Do you love to save a buck and still have a good time? Well, you and I have something in common. We are both always looking for free things to do at Disney Springs.
I don’t know what you have for family traditions, but ours is to make the first day of our Disney World trip, a non-park day. That way we can just relax from the flight and not have to worry about being anywhere for dining reservations. We found that one of the best ways to do that is to enjoy the latter part of the day at Disney Springs.
We’ve found so many fun things to do at Disney Springs and the nightlife is wonderful. But what really gets me revved is finding new, fun, and free things to do around any of the parks.
So I figured I would share 23 free things to do at Disney Springs. That’s right, not one of these will cost you a dime other than the cost of getting to Disney Springs itself.
1. Free Admission
First and foremost it’s important to know that it won’t cost you anything to go to Disney Springs. I have had so many friends, family members, and clients that all were amazed to hear that and we certainly are glad that you do get a reprieve from spending more money on admission here.
2. Browsing World of Disney
One of the first things we usually do when we get to Disney Springs is spending some time browsing through the World of Disney. It’s the largest Disney Store on planet earth and has a little bit of everything that you are looking for, from Disney housewares to Disney Clothing to Star Wars and Marvel toys. Also, now that it has been newly renovated it is structured even better than before. It’s much easier to move around with a stroller or an ECV. This is a definite must-do anyway and whether you bring money here or not there is a TON to browse through.
3. Free Chocolate at Ghiradelli
Ok, two things here. Everyone loves free and everyone loves chocolate. So I really ought to put this at the top of the list because the Ghiradelli store offers you free chocolate when you visit whether you purchase anything or not. By the way, this place has some of the best ice cream in all of central Florida!
4. Live Music and Performances
I could write about all of the different and wonderful musical performances that we’ve seen at Disney Springs or I could tell you all about the Lip Syncing competition that they’ve had on the main stage. There is literally so much free entertainment here (especially at night) that you really can’t go wrong. You might even catch a glimpse of the semi-famous Eddy Maserati, who basically dances his way through Disney Springs trying to stay healthy. He’s the flashiest guy at the park on any given night, so you really can’t miss him.
5. Rainforest Cafe Volcano
I know that this is one of the simplest things on this list, but if you are headed by the Rainforest Cafe’ (especially at night) then you need to make sure you stop and take a look at the fire and smoke that shoots out of the top of that restaurant every 30 minutes. It’s quite a sight to see and will keep the kiddos talking about it for some time to come.
6. Browsing The Art of Disney Store
The Art of Disney is a store in Disney Springs that hosts some of the most famous and not so famous Disney artists who actually perform their work right inside the store. You can watch them work or look through the myriad of fine art on the walls here as well.
7. Free Splash Pads
There are two free splash pads for the kiddos to play in here as well. The big one is located near Earl of Sandwich and another smaller one can be found behind the Christmas store.
8. Nightly DJ Dance Party
One of our daughter’s favorite things at Disney Springs is the DJ Kids Dance Party at Waterside Stage. They have a live DJ who leads the kids (of all ages) in a dance party to popular music and other little games to keep them involved. It takes place between 7:00 – 10:00 PM on most nights. There is plenty of seating so that adults can sit and take a well-deserved break if needed.
9. Free WiFi
One of the best Disney freebies across the board, whether you are staying at a Disney resort or just exploring the theme parks is that there is free WiFi everywhere! Disney Springs is no different and it’ll save your data and your battery if you connect to it.
10. Lego Store – Hands On Play Tables
We’ve loved the Lego store ever since my daughter had her first Lego car race with a car she actually built at the store. They had an area right outside where you could build your car AND they were running races every so often. My daughter is 9 now and still remembers that experience fondly. I’m not sure if they still do the car races from time to time, but they definitely do have a hands-on outdoor play area and it won’t cost you a dime.
11. Free Disney Bus Transporation
Everyone who has spent any time at any of the Disney resorts is already aware that they have free Disney bus transportation to and from the parks. But they also have busses that run to and from Disney Springs which makes this one of the best freebies because you can go for free to other resorts and back to Disney Springs without worry. If you’ve always had a resort you wanted to check out, this is a great way to do it.
12. Free Disney Water Transportation
There are a few boats here that will take you from one side of Disney Springs to the other and back again for free. There are also boats that take you for a ride down the Sassagoula River on the yellow flag boats from 10:30 AM to 11:30 PM under regular operating timeframes. This will take you on the river to Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside, then turn around and come back. (All for free!)
13. Free Ice Water
Ice Water is free pretty much everywhere at Disney World that serves it. The same goes for ice water at Disney Springs, if you are feeling overheated or just plain thirsty you can grab a drink from just about any concession stand or restaurant.
14. Free Parking
There are four parking areas at Disney Springs. The lime garage, the orange garage, the grapefruit garage, and the lemon parking lot. After paying for gas to get to the park or your Disney World trip itself, the best free thing about Disney Springs is that it doesn’t cost you a dime to park there!
15. Christmas Tree Trail
There are some fun and free ways to celebrate the holidays at Disney Springs and the Christmas Tree Trail is one of them. Basically, it’s a trail of Christmas trees set up within Disney Springs that are all decorated with a flair of Disney. For example, in the past, we have seen a Disney’s Robin Hood Christmas Tree, a Toy Story Christmas Tree, and obviously Mickey and Minnie Trees. It’s a lot of fun and will really get you in the mood for the season.
16. Go See Santa For Free
Speaking of Christmas, if you are there for the Christmas Tree Trail, then it’s a perfect time to take the little ones to see Santa at his chalet so they can tell him what they want for Christmas. He’s located right inside the tree trail and it is set up on a virtual queue system, so you can go shop and eat while you are waiting for your turn to see Santa.
17. Pin Trading
One of our favorite pastimes at Disney World and especially Disney Springs is trading our Disney pins and the cast members at Disney Pin Traders will happily trade with you. I believe you can also get some good trades in the World of Disney.
18. Hidden Mickeys
Hidden Mickey’s are everywhere at Disney World and the Disney Imagineers do an impeccable job of adding new ones every so often. You do have to really look sometimes, but you can definitely find them littered all over Disney Springs. For example, there’s one positioned behind the glass in the lower level hallway seating area for Maria and Enzo’s restaurant. Look for the hidden mickey on the front of the airplane propeller.
19. Get Your Picture on A New Harley Davidson
This has always been a favorite of my husbands. He and my daughter love getting their picture taken on the newest Harley Davidson. Makes for a great Facebook profile pic!
20. Free Samples at Basin
Basin is a store in Disney Springs that offers free testers of different soaps and lotions including a wide variety of bath and body products. Even my husband loves the smells of the different soaps in this place.
21. Free Goofy’s Glacier Sample
We are big fans of Goofy’s Glaciers at Goofy’s Candy Company and on a hot day there’s no better way to cool off than by dropping by here for a free sample. They come in tons of different flavors, and in order to get a free sample of any flavor, you just need to ask any cast member. Just one more example of some of the great freebies here at Disney Springs.
22. Pose For Photos with Character Statues
Disney Springs has all kinds of different photo opportunities and many of them are with Disney character statues that are scattered around Disney Springs. Some of these statues are characters like Aurora, Cinderella, Buzz Lightyear, and much more! One little side note here is that during Epcot International Festival of the Arts they have living statues that are available for photo ops as well.
23. T-Rex Paleo Zone
I personally think that for parents who have kids that are into Dinosaurs, then this is a must stop. Not necessarily for the food, although it is very good. But the best part is the Free Paleo Zone kids play area which offers a fossil sandpit for kids to play in and other educational kiosks as well. They also have a water mill where the kids can pan for gems.
Conclusion
So that’s it for my top 23 free things to do at Disney Springs. I highly suggest you put this in your hip pocket or knowledge banks for your next trip to Disney Springs. I’m sure you’ll find even more freebies than I mentioned here. If you do, please let me know so I can add it to the list! Also, check out our full guide to Disney Springs if you would like to read more. Thanks again for stopping by and see ya real soon!
