9 Amazing Things At Walt Disney World’s BoardWalk Resort

BoardWalk Inn Resort and the outdoor boardwalk are like another park in some respects! The turn of the century New Jersey style seaside resort has all that you would expect. The large boardwalk will have you looking at Crescent Lake a second time because you expect the salt spray to hit you at any moment. This is a vacation destination all on its own!

9. Shopping:

Character Carnival sells Disney Character plush, merchandise, apparel for children, golf merchandise and apparel for adults; Screen Door General Store sells a large variety of items including food and beverages, alcoholic items, grocery items, swim suits, sunglasses, Disney merchandise, scrapbooking items and home décor items; Thimbles & Threads carries apparel for the whole family, plush, toys, accessories; Wyland Galleries has fine art, Disney art, originals and giclee, sculptures, marine life art and photography, where the Cast Members are very knowledgeable regarding each piece.

8. Sports & Fitness:

Muscles and Bustles Health Club is a full-service state-of-the-art facility with massages and sauna. Tennis is available on property with complimentary racquets and balls. There are two lit tennis courts. There are several choices of jogging paths available for the runners in the group. How about a guided Bass fishing excursion? Just visit the Concierge to schedule your fishing excursion.

7. The Lobby:

The lobby with its hardwood floors, small potted palm trees, large comfortable seating, will have you feeling right at home. It is large and airy with lots of natural light coming in through the many French doors and windows. Look a little farther to spot the 1920’s handcrafted miniature Merry Go Round. It was designed by M.C. Illions a well renowned carousel master designer. Do you feel like you are in Atlantic City yet?

6. Swimming Pools:

The Luna Park Pool is full of whimsy that will turn anyone into a kid. Slide down the 200-foot red Keister Coaster waterslide that drops and turns like a 1920’s wooden coaster. The end of the slide emerges through a clown’s mouth. Kids love the slide and splashing below squirting elephants. The red slide on the white board slide structure is one your family will want to enjoy over and over. Enjoy the nearby kiddie pool or sink your tired body into a nice whirlpool spa. There are two additional leisure pools, with their own whirlpool spas. The Villas pool is the larger of these two and it also has a grill.

5. Live Performances, Night Club, Dancing:

Yep, the BoardWalk has it all! Let’s get our toes tapping over at the Atlantic Dance Hall. You must be 21 years old or older to visit this art deco style hall. If you like music from the 80’s and 90’s up to current time, you will enjoy the music here. Also open only to the 21 and over group is Jellyrolls that is open until 2AM. Here the entertainment is a pair of dueling pianos controlled by two pianists that can play anything and are great comical performers as well. Jellyrolls is a very popular venue that you cannot make reservations for and people come from all over Orlando, not just the WDW property to enjoy this very lively nightclub. There is a cover charge. Come early and grab a table for your party. There are live radio broadcasts from the studio inside ESPN Club but no schedule exists for that. AbracadaBar is a unique lounge to grab a drink and keep strolling along the Boardwalk, or to sit in an intimate setting. Belle Vue Lounge is a 1930’s era lounge that plays radio programs from that era. You can order very limited breakfast items in the morning and later in the evening some adult beverages. It is a very comfortable lounge and verandah. There is an extensive bar menu but also some interesting non-alcoholic concoctions.

4. Family Activities:

Enjoy nightly Campfires where guests can roast marshmallows, followed by Movies Under the Stars shown in the Community Hall nightly, rent bicycles at the Community Hall to travel along the Boardwalk whether it be by regular bicycles or Surrey Bikes that accommodate 2, 4 or 6 people. You can ride all the way around Crescent Lake if you desire. There is a playground near the Luna pool, called the Luna Park Crazy Play area. The Side Show Game Arcade is also located near the Luna pool. There are some carnival-type games on the BoardWalk you can try your skill at. You will also find Hair Wrap stations, face painting, penny pressing and photo booths.

3. Very Welcoming Rooms

Rooms are designed in white, yellow and blue with red and green accents. There are several views you can choose from: Crescent Lake, Pool, and Garden areas. These rooms also sleep up to five making this a winning choice for families. There are Club Level rooms and even two-story Garden Suites that are amazing! The standard rooms come with either two queen size beds or a king size, a jr-size day ben or sofa bed, desk, flat screen TV, small refrigerator, coffee maker, bureau, night stand, side table, upholstered two-poster headboard, shelf with hooks, large mirror, wall lamps over the beds, in-room safe, free Wi-Fi, Iron and Ironing board, hairdryer, pack & Play crib if requested. Club-Level rooms include evening turn-down, access to the club-level lounge with refreshments from 7AM to 10PM, free fax service, continental breakfast, midday snacks, evening wine, cheese & cordials and dessert, health club access, pre-arrival planning, personalized guest services, concierge service complimentary newspapers in club level lounge and in-room DVD player. There are 378 rooms, 533 villas, 20 suites, and the resort covers 45 acres. There is a Business Center on property as well as breakout rooms should you need those.

2. Location, Location, Location:

Great views and within walking distance of both Epcot and Hollywood Studios means you can get to those parks without needing transportation that can get very busy in the mornings and at park close. You can choose to use the boat from the BoardWalk dock that will take you to either of these parks and also the Yacht & Beach Club, or the Swan and Dolphin resorts. Being this close to parks is priceless. You can watch the fireworks coming from both of these parks, surely one of them from your own balcony. You can also take a short walk to Fantasia Gardens mini-golf. This opens up even more restaurants and activities you can engage in nearby.

1. Great Restaurants:

Flying Fish Café is a signature Dining experience at Walt Disney World. The restaurant is decorated in wood tones and brushed nickel and bronze tones, unique white light fixtures that echo carnival games, columns with fish “scales”, murals and watch the chefs in the open kitchen, dining on seafood or steak selections. The long bronze-tiled bar have the best seats in the house to observe the chefs.

Trattoria al Forno, a casual table service restaurant, serves up tasty Italian classics such as pizza and hand-rolled pasta dishes, risottos, seafood and veggies for dinner. Plus, their wine selection is incredible. If you are looking for a Character Dining experience, Trattoria al Forno offers a Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast with Ariel, Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn Rider. You can still have breakfast at Trattoria al Forno without characters as you will be seated in a different space.

Walking down the Boardwalk you will find The To-Go-Cart where you can end that craving for a “Coney Island” hot dog, Foot long dogs, corn dog, chicken fingers, fired ravioli, hamburger baskets, chicken sandwiches, meatball sub, mozzarella sticks, Buffalo wings, nachos, Cheese & Chili fries, pulled pork sandwich and crispy fries and frozen beverages.

The best place to go for those snack attacks. The Pizza Window is open between noon and midnight where you can order cheese, pepperoni, or the Boardwalk signature pizza that has roasted garlic, mushroom, and spinach toppings. Sangria, draft beer, and non-alcoholic beverages are available.

Another table service restaurant on the boardwalk is the very popular ESPN Club. They have over 100 video screens with sporting events from all over the world! They even have video screens in the bathrooms! This place is huge, think 30,000 square feet, but on game days you will find you must arrive early to get a space, which is how popular this place is. It is not only popular with fans but professional athletes have been known to show up here along with radio announcer celebrities broadcasting from sound booths right there. If you want to insure yourself a seat you can join the VIP Premium Club Seats that also grants you top-notch service, then make a reservation at (407) WDW-Dine. Buy ESPN merchandise at The Yard video game area while hearing broadcasted feed. ESPN Club also serves up tasty pub food and beverages. Their beer selection is quite impressive!

Boardwalk Joe’s Marvelous Margaritas stand will give you an assortment of Margaritas as well as Mickey Pretzels or roasted nuts.

The place to go for pastries, Danish, muffins, cupcakes, full-size cakes, Mickey muffins, tarts, all in beautiful glass display cases, baked fresh daily is the Boardwalk Bakery. What a lot of people don’t realize is that they also serve delicious soups, salads, sandwiches and service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Check it out, I think you will be impressed.

The ice cream hot spot is Ample Hills Creamery which boasts unique, Boardwalk style ice cream flavors like Sally Sells Seashells Ice Cream and Cotton Candy Ice Cream.

That brings us to Big River Grille & Brewing Works. This is the only micro-brewery on Walt Disney World property but it is still family friendly. Come enjoy award-winning drafts and a tasty meal inside or outside. There is a brewer on site cooking up ales and lagers that you can watch behind glass walls. If you can’t make up your mind which beer to order you can order a beer sampler of ALL of them? This is definitely upscaled pub food. They are open from 11 to 4 for lunch and 4 to 11 for dinner.