer off to visit many Disney resorts from Disney Springs. Well, this is the beginning of your journey. After you have parked the car at Disney Springs, catch one of the busses that goes to a Disney resort. Now, if you want to ride the monorail make sure you catch a bus that will take you to a monorail location because not all Disney resorts have a monorail stop. The only resorts that have a monorail stop are Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. You can ride a bus to a different resort, but you’ll have to keep getting on and off busses, which is just fine as well.
The monorail is a fantastic way to get around to three of the most popular and beautiful Disney resorts. One of the best times to visit the Disney resorts, well Disney in general, is at Christmastime! I can’t tell you enough how beautifully decorated all the resorts are during this time. It’s great to compare all of them and make sure you take plenty of photos.
The Grand Floridian is super elegant. When we got off the monorail and entered this resort, we were greeted by an attendant that reminded me of a butler. He was so friendly and gave us a lot of history behind the resort.
The Contemporary resort is the one most people are familiar with because if you ever take the monorail to get to Magic Kingdom, this is the resort the monorail passes right through it.
It’s shaped kind of like an upside down V. This resort has recently added another building behind it specifically for their vacation club members. However, there are shops and dining areas for anyone to use at this resort, like all the other resorts. To clarify, you don’t need to be staying at any of the resorts in order to enjoy the shops, dining, and even some on-site activities. As an added bonus, we found a special spot to view Magic Kingdom and would also make a fantastic spot to view the fireworks! This is just one of the spots we found for free that you can view Magic Kingdom fireworks!
If you’re into all tropical things and are basically a tropical gal like me, you will love this resort. Even if you’re not staying here, an employee at the front entrance will give you a lei. They treat ALL visitors like ohana (family), not just those who are staying here. And, if you love Dole Whip floats at Magic Kingdom, you can find them here as well. The grounds of this resort are stunning and you can also enjoy great FREE views of the Magic Kingdom fireworks! You can literally buy a Dole Whip float, have a seat and watch the spectacular fireworks. This resort makes for a beautiful evening.
There is a Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, but I’m not talking about the resort part here I’m talking about the boardwalk itself. The boardwalk makes for a great afternoon or evening spot to explore. Evenings are best because you’ll have better luck spotting some entertainment acts. If you didn’t get enough fireworks, you’ll get some great views of Epcot’s fireworks from the boardwalk. The boardwalk happens to be the “other” entrance to Epcot if you have tickets or if you’re staying at the Boardwalk Resort and you have Epcot tickets, this would be the perfect entrance. It is a lot less crowded!
Pre-Covid we were allowed to just drive up to the resort and tell them we were visiting the boardwalk and they were good with that. Post-Covid when we drove up, they only wanted resort guests to park there. If you want to visit the boardwalk now, I suggest you park at Disney Springs and take a bus directly to that resort, get off, and enjoy the boardwalk.
The aerial gondola’s of Disney’s newest transportation system, the Skyliner, is a fantastic way to get a bird’s eye view of Disney in general. It is also absolutely free and makes stops at other Disney resorts you can visit! The stops are Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you’re headed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you might as well make it a fun ride to & from and ride the Skyliner. The easiest, and free, ways to catch the Skyliner is to park at Disney Springs and then take a bus to one of the Skyliner resorts I just mentioned. The water taxi transportation is great as well and it stops at many locations. For more info on this click here.
Want a Disney zoo experience for free? Drive over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and check out the safari animals. I will honestly say that we have not visited this lodge, but we have had friends tell us you can visit as a day guest and see the animals without staying overnight. It might be worth a phone call to the resort if this is something you are interested in.
If you have other Disney free things to do that I have not mentioned, please comment below! I would love to hear them.
PIN ME!
I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’re reading about the new Star Wars land at Hollywood Studios. I’m sure you’ve heard all the hype. People have been raving about it. Well, rightfully so! In my opinion, it is awesome! If you haven’t been to …
Grande Villas Resort is the perfect place to stay in Orlando while visiting the theme parks. Owned by Hilton Grand Vacations, it is ranked as a 3-star hotel with an almost 5-star review by guests. It is conveniently located about 10 minutes from all the …
Ormond Beach has fabulous beaches making it perfect for family vacations! It is the beauty sandwiched between the more well-known Daytona Beach and Flagler Beach.
If you’ve never been to Ormond Beach, you’re missing out on a great part of what makes Florida a premier destination. For a great resort on Ormond Beach check out where we stayed at The Cove On Ormond Beach .
But aside from the obvious beach, what else is there to do at Ormond Beach? Let me tell you the best 7 things to do that we have personally found to do as a family! You can click on the numbered headers to get more information.
Even if you’re not into chocolate, you will love this tour! We, however, absolutely love chocolate so this was a must-see. Tours at Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory are free and informative. Your tour will include views of how they make the chocolate, fascinating things they usually make, and best of all…free samples! You get a choice of your free samples which is great because I’m not a fan of white chocolate, so you know they’ll be other choices. It’s also located in a shopping plaza, so there is free parking, too.
