After checking into our hotel at the Disney Resort, we ventured into Orlando for some spa time followed by an evening at Disney Springs. For the uninitiated, Disney Springs is a large outdoor shopping center hosting 103 shops, 63 dining options, and 25 entertainment/show offerings. It is not a park so you don’t need to worry about admissions. You will have to go through security to enter and depending on the time of year that you go, you may want to make your dining reservations in advance.

The ambiance is fun with larger-than-life Lego sculptures and Disney characters at every corner. Each store—as far as I experienced—has some element of Disney themed merchandise. Be sure to check out the Disney Store because it’s the largest in the world. While you can find most of the merchandise at Disney’s online store, here you’ll find exclusive Walt Disney World 50th anniversary merchandise only sold in WDW parks and Disney Springs.

There are a lot of entertainment options—movie theaters, bowling, etc. We were interested in taking the hot air balloon ride but unfortunately it was closed due to high winds.