Leaving a Disney World park early doesn’t have to mean your Disney day is over. From nighttime safaris to campfires and outdoor movies, some of the best evening activities happen at the resorts.

There was a time when leaving a Disney World park before closing felt almost unthinkable. If we had paid for a park ticket, we were going to squeeze every last minute out of it. Then we started doing Disney World with kids.

Now, there are plenty of days when 6 PM rolls around, and we can tell we’ve reached the end. Everyone is tired, we’ve already ridden the attractions we really wanted to ride, and staying for another three or four hours sounds considerably less magical than it did that morning.

But heading back to your hotel doesn’t necessarily mean heading straight to your room.

Some of my favorite Disney World evening activities actually happen outside the theme parks. You can roast marshmallows with Chip ‘n’ Dale, watch a Disney movie under the stars, spot animals on a nighttime safari or settle in along the water to watch the Electrical Water Pageant float by. And, unlike squeezing in “just one more ride,” many of them actually give your family a chance to slow down.

So, if you’re done with the parks but not quite ready for bed, these are some of the best ways to spend an evening at the Disney World resorts.

1. Go on a Starlight Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

If you want to replace a few hours in the parks with something that still feels like a major Disney experience, the Starlight Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is hard to beat.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

The approximately one-hour tour takes guests onto the resort’s savannas after dark in an open-sided safari vehicle. You’ll even get a night vision device to help you spot the animals roaming the savanna, with more than 30 species potentially visible, including giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and ostriches.

Unlike many of the activities on this list, this one comes with an additional cost and requires some advance planning. The experience is currently $89 per person before tax, and guests must be at least 8 years old. You also don’t need to be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge to book it — the safari is open to all Walt Disney World guests.

For families with older kids, this would be one of my favorite ways to end an Animal Kingdom day. Instead of pushing everyone through another few hours in the park when you’re already exhausted, head to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner and finish the evening with a safari.

2. Watch a Disney Movie Under the Stars

Disney offers complimentary Movies Under the Stars at its Walt Disney World Resort hotels, giving resort guests a chance to watch Disney movies outdoors in the evening. Depending on the hotel, that might mean settling in near the pool, on a lawn or surrounded by the woods.

Photo by Danny Shuster

This has become the kind of Disney activity we appreciate so much more as a parent. You can get the kids into pajamas, grab dinner or a snack from the resort, and watch a movie without worrying about another attraction wait time or whether everyone can make it until fireworks.

Schedules and movie selections vary, so check your resort’s recreation schedule or ask at the front desk rather than building your evening around a specific movie in advance.

And remember: you’re still at Disney World. Watching a Disney movie outside beneath the palm trees feels considerably more like a vacation activity than watching one back in your hotel room.

3. Head to Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long

Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long is exactly the kind of activity that can turn leaving Magic Kingdom early into a plan rather than a concession. Families can roast marshmallows around the campfire, sing along with a guitar-playing cowboy, and see Chip ‘n’ Dale. You can bring your own marshmallows and roasting sticks or purchase a s’mores kit there.

Join the fun at Chip ‘n Dale’s Campfire Sing-a-Long. Photo by Andy Sanchez

The evening fun continues with an outdoor Disney movie, making it possible to spend a good chunk of your night at Fort Wilderness. The campfire sing-along and movie are complimentary, though entertainment is weather permitting and subject to change.

This is also one of my favorite suggestions for families with younger kids. You aren’t standing in another line or asking a tired preschooler to sit quietly through a lengthy meal. They can move around, roast a marshmallow, see characters and wind down with a movie.

4. Roast Marshmallows at Your Own Resort Campfire

You don’t necessarily need to travel to Fort Wilderness to get some campfire time. Evening campfire activities are available at a number of Walt Disney World Resort hotels. They’re much simpler than the Chip ‘n’ Dale experience, but that’s part of the appeal. After spending all day navigating crowds, attraction queues and transportation, sitting around a fire and roasting marshmallows may be exactly the speed your family needs.

Campfire at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Photo by Danny Shuster

This is also a good reminder to check your hotel’s recreation calendar when you arrive. It’s easy to spend so much time planning what you’ll do in the theme parks that you never look at what’s happening at your resort.

In fact, we recommend taking a photo of the activities schedule early in your trip. You don’t necessarily need to plan your vacation around it, but you’ll be glad you know what’s available on the evening when everyone unanimously