I love the boardwalk. It is just that...a boardwalk. It wraps around a small body of water and has hotels (The Boardwalk, The Yacht/Beach Club, the Swan and the Dolphin) as well as Jellyrolls piano bar (great fun), a bakery, pizza window, the ESPN Club (also a lot of fun, but super crowded on a football Sunday), Spoodle, Big River Brewing Co. and some entertainment. You can rent Surrey bikes. It is really delightful. We try to make our way over there at least once on each trip.
The best way to get there is through the back entrance to Epcot (merge right when you leave England and hit France).
You can also take a boat from Epcot and possible MGM to get there.