Resort Restaurant with a Play Area

[Lilith]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good restaurant at a WDW resort/Disney Springs that has a children's play area (jungle gym, slide, swings, etc.). My husband and I will be traveling with our very active three and a half year old son who struggles to sit still for very long! We're staying at POFQ. This would be for one of our non-park evenings. TIA!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I'm not aware of any on Disney property, but there is a Joe's Crab Shack on International Dr. that has a playground.

 

[MagicPlanning]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good restaurant at a WDW resort/Disney Springs that has a children's play area (jungle gym, slide, swings, etc.). My husband and I will be traveling with our very active three and a half year old son who struggles to sit still for very long! We're staying at POFQ. This would be for one of our non-park evenings. TIA!

Why not put him in one of the activity centers and you can enjoy a nice dinner? Pick one of the restaurants near one of the centers:

• Simba's Cubhouse at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Sandcastle Club at Disney's Beach Club Resort
• Lilo's Playhouse at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort
• Camp Dolphin at Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/childrens-activity-centers/

 

[Minnesota!]

Nothing, I believe, has this. I second the suggestion of an activity center for him if you guys want a nice, quiet dinner

 

[unrequited23]

The playground at POFQ is very close to the CS--you can see the door to the restaurant while standing by the benches inside the playground. I would suggest you get some food to-go from the CS and carry it over to the benches at the playground and make your own restaurant with a play area.

Also, the T Rex restaurant had a ton of things for my boys (2.5 &5) to look at while we waited for the food. It was loud enough for their exuberant roars to blend in too.

 

[TwinkleKS]

At Trails End you can play on the play ground while you wait for your table. You can't actually let your child play while you eat though.

 

[Dis703]

Nothing that I can think of has anything like this on property. But there are places you can dine where they have an opportunity to be active. Raglan Road, for example, has Irish dancers and they invited the kids to participate. My boys did it when they were 3 and 6 and really enjoyed it.

 

[Lilith]

Oh dear! Thanks for the replies, all. I must say I'm surprised - a play area makes for such a great family-friendly dining experience, and I hate having to resort to an iPad/phone for entertainment.

I don't think we'll leave our son at an activity center. I think he might be a little young, and I wouldn't want to leave him on his own. Also, $55 is quite steep. But thanks for the suggestion.

The playground at POFQ is very close to the CS--you can see the door to the restaurant while standing by the benches inside the playground. I would suggest you get some food to-go from the CS and carry it over to the benches at the playground and make your own restaurant with a play area.

Also, the T Rex restaurant had a ton of things for my boys (2.5 &5) to look at while we waited for the food. It was loud enough for their exuberant roars to blend in too.

Thanks so much for the info regarding POFQ - sounds like a great plan. Maybe we'll turn our non-park night into a stay-on-site evening with campfire marshmallow roasting, al fresco dining, followed by a movie! We already have an ADR at T Rex, to accommodate our boy's current obsession.

 

[Parker Clan]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good restaurant at a WDW resort/Disney Springs that has a children's play area (jungle gym, slide, swings, etc.). My husband and I will be traveling with our very active three and a half year old son who struggles to sit still for very long! We're staying at POFQ. This would be for one of our non-park evenings. TIA!

Trails End at Ft Wilderness. It's a buffet and outside there are hula hoops, rocking chairs and a play area. Obviously a parent has to be with the child though like a PP mentioned

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I wasn't aware restaurants with play areas kids can use while adults eat were a thing? I wouldn't turn a 3 and a half year old loose someplace like that anyway though. Honestly, if the kid won't sit through dinner, CS or childcare is your best bet.

 

[Lilith]

Trails End at Ft Wilderness. It's a buffet and outside there are hula hoops, rocking chairs and a play area. Obviously a parent has to be with the child though like a PP mentioned

Thank you for this suggestion. This is the kind of restaurant/set up I had in mind. It would be a nice outing to check out Wilderness Lodge, too, at the same time.

 

[Lilith]

I wasn't aware restaurants with play areas kids can use while adults eat were a thing? I wouldn't turn a 3 and a half year old loose someplace like that anyway though. Honestly, if the kid won't sit through dinner, CS or childcare is your best bet.

My intention isn't to turn my son loose, but rather to dine at a restaurant that has a space/is positioned near a space for him to play. My husband and I take turns to keep an eye on him while he plays, or if we can, we sit at a table overlooking such a space and watch from there. As a parent of a young child, who makes a point of frequenting such places, I don't think this is such a foreign concept, but I understand how some might think otherwise. Perhaps I should have posted this thread in the family forum.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

My intention isn't to turn my son loose, but rather to dine at a restaurant that has a space/is positioned near a space for him to play. My husband and I take turns to keep an eye on him while he plays, or if we can, we sit at a table overlooking such a space and watch from there. As a parent of a young child, who makes a point of frequenting such places, I don't think this is such a foreign concept, but I understand how some might think otherwise. Perhaps I should have posted this thread in the family forum.

I'm curious about where you've seen this kind of thing before as it does sound great for little ones. All I can think of (and not at Disney) is places like Chuck E Cheese, McDonalds play areas, and Mall food court play areas. I've never seen a play area at a sit-down restaurant.

 

[HopperFan]

Trails End at Ft Wilderness. It's a buffet and outside there are hula hoops, rocking chairs and a play area. Obviously a parent has to be with the child though like a PP mentioned

Thank you for this suggestion. This is the kind of restaurant/set up I had in mind. It would be a nice outing to check out Wilderness Lodge, too, at the same time.

This restaurant is not at the Wilderness Lodge, it is at the Ft Wilderness Campground. They are independent resorts often confused due to the name. They are in proximity but it's a mile walk on a path through the woods.

My intention isn't to turn my son loose, but rather to dine at a restaurant that has a space/is positioned near a space for him to play. My husband and I take turns to keep an eye on him while he plays, or if we can, we sit at a table overlooking such a space and watch from there. As a parent of a young child, who makes a point of frequenting such places, I don't think this is such a foreign concept, but I understand how some might think otherwise. Perhaps I should have posted this thread in the family forum.

I know of no full service restaurants that have anything like this on property. I know some full service with play areas outside or set apart, such as Joe's. I think it has a few tables out at the playground. But I can't come up with another.

I would probably look at doing Quick Service and enjoy the resort amenities such as the playground. At POFQ you have the splash pad area so you could enjoy that as well.

 

[G719]

Thank you for this suggestion. This is the kind of restaurant/set up I had in mind. It would be a nice outing to check out Wilderness Lodge, too, at the same time.

Just note that fort wilderness and the lodge are separate resorts. You'll have to take the boat or bus between the fort and the lodge. There's also a walking path. It's a little over a mile long.

 

[Minnesota!]

My intention isn't to turn my son loose, but rather to dine at a restaurant that has a space/is positioned near a space for him to play. My husband and I take turns to keep an eye on him while he plays, or if we can, we sit at a table overlooking such a space and watch from there. As a parent of a young child, who makes a point of frequenting such places, I don't think this is such a foreign concept, but I understand how some might think otherwise. Perhaps I should have posted this thread in the family forum.

I have never heard of a place like that. So, yes...foreign concept for me

 

[Lilith]

I'm not American, and where I come from there are restaurants (other than fast food joints) that have dedicated spaces for kids to play. Vacation resorts often have these spaces, too. Sometimes it's an area in the restaurant itself or else some play equipment situated near the outdoor seating. Anyway, I was just making an innocent enquiry (I'm new to the forum) to help our family fine-tune our planning, and make our dining experience as pleasant as possible for the three of us. Let's leave it at that. The point about not confusing Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge has been noted. Thank you.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

I have never heard of a place like that. So, yes...foreign concept for me

Universal had this concept at a couple of their resort restaurants. It was awesome when the kids were younger.

 

[Minnesota!]

I'm not American, and where I come from there are restaurants (other than fast food joints) that have dedicated spaces for kids to play. Vacation resorts often have these spaces, too. Sometimes it's an area in the restaurant itself or else some play equipment situated near the outdoor seating. Anyway, I was just making an innocent enquiry (I'm new to the forum) to help our family fine-tune our planning, and make our dining experience as pleasant as possible for the three of us.

Interesting. I am the mom of 2 very active boys, but I would not have enjoyed this when they were younger.

IKEA has something like it, I suppose, though. A TV, some climbing things, small, kid-sized tables/chairs to eat at. I was the mean mom who didn't let my kids sit there, though.

 

[G719]

I'm not American, and where I come from there are restaurants (other than fast food joints) that have dedicated spaces for kids to play. Vacation resorts often have these spaces, too. Sometimes it's an area in the restaurant itself or else some play equipment situated near the outdoor seating. Anyway, I was just making an innocent enquiry (I'm new to the forum) to help our family fine-tune our planning, and make our dining experience as pleasant as possible for the three of us.

It was a perfectly reasonable question! In the US, restaurants with a play area are typically fast food places. Most chick fil a restaurants have a play area and some Mcdonalds.

Most of the disney resorts, if not all of them, have an outdoor playground. So you could always play before and after eating at a resort.

Another suggestion if you venture to trails end at the fort, is to attend the campfire sing along that they have at the fort. You'd have to use the fort bus to get over to the campfire area or walk down. It's maybe 1/2 mile from the restaurant. The sing along features chip and dale and you can buy some marshmallows to roast. The program is free and open to all disney guests not just those staying at the fort. It's a lot of fun!