For the Disney-loving runner, it’s the dream vacation: visit Kissimmee, Florida, to run through Disney during an exclusive event with your people — those who are similarly obsessed with Disney and can run long distances. This is what runDisney is all about.
But what do you do after your run? The Kissimmee/Orlando area has lots to offer, but it’s awfully spread out and can be overwhelming. After putting all those miles on your feet, recuperate with these fun activities.
Plus, check out even more post-run recovery options here. You can also find your next destination race with this incredible list of marathons.
runDisney races
Before you unwind, pick a Disney run to join in on. Check out runDisney to see upcoming races, including the new Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend, September 5-8, 2024; the four-day Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend, October 31-November 3; and the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend, January 8-12, 2025. You’ll find distances ranging from 5Ks up to Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge and the Dopey Challenge, which take you 48.6 miles across all four Walt Disney World theme parks in the Orlando area.
Many runners return again and again to participate in different runDisney events. Shanedra Nowell of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, has run in 16 runDisney races, including her first 10K in 2015 and her first half marathon in 2016. “I credit runDisney with invigorating and re-invigorating my love of running,” she said. Nowell has dealt with “injuries off and on,” but said, “when I’ve thought about giving up on running I’ll sign up for a RunDisney race or challenge … training for a Disney race keeps me engaged in the sport.”
A wellness retreat hotel
As mentioned before, the Greater Orlando area sprawls. Kissimmee, just south of the bigger city of Orlando, is closer to the major theme parks, so is a better base of operations. On a recent trip, I stayed at the wellness-focused Ette Hotel, just six miles from the Magic Kingdom.
This place is an anomaly — a tranquil high-end hotel amongst wide avenues and big box stores. The staff members are attentive and wear chic outfits. There’s a perfume bar as soon as you come in, a cozy pool area, a library, Peleton bikes in the rooms, and a spa for that post-run massage.
The hotel’s fine dining restaurant, Salt & The Cellar, has an excellent separate menu for us vegans and an amazing array of mocktails. While kids are allowed, it’s more appealing to adults. The Ette seems designed for people who want to enjoy Disney during the day and have a more grown-up spa atmosphere at night.
If you want a big space for you and yours, check out one of Kissimmee’s more than 35,000 vacation homes, ranging from simple abodes to ginormous mansions.
Take an airboat ride
Relax into the natural side of Florida with a trip to Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures. This 32-acre park features a gator lagoon, butterfly garden, fossil and gem mine (regularly restocked with treasures), and, of course, airboat rides. An aircraft-type propeller drives these flat-bottomed watercraft through Lake Tohopekaliga, where captains like Wayne Corbitt help visitors spot gators, snakes, bald eagles, and migratory birds.
Passengers come from all over the world to see “real Florida,” especially alligators. “They give that natural fear for people,” Corbitt told me. “And deservedly so. They are dangerous animals. But for the most part out here in the wild, they try to get away from you.” For an extra thrill, take a nighttime tour between May and October, when gators are most active.
Learn about local Native culture
Jororo Village is a separate attraction but on the same land as Boggy Creek. Native American educator Oskwanontona Pia Roya demonstrates life in Florida 450 to 1,200 years ago.
“When they come to visit me, what they’re going to see is authenticity,” Pia Roya said, gesturing at a row of traditional huts that showcase hunting tools and cookery. “You’re going to see different skills that have been passed down from generation to generation.” He showcases the pre-contact world, before Spaniards arrived. “I like to say it’s before Mickey Mouse, Super Walmarts, and Seminole Indians,” he said.
Spend a day at Discovery Cove
My favorite part of visiting the Kissimmee/Orlando area was spending a day at Discovery Cove. This attraction is kind of like a combination water park/theme park/aquarium/zoo where you’re in the water with the animals. You can snorkel on an artificial reef stocked with tropical fish, float through an aviary on a lazy river, or swim with dolphins. My favorite was the reef, where I floated above immense spotted eagle rays and giant shovelnose rays.
Meander around Celebration
In the mid-90s, the Walt Disney Company founded a planned community designed to epitomize what’s best about small-town America. Celebration is walkable, has a good mix of businesses, is strikingly clean, and features different styles of homes, from condos to big houses.
Miles of scenic trails meander around lakes. If you have enough energy left in your legs after your runDisney race, you can rent a bike and cruise around town. While it may seem too perfect to believe, the small gators in the lake are real. After your bike tour, stop for a Cuban lunch at the Celebration outpost of Florida’s famous Columbia restaurants.
Find good deals on Disney souvenirs
Need Disney souvenirs to commemorate your trip? An incredible number of gift shops sell knick-knacks at cheaper prices than you’ll find inside the park. My favorite was the shop with a huge mermaid sprouting out of the façade, followed by the shops featuring wizards.
Refuel at top Kissimmee restaurants
Running takes it out of you! Fortunately, the Kissimmee area has lots of good food. I especially like Twenty Pho Hour, a punny pho restaurant that claims to be “America’s first 2D noodle bar.” The whole interior is covered in black and white line drawings made to look like you’re eating in a 2D world.
If you like to combine nightlife with dinner, Estefan Kitchen Orlando offers fun and loud entertainment while you eat Cuban-inspired food. After eating enough black beans and plantains, you’ll be fueled up and ready to register for your next runDisney race.
Disclaimer: While this article was not sponsored, Outdoors Wire did visit Kissimmee during a press trip with Experience Kissimmee and its partners. As always, Outdoors Wire operates independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.