There are lots of magical little corners of the World to be found outside the hustle and bustle of the parks. Today I want to talk about a few of our favorites.
Walt Disney World – Great Places to Explore Outside the Parks
The walkway between the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian Village Resorts – For us, this is a must-do anytime we’ve dined at Citricos or Narcoossee’s. We’ll walk off our dinner with a stroll from the Grand Floridian to the Poly. It’s a beautiful, peaceful way to end the evening. If we time it right, we can stop on the boat dock at the Polynesian and watch the Electrical Water Pageant go by. 
Once we arrive at the Polynesian, we’ll catch the monorail back to Magic Kingdom for a resort bus if we’re not staying in that area. If we’re staying at Bay Lake Tower (more likely than not), we’ll take the monorail home. 
Fort Wilderness – This is one of my favorite places in the World and we’ve never stayed there! Sure, the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review is a draw for many, but the entire resort is incredibly interesting. Feels like no place else at Walt Disney World and has the added bonus of being the home of the Tri-Circle-D Ranch! We got to explore the ranch’s horse barn during our Wilderness Back Trail Adventure Segway Tour (highly recommend!). While we were there, we also took the time to visit the gift shop (very cool!) and explore the resort. If you’re looking for something different, consider either the Segway Tour or a carriage ride or horseback riding at the ranch. 
Disney’s Boardwalk – A great place to explore anytime of the day, but evening is when the Boardwalk really comes alive. Live performers like mimes and magicians, lounges for a pre-dinner cocktail, ice cream, snacks, and more. It took us years (and years!) to visit the Boardwalk for the first time and now that we know what’s there, we visit an almost every trip to the World. We especially love the Flying Fish Café for a nice dinner and the AbracadaBar for a well-themed libation stop. 
Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Savannah Overlook – If you’ve never taken the time to visit Animal Kingdom Lodge, you need to squeeze it in on your next visit. The place is spectacular and, you know, ANIMALS! It’s very cool to step out of the lobby and check out the wildlife. Whether you’re at Jambo House or the Kidani Village area of Animal Kingdom, there’s a lot to see. We try to go over in the late afternoon straight from Disney’s Animal Kingdom (park) to see the sights and maybe enjoy an adult beverage at the Victoria Falls Lounge. If we can add dinner at Boma, Sanaa, or Jiko…all the better! 
Tip: If you only have time for a snack, visit Sanaa after you check out the savannah at Kidani Village and order their famous Indian-Style Bread Service! You won’t be sorry.
When you’re at Disney World, where are your favorite places to visit outside the parks?
Okay, really, I completely, thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience, but going in the horse barn and seeing photographs of Walt Disney with the horses he clearly loved was a side of him that I hadn’t seen before. The horses (no petting!) were curious, friendly and beautiful. This is one place I would love to visit again.
