Resort Rundown Disney's Pop Century cover image showing a wide-area shot of the Hippy Dippy pool

Reasons to Visit EVERY Walt Disney World Resort

Share This!

“Visit the resorts” is a common suggestion for guests wondering how to spend a day outside the theme parks or for guests visiting during the holiday season. Along with suggestion, the same few hotels are mentioned time and time again. And yes, checking out the Grand Floridian gingerbread house is a must-do during December, but there are fun things to see and do at EVERY Walt Disney World hotel throughout the year.

Before we get started, a caveat … While everyone is welcome to visit all the hotels, there may be rules about how you get to those hotels. The deluxe resorts often having parking restrictions in place, limiting drive-up guests or even sometime Uber/Lyft/taxi drop-offs to guests registered at those hotels. Other hotels might implement similar rules at any time. When in doubt, use Disney’s internal free transportation system of buses, boats, monorails, and Skyliners to get to the resorts and you’ll be fine.

Some general reasons why you might want to visit any Disney World resort include:

To scope out whether the resort makes sense for your family/friends for a future visit
To admire the architecture or decor
To dine at the resort’s restaurants
To shop for items only found in the resort’s stores
To participate in the resort’s recreational opportunities
To understand the scope of Walt Disney World
To occupy vacation time in an area that does not require an admission fee
To find interesting places to “get your steps in” walking or running
To get your kids some playground time
To kill some time in the arcade

Note: Pool hopping is allowed only in limited circumstances. Don’t expect to swim at a resort other than your own.

Along with those macro reasons for stopping by any WDW hotel, here are some specific points of interest at each individual resort. While I’ve listed the hotels separately, there are some natural pairings with hotels that are near each other. For example, if you’ve trekked over to All Star Movies, seeing all the All Stars is easy peasy. The same is true for the Port Orleans resorts, the Yacht & Beach Club resorts, and for the Art of Animation and Pop Century resorts. And of course, this is by no means exhaustive, rather it’s just the tiny tip of the iceberg.

All Star Movies

Play a game of giant chess or checkers
Pose with giant Toy Story characters
Pose with giant toy soldiers – a fun holiday card backdrop
Check out the lobby displays of movie memorabilia

Giant All Star Movie figures include Toy Story icons

Star Wars memorabilia at All Star Movies lobby

All Star Music

Pose with giant instruments
Enjoy the lobby photos of the iconic musicians and discuss what you think of Disney’s selections
Play shuffleboard

Giant instruments make a great photo backdrop for visiting bands

Taylor Swift enjoys her rightful place on the All Star Music wall of fame

All Star Music has a shuffleboard court behind the main building

All Star Sports

Have a photo shoot with your favorite football fan
Enjoy the photos of iconic athletes and discuss what you think of Disney’s selections
Stock up on ESPN branded merchandise

The faux field and giant helmets make for a fun photo backdrop

The All Star Sports lobby features photos of sports stars

All Star Sports is one of the few places at WDW to buy ESPN merchandise

Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo and Kidani)

View the African art and artifacts in the lobbies
View giraffes, zebras, flamingos, and other wild animals
Speak with animal experts (select times)
Shop for African crafts
Grab a drink at the Victoria Falls Lounge

Flamingos hanging out at Animal Kingdom Lodge

The Animal Kingdom Lodge shops offer unique African and African-inspired items

Art of Animation

Pose with giant Little Mermaid characters
Immerse yourself in the Cars-themed area
Watch an animation artist at work
Pose with giant Lion King characters
Participate in a trivia competition (select evenings)

Art of Animation is a trip for Cars fans

Evening trivia is among the activities at Art of Animation

Beach Club

Have your caricature drawn
Rest in the Solarium – The Beach Club is an easy walk from the Epcot. The Beach Club’s Solarium is a nice place to rest and recharge if you need a break.
Take a painting class at the Vineyard Lounge (select days)
Grab an ice cream at the Beaches & Cream to-go window

There’s a quick ice cream window next to the Beaches & Cream restaurant

BoardWalk Inn and Villas

Have an ice cream
Have a drink and a see some magic at AbracadaBar
Watch a “street” performer (most evenings, weather permitting)
Rent a surrey bike
Play games of chance (open evenings, weather permitting)
Sign along at Jellyrolls
Dance the night away at Atlantic Dance

Boardwalk games of chance are open in the evenings

Jellyrolls and Atlantic Dance at the Boardwalk

Caribbean Beach Resort

Relax on a hammock
Watch the Skyliner drift by
Take a boat ride from the marina

Skyliner viewing at Caribbean Beach resort

Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower

See the famous Mary Blair-designed mosaic in the Contemporary lobby
Watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from an elevated vantage
Take nap
Learn to paint (select days)

Great place to watch the fireworks, off the walkway between the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower

The Contemporary’s 2nd floor has many quiet couches, perfect for sneaking a nap

Coronado Springs

See live cacti in a Southwest setting
Use the printing and shipping services at the business center
Admire the decor in the Gran Destino tower

Seeing large cacti can be fun for folks from northern climates

Coronado Springs is one of several WDW hotels with a full-service business center

The Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs has lovely art and design elements

Fort Wilderness Cabins and Campground

Enjoy a slice of homespun Americana at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue dinner show
Take a horseback ride, pony ride, or horse drawn carriage ride
Rent a canoe
Play shuffleboard