Hollywood Studios is home to some non-kid friendly thrill rides and experiences like Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, but there are so many incredible ways to enjoy a day at Hollywood Studios with littles. Plus, with rider swap, you can trade off with other adults in your party so the grown ups don't miss out on the thrills!
Here are our top 10 tried and true kid-friendly (and fun for the adults) must-do experiences at Hollywood Studios!
1. Toy Story Land - This is an absolute must. It's so beautifully themed, it brings out the kid in all of us as you're shrunk down to the size of a toy in Andy's backyard. Midway mania is the attraction in the land that doesn't have any height requirements which is great for the whole family
TIP - the line can get really long throughout the day, so I recommend visiting early in the morning or at the end of the day.
TIP - although the ride is safe for all ages since it's on a flat surface, if you’re bringing a really tiny one I recommend baby wearing on the ride since the turns can be rough on a little ones neck.
Toy Story Land is so much fun to explore! The totchos at Woody’s lunchbox are 10/10 for lunch! And there are so many cool character moments between standard meet and greets for Woody, Buzz, and Jessie and green army men drum-line pop ups! It's definitely a must-explore. And if your kids are around 2, they should be able to ride Alien Swirling Saucer, it's my kids absolute favorite attraction!
2. Explore Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge - Not only is the theming here out of this world, but there are literally surprise characters around every corner, perfect for the Star Wars fans of all ages. Watching droid training, checking out the animal shop and trying some fun Star Wars treats like blue or green milk or specialty popcorn are always a blast. It's more fun to dress up in a Star Wars look when you're there. I always like to keep my eyes peeled for fun Star Wars looks for the girls and myself throughout the year.
TIP - Although you're almost guaranteed to run into Chewie, Rey, Vi and a Trooper or two, I recommend checking out the Disney app for set times particularly for illusive favs like Mando & Baby Yoda and Kylo. You can find them by searching on the map in the Disney World app for characters and filtering by either Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge or Hollywood Studios. Then select the character you're looking for and you'll find the set times listed :)
3. Dance after lunch at Pizza Rizzo’s 1980s wedding reception space upstairs - I know some Disney planning outlets give Pizza Rizzo's a hard time, but for kids, it is up there as one of our favorite quick service locations on property! The pizza is good but the atmosphere is even better. Don't sit in the main dining area, go upstairs and enter the reception room. The music goes through some amazing disco, mowtown, 00s pop and the disco ball and dance floor make for a perfect place to let the kids play while one adult picks up the food and a great place to get some air conditioned wiggles out after lunch!
TIP - the upstairs seating closes in the late afternoon, so to enjoy the reception room, definitely hit it at lunch :)
TIP - this space is also amazing for larger groups since they have very long tables on the sides.
4. Go see a show - Hollywood Studios has amazing shows for guests of all ages! Our kids favorites in order are Frozen Sing-Along, Beauty & the Beast and Indiana Jones.
Frozen is an overall favorite because who doesn't want to belt out Frozen songs with Anna and Elsa. Plus the Arendelle historians are fun comedic breaks for the grown ups.
Beauty & the Beast is a stage show retelling the story with amazing actors and dancers. It can be long but even on hot days that theater stays decently cool. Which is a win in Florida.
Indy at first freaked out Tallulah because it begins without you knowing it's a stunt show, but once I showed her that they would explain the tricks and that everyone showed they're fine after they finish filming, she actually really got into it.
TIP - I recommend bringing ear protection for your littles to Indy and the Frozen show. Both are crazy loud. They may not want to wear them but it's good to have them available. It especially helped Tallulah at Indy.
5. Take your kids to the Disney Junior Dance Party - Not only is this experience in the air conditioning, but they have so many showtimes throughout the day, AND they ask parents to sit next to their children while the children are asked to get on their feet and dance. It is the perfect way to get some relaxation time as a parent while your toddler gets their wiggles out.
6. Stroll down Sunset Blvd - This area is a whole vibe and there are so many sights and sounds to take it, plus the shopping and snacks are unparalleled. Our crew loves music from the 40s, so just hearing it in the wild makes me smile. Plus, if you see a couple pausing from the theme park rush to dance when "It's been a long, long time" comes on, come say hey, it's likely us. We can't not have a Cap and Peggy moment when we hear that play!
7. Visit characters who are unique to Hollywood Studios - Vacation Goofy, Powerline Max, Olaf, Fancy Nancy, Chewie and Darth Vader can all be found only at Hollywood Studios for meet and greets. Check their schedules on the Disney World app.
8. Enjoy a solid buffet with Minnie & Friends at Hollywood & Vine - Hollywood Studios has some unique dining offerings, but if you want a really yummy buffet paired with character greetings (to knock some meet and greets off of your to-do list for the day), this is the spot to go to! They also offer breakfast with the Disney Junior stars, which is nice, but I'll be honest with you, if Bluey and Bingo, SuperKitties and Spiderman were there, it would be more of a draw. But the Disney Jr stars that they have are a bit before my kids' time as Disney Junior consumers. But for lunch and dinner, Mickey, Minnie and friends are there and they're always in adorable seasonal attire. We visited during Halloween and it was precious.
9. Go watch Fantasmic! - I don't always stay for evening shows with our girls because I don't always want to deal with the aftermath, although I'll tell you my trick for a smoother transition in a moment. But when we do stay for an evening spectacular, it's Fantasmic! The girls love the music and characters and since the other evening options are fireworks, where you have to get there decently far in advance for a spot and you're standing the whole time, Fantasmic! is a much better option for our crew. With littles it’s best during winter so the showtimes are earlier with it getting dark sooner. It's such a great show. I don't remember a time I've watched it where I didn't turn back into a kid again for a few minutes. Plus the additional portion they added when it returned in 2022 is such a lovely enhancement for the younger generation!
TIP - we like sitting way in the back to give our kids more breathing room.
photo courtesy of Disney
10. Ride the Skyliner during your visit - Whether you're riding it to park hop to Epcot during the day or want a break from the long park lines, riding the Disney Skyliner is a must-do! It's really easy to hop on outside of the park entrance and you can ride it to the first stop, hop off and get right back on if you just want a quick trip or you can go for the long route. It is such a peaceful reset in the day. The fresh air and lack of background music is so refreshing. Plus it's AMAZING to not have to fold up your single wide stroller. You can just push it right on. When you have multiple bags in your stroller storage, you know the pain it is to break it down and hold your kids while juggling multiple bags of park items.
TIP - I promise I didn't forget to tell you our end of night trick to make the nighttime routine easier. Before we leave the park, whether we're driving home or heading back to our hotel via bus, boat or Skyliner, I do one more diaper change and bathroom break, then we put the kids into PJs so they can snooze during the ride back. Then we just do a teeth brushing and pop them into their beds. We've learned the hard way how much our kids fight us when they're half asleep and we're trying to change them when we get back to our house. So I recommend prepping to avoid that end of day chaos when you're also exhausted.
What's your favorite Hollywood Studios activity?