After exploring the Georgia Aquarium and Silver Springs State Park, my family was ready for some Orlando fun! This part of the trip should be called the FOODIE section! So much good food was eaten! If you haven’t checked it out yet, read Family Roash Trip: Nashville to Orlando Part One. Read on for all the adventures we got into in Family Road Trip: Nashville to Orlando Part Two!
Margaritaville Cottage Orlando, Florida
We drove straight from Silver Springs to our Airbnb in Orlando. I rented the cottage off Airbnb instead of renting directly from Margaritaville since the reviews for this particular cottage were all 5-star. We had a lovely and bright two-bedroom, two-story cottage. It was around the back of the “village” which was fine since it was quiet and peaceful. Check out the review on YouTube below!
We ended up popping into the main Margaritaville Resort for a minute the next day just to see what it was like. It seemed nice and HUGE! I’m sure it is a fun place to stay, but I am 100% happy that we had a cottage instead of staying at the main resort. For us, we enjoy the quiet, less bustling vibe.
Disney Springs: Day One
After unpacking I was shocked that my husband said we should pop into Disney Springs for dinner. We were planning on going the next afternoon, but I was very excited to get more time at the food and shopping Mecca! I snagged a last-minute reservation for Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin‘ on open-table. Pro tip, Check open-table for Disney Springs reservations! I also got our Wine Bar George reservation that way!
We parked our car in the parking garage and headed into the springs. Our kiddo decided that the parking garage was the COOLEST thing of all time. He now has a parking garage obsession. You just never know what kids will love!
We were seated outside on the patio for dinner (which wasn’t ideal since it was HOT). I ordered a fried chicken salad and a beer. My husband got the chicken plate, and we shared the fried green tomatoes appetizer. Everyone loved the fried green tomatoes! I was pretty full after eating the appetizer, so my salad wasn’t enjoyed as much as I would have liked. It was a very good salad, I just didn’t have the appetite since it was also very filling! Everyone enjoyed their food, though I will say the biggest rip-off of the trip was the biscuit! I wanted to try the famous drop biscuit as a side (since my salad didn’t come with it). It ended up being $8.00 for one very normal-sized biscuit. And it wasn’t even good (possibly it sat out too long?). So beware, and avoid ordering the biscuit as an added side!
Disney Springs: Day Two
Gideon’s Cookies
The next day after a morning exploring Margaritaville and a nap, we headed back out to Disney Springs. Our main objective of this outing was to obtain Gideon’s Cookies. This was also a huge goal for our entire trip. My husband and I are total Disney food lovers, and this is a Disney food staple that everyone raves about. We never get the chance to just go to Disney Springs and wait (yes, you need to wait in line) for these beloved treats.
Once we got to the Springs we hopped in line and waited. Luckily, it was a very slow day for them and the wait was only half an hour long. We were overjoyed to check off this bucket-list Disney food stop! Also, we bought A LOT OF COOKIES (and some cake, but who’s counting… ). We froze most of the cookies and enjoyed them for a week after our trip. It was all very very good! That chocolate banana bread cookie is the thing dreams are made of! Also, the peanut butter cookie was a sleeper hit! Wowza! 
Wine Bar George
After the excitement of Gideon’s, we shopped around a little, then headed to Wine Bar George for dinner. We were seated upstairs in a very empty corner of the restaurant. This was actually okay since we never know how our toddler is going to act. We ended up ordering a few small plates, and two glasses of wine for mommy (cheers!). It was all amazing, the wine was wonderful, and the server was great. My favorite dish was the burrata, though we also had the flaming cheese dish that they literally set on fire before they serve it to you (very exciting for our kiddo!). It felt so nice and relaxing to enjoy a glass (or two) of wine with some wonderful dishes. I’m so glad we had the chance to experience it!
Mickey Hat and Ghirardelli
Another thing we did while at Disney Springs was get our boy’s Mickey hat personalized. You can also do this at Magic Kingdom, but we are always rushing to get as many rides in so we have never stopped to get it done. On our way to pick the ears up after dinner our little guy heard me say that Ghirardelli has the best ice cream… so he demanded we stop for some on our way out of the Springs. He’s definitely a child after my own heart! We sure didn’t need that sugar, but it was tasty, and sharing it with him and my husband is a memory I won’t soon forget!
Boma Breakfast
The next day we headed to Animal Kingdom Lodge for another Disney food bucket list experience! Boma is said to be one of the tastiest buffets on Disney property. I snuck this breakfast into our trip as a splurge meal, and I’m so happy I did! The lodge is a fun place to explore by itself. There are animals on the open safari area around the resort, plus the inside of the resort is gorgeous with plenty of comfortable chairs and nooks to explore.
We enjoyed our morning looking around the resort, and then finally headed to breakfast. Unfortunately, our little guy was pretty tired, so we had a grumpy toddler about halfway through our meal. On the plus side, the servers were SO kind and attentive. They even gave us “first-time” pins for being at Boma for the first time! So cute!
The food was indeed AMAZING! Even the tomatoes were flavorful and surprising. The bread pudding was the star of the show for me (I’m a huge bread pudding fan). Everything was enjoyable, even the weird watermelon and avocado salad! I would have eaten more, but our kiddo was done and we needed to get back for nap time. Usually, at a buffet, the servers don’t do a whole lot, but I was so impressed by the cast members at Boma. It’s worth a visit if you are in the area! =)
Stay tuned for part three of the road trip! Still to come are SeaWorld Orlando, Amelia Island, and VooDoo Doughnuts!
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