Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney, is one of the best places to hang out in Orlando. It's a great place to walk around, eat and shop. They have a live concert venue in the House of Blues, a huge movie theater, and an expanded shopping section with stores such as Anthropologie, Basin, Mac and Sephora, Lucky Brand, Coach, and a plethora of Disney shops with exclusive Disney merchandise. They have specialty chef's restaurants such as Morimoto's and Wolfgang Puck's, Ghirardelli for chocolate and ice cream, and theme restaurants such as the Rainforest Cafe and Planet Hollywood.

1. Splitsville

Splitsville is a great place to go bowling and have a bite. The building is several stories tall and now it is filled with bowling lanes and places to eat. It's a huge place that actually replaced the old Virgin Megastore at Downtown Disney. That used to be one of my favorite places to hang out. I would just walk around Downtown Disney, browse through Virgin Megastore, read, listen to music, eat and buy something. Now it has been transformed into a multi story bowling alley.

2. Hot Air Balloon

The hot air balloon is a ride you can take and float above Disney Springs. I haven't done it yet personally but it is always running. It's a signature landmark of Disney Springs. There is an expanded shopping section on one side that is filled with trendy shops.

3. Sprinkles Cupcakes

At the Sprinkles cupcake ATM machine you can order whatever kind of cupcake you want from their available options. It is one of the cutest things to do at Downtown Disney. My favorite flavor was the lemon. It's such a cool thing to do, I wish there were more kiosks like that! Sprinkles only has a few locations in places such as New York and Los Angeles, and they have expanded their cupcake ATM empire to Orlando in Disney.

4. Cirque du Soleil

All the way at the end of the West Side of Disney Springs resides the theatre for Cirque du Soleil, a live dance performance. There is a new show that replaced the classic "La Nouba" that ran for years and years. This new show draws its inspiration from the Disney universe itself.

5. Candy Cauldron

At the Candy Cauldron shop you can see how they make all of the fresh candy in their display. Their specialty is candy apples, and they make many different kinds for many different kinds of Disney characters. The candy shop is named after the poison apple in Snow White.

6. House of Blues

Early in the morning I caught the House of Blues in a rare moment where there was no crowd! Normally it is packed with people for whichever concert is going on there. I've been to a few favorites there such as Phoenix and Spoon, they were amazing! Disney Springs is a fun and safe place. The people there are usually super friendly and easy to strike up a conversation with.

These are just some of the cool things to do at Disney Springs. There are many unique places to eat and shop. There are plenty of options to have a good time out, time and time again.