The Best of Disney Springs

As a local, Disney Springs has slowly become my favorite spot when friends want to hang out or when family visits. I feel like there are so many positives about Disney Springs that it is hard to list them all, but I will do my best to share as much as possible. I feel like there are only two negatives: parking and high crowd levels during the evening. Enough of the negatives; let’s get into the best of Disney Springs.

Disney Springs

First up is brunch. Recently, I have been enjoying going to brunch at Disney Springs. There are several brunch locations at Disney Springs. I have had it at City Works, House of Blues, and Raglan Road. I have nothing bad to say about any of those locations. Reservations are recommended. I have made brunch reservations the night before on non-holiday weekends. I have also noticed that it is very calm and not super packed if you get a brunch time between 10:30 am to 11:30 am.

The brunch at House of Blues has live music and the best bottomless mimosas, which draws me to that dining location. City Works is also a fun spot because of all the huge TVs that take up an entire wall at the restaurant. They also have several different flavors of mimosas instead of just the basic orange juice mimosa. Raglan Road has a fantastic avocado toast and Eggs Benedict; the atmosphere at this dining location is so fun. The food at each of these locations is excellent. I want to try brunch at Homecomin’, but that is a hard reservation to grab at the last minute. It’s something you have to plan, for sure. Other brunch locations are Terralina Crafted Italian, Wine Bar George, Maria & Enzo’s, The Edison, and STK Orlando.

House of Blues Brunch

I can’t deny the great shopping. Some of the stores feel overpriced, but there are many different stores to choose from. My wife loves going to Disney Springs to shop at Zara because that’s not a store you can find everywhere. My favorite clothing store is Francesca’s, and luckily they have a Disney Springs location because the other Orlando location is a bit further away from me. In contrast, Disney Springs is just a 10-minute drive. Of course, I love World of Disney and seeing all the new merchandise. I also pop into World of Disney to see if I find any new ears to add to my collection. My wife and I don’t enjoy the surrounding malls and would much rather shop at Disney Springs due to the variety of stores.

Another store I enjoy is The Spice and Tea Exchange over by the Christmas shop. This store is filled with all different kinds of spices and teas. I get the Baker’s Secret spice, which is excellent for putting in brownies and cakes. The M&Ms Store holds a really special place in my heart because that’s where my wife and I got the M&Ms for our unity ceremony for our wedding. We each got to pick our favorite color M&Ms, and now we have a mason jar filled with blue and pink M&Ms. Now I love to visit the store and remember the time we picked out our M&Ms. All in all, Disney Springs is the place to shop til you drop!

M&Ms Store

I know I already mentioned food, but that was specifically brunch. Disney Springs has some of the best food on Disney property. The only downside is that, for the most part, you will need a reservation, especially for dinner, because that is when Disney Springs is the busiest. My favorite dining location at Disney Springs has always been Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin‘; it is also my wife’s favorite restaurant. I haven’t been since I have become vegetarian, but I’d love to go back and explore their vegetarian options. My second favorite dining location is Wine Bar George because those Mac and Cheese balls have my heart. I also love wine and took a wine class in college, so I love tasting new wines. In third place is House of Blues. I love the atmosphere and all the artwork at House of Blues. I feel like House of Blues is a unique location. There are still some restaurants I have never eaten at before, so my list could change one day. 

Earl of Sandwich

Last but not least: boat transportation to resorts. Sometimes while I’m at Disney Springs, I start to crave Mickey-shaped beignets from Port Orleans French Quarter, and I hop on a boat. Within minutes I am transported to the French Quarter and reunited with beignets. It’s also very convenient for resort guests at Port Orleans, Saratoga Springs, and Old Key West to travel to Disney Springs because the bus schedule tends to be wonky at those resorts since they are larger with more bus stops. This is also just fun for families with kids who enjoy boat rides, or even adults who enjoy boat rides. 

Beignets from Port Orleans French Quarter

Disney Springs has so much to offer, and these are just a few of the best parts of Disney Springs. I love the brunch options at Springs, the shopping, food offerings, and the boat transportation. I recommend going to Disney Springs during the morning hours. From about 10 am to noon, it’s pretty calm before the lunch rush comes in. Disney Springs is a beautiful place to take a morning walk, which I used to do when Disney Springs reopened after the shutdown. Overall, I love Disney Springs. 

Let us know in the comments below what your favorite part of Disney Springs is!