I tasted the chocolate covered potato chips and they were the best combination of sweet & savory. They were so good that I had to buy a bag! 
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is a Spanish fort located in the city of St. Augustine. St. Augustine is about one hour north of Ormond Beach, but it is well worth the drive. Make sure to take good walking shoes because this won’t be your only stop in St. Augustine. This city has many things to do and see.
The fort is situated on the west shore of Matanzas Bay. Matanzas is Spanish for “killings.” Just with this name, you can guess why they called it this. You would be correct in guessing that a lot of deaths happened here back in its time. It has withstood the test of time from enemy attacks and fires. This fort is over 400 years old!
There is a lot of history here. If these walls could talk, I would have a seat and listen. Signs throughout the premises will tell you what happened in these rooms. You will be on your own here as there no guided tour.
This fort was amazing! If you have kids, like we do, then this is a piece of history they will always remember. We highly recommend it. 
The Colonial Quarter is located just across the street from Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. The best way to get there, if you don’t want to pay for a trolley, is to leave your car parked across the street at the fort. That way you can park and visit the fort and Colonial Quarter and pay only once. It is not expensive to park.
You will want to spend some time at the Colonial Quarter because there are souvenir shops, dining options, snack shops and other interesting things to do that won’t break your budget. It has an old-world feel and is very quaint.
I bet that if you’re a Disney fan, you would have never guessed that you could find it here, right? Well, they do! And of course, being a Disney fan myself, I had to get one while we were here. As usual, it was delicious! I wish I would have taken a photo of mine, but it was a hot day and it was melting so I ate it quickly.
Something else you can do while you’re visiting the Colonial Quarters is the oldest wooden schoolhouse. This, especially, would be a great thing to show your younger children. There is a small entrance fee of only $5 for adults, $4 for students, and under 5 years old are free. Its grounds are so cute & pretty. They’ve taken good care of this schoolhouse.
There is a small gift shop inside as you head to the exit (just like many attractions). Here are some of my favorite items. Being a teacher myself, I can totally understand. This would also be a great place to buy your children’s teachers gifts! Just saying.
The Spanish Military Hospital Museum is only an 8-minute walk from the Colonial Quarter, so leave your car parked at the fort while you visit here.
I found this tour creepy and downright gruesome. This hospital was used to treat the wounded and because medicine was not like it is today, they used any means and tools that they could. WARNING: THIS TOUR IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! If you get squeamish at even the thought of teeth pulling and amputations, this may not be for you.
However, will all that being said, I believe this tour was also one of the most fun and informative tours. It will give you much appreciation for today’s technology, hospitals, and medicine.
We are a Second Spanish Period Military Hospital. We offer a 30-40 minute guided presentation on St.Augustine’s Historical Spanish Medical Practices.
The Fountain of Youth is one of the oldest settlements in the U.S. and is also classified as an archeological park. If you come during the summer, make sure to bring a water bottle as it may get hot. The entire park is outdoors.
Ponce de Leon is supposedly said to see Florida here for the first time. He thought it was an island!
The Indian villages that are still here help us learn how these civilizations used to live.
The common weaponry in its time is demonstrated by some of the staff.
You’ll also see weaponry that is no longer in use, but still there.
In 1587, Franciscan friars constructed the first mission in the continental United States right here on the grounds of the Fountain of Youth.
With signed guest books stretching back to 1868, the Fountain of Youth is the oldest attraction in Florida, and the Spring House is the centerpiece of the historical Juan Ponce de Leon experience at the Park.
There are small paper cups provided for you to drink from this fountain!
Watch out for the animals here. They are very friendly.
The Daytona Boardwalk is located directly on the beach which that in itself makes for a wonderful day trip! However, there is much more you can do while you’re here. You can hang out at the beach all day and then walk to the boardwalk to grab some lunch and/or dinner. You can try out the carnival rides*, play arcade games, grab a snack, or go souvenir shopping.
*The rides will be reopening December 15, 2018, due to a ride malfunction that happened on June 14, 2018.
If you are an avid fisherman, this is also an ideal place to do that just off the bridge.
Remember the reason why you’re on vacation. It’s really nice to visit new places and sightsee, but if you get home and you’re exhausted then I say that you didn’t do things right. People sometimes forget to actually have some downtime and not schedule anything at least 1 day for a 1-week vacation and 2-3 days on a 2-week vacation. Spend time with the ones you love and chill! If you’re traveling alone, relax at the hotel hot tub or get a massage.
By the way, you can always make an excuse to come back for another vacation if you didn’t see everything you wanted!
With innumerable things to do in Hollywood, California, you will certainly be star-struck with our tour recommendations, tips and our two-cents! Many people dream of living like a celebrity and you can certainly get a glimpse here. Hollywood & Vine Streets It was the roaring …
Walt Disney World There are so many things to say about visiting Walt Disney World. I grew up in Anaheim, California just 2 miles from Disneyland and my parents took me there throughout my entire younger years of my childhood. So with that being said, …
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