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Your family is desperate for a Disney World vacation. They’ve been begging you to go for ages, but you just can’t get into the idea. Amusement parks aren’t your thing. Sure, there’s stuff like the Animal Kingdom and special events at Epcot, but even on an off-season Disney might just be too crowded for you. You’re the outdoorsy type, you love adventure. In fact, Adventures by Disney would be more your speed, but that’s way too expensive.
You’re in luck, because a little-known fact about Disney World is that there’s tons to do there that one wouldn’t associate with amusement parks at all. We’re not even talking things like safaris or garden festivals. There’s a whole sporty, adventure world at Disney, just waiting for you to check it out. With the right planning, you can enjoy scuba diving, horseback riding, snorkeling, surfing, boating, archery, tennis, golf, parasailing and more, all in Orlando, while the rest of your family plays at the amusement parks.
Thinking about it, it’s not so strange that Disney offers such a plethora of alternate activities at its park. It is well known that some of the bigger resorts have golf courses, tennis courts, and fishing lakes. The sheer size of the land Disney owns in central Florida has to mean something, right? They’ve got to be using at least some of it; otherwise, what’s the point?
MSN’s Disney Destinations blog has a guide to the sports and other activities in which one can engage at Disney World. Of course, there’s a hitch to all of this: many of the sports, including the horseback riding, archery, and the best jogging trail are all at the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. It’s unlikely that if the rest of your family wants to travel to the parks they want to camp at Disney. But if they do, remember this: the campsites are the only pet-friendly accommodations offered by Disney. That means you can bring your dog if you camp.
If your family isn’t into camping, you can still take part in the activities offered at Fort Wilderness; all you have to do is make a reservation. That’s all you need to do to enjoy any of the wilder Disney activities. Some might be based out of areas with Disney lodgings, but aside from some specific courts and gyms, they’re open to any Disney guests, not just ones staying at the particular resort.
All of the other sporty activities are available at various places around Disney World. The surfing, for example, is at Typhoon Lagoon (one of Disney World’s water parks), and the scuba diving is at the The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion at Epcot. Few of these activities are ones that you can just walk up and do at a moment’s notice at Disney World; you need to make reservations.
To make reservations to go scuba diving or snorkeling, call 407-WDW-TOUR (939-8687). For reservations for surfing, bass fishing, horseback riding, or archery, call 407-WDW-PLAY (939-7529). Water skiing and parasailing can be booked at 407-939-0754. For tee times and other information about golf call 407-WDW-GOLF (939-4653).
Related Articles:
Mini Mickey: The Ultimate Disney World Travel Guide
Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: The BoardWalk
Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: The Spas
Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: The Richard Petty Driving Experience
Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: Epcot
*(This image by gordontarpley is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
