Which Are the Best Recreational Activities at Disney

The best recreational activity at a Disney theme park will always be the theme park itself. Still, once you’ve visited Disney many times, you’ll grow to appreciate all the other activities available. 

Disney resorts provide so much potential entertainment beyond the parks. It’s an intentional strategy by Disney to reduce congestion at the parks. When guests possess external options like the ones we’re about to discuss, they don’t feel the need to spend all their vacation time inside the parks. So, which are the best recreational activities at Disney?

Boat Rentals

What could possibly be better than spending a day on the lake in Florida? Okay, yes, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror would be better, but that only lasts for a few minutes. When you hop on a boat, you can lounge in the sun and admire the view for hours. And everything’s that much more fun if you fill your cooler the right way. 

Seriously, whether you choose to fish or simply lounge around with your friends, you’ll adore luxuriating in the Florida weather. You’ll be relishing the DVC life when you rent a boat at your resort. Here’s a list of the participating locations. That’s a total of six DVC properties where you can text your friends to say, “I’m on a boat!”

Golf 

Courtesy of WDWNT

Real talk: you can find a golf course near every DVC resort in the world. You may not realize that fact, but it’s true. In Anaheim, you can hit balls at The Island Golf Center three miles from the parks and play a round at the Anaheim Hills Golf Course, which is less than 20 minutes away and all but high-traffic days.

At other non-theme park resorts, you can walk from Aulani to the Ko Olina Golf Course. It’s less than half a mile from the hotel. Then, we have Hilton Head, which is renowned for its golf courses, and Vero Beach, which hosts ten different golf spots. 

Finally, at Walt Disney World, two different resorts share part of the grounds for the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.  So, golf is readily available for DVC members.

Horseback Riding 

I love that this is a thing at Walt Disney World. In the 1970s, some visionary decided that Disney should build a dude ranch a short boat ride from Magic Kingdom. Remarkably, they convinced their superiors to go along with it.

Now, we have horseback riding as a legitimate option at the Tri-Circle-D Ranch. You can read the specifics here, but it really is a recreational activity available to DVC members. Whenever you want to impress a child, take them to Disney, show them the horses on Main Street, U.S.A., and then take them to ride the same horses the next day. They’ll be on cloud nine for months afterward. You’ll be parent of the year. 

Pickleball/Tennis

Photo courtesy of Lost Bros

Personally, I’m more of a tennis fan, as I played in high school and even watch the Tennis Channel. I can tell you from the television ratings that there aren’t many of us. But something I love about Disney is its willingness to adapt.

In recent years, pickleball has soared in popularity as a different kind of racquet-based outdoor sport. So, Disney has modified its tennis courts to give DVC members our choice of recreational activities. Whether you prefer pickleball, tennis, or both, you can play them at several Disney resorts. 

As with everything I’m suggesting here, you should check the hotel’s list of daily activities to learn what’s available. Also, please remember that you can Resort Hop elsewhere if you notice something else you’d enjoy. Most DVC hotel amenities are available to members, whether they’re staying at the resort or not. 

Shopping – retail therapy is a thing

Courtesy of wdwnt.com

I’ll level with you that I hadn’t planned to include this one. However, I realized that if I didn’t a few people would ask why in the comments. And they’d have a point.

While the focus of today’s topic is things you can do that offer a bit of physical activity, sitting on a boat isn’t necessarily active anyway…unless you bring some water skis. So, if it counts, shopping should as well.

After all, many of your favorite DVC resorts feature excellent retail stores such as Bayview Gifts, M. Mouse Mercantile, and BouTiki. Bayview Gifts is large enough to be a mini-World of Disney store anyway. Plus, let’s be honest. Retail therapy is a thing, especially during a Disney vacation. It’s the recreational activity most of us do more than any of the other options listed here. 

Yoga

Here’s a wildly popular activity in some circles that isn’t challenging to fit into a hectic Disney itinerary. Many of the Disney resorts offer some sort of daily/weekly yoga group program. Here’s a current list of options at Walt Disney World resorts:

• Disney Fit Aqua Aerobics
• Disney Fit Yoga 
• Family Wellness Yoga
• Storytime Yoga 
• Disney Fit Tai Chi 
• Family Fun Dance 

Okay, those last two aren’t technically yoga classes, but they’re in that same group of easy movement recreational activities. I could throw in the Crescent Lake Wellness Challenge as well. 

Disney wants you to be mindful of your health, even when you’re on vacation. So, Cast Members host these sessions to allow people to stay attuned to their bodies even while on vacation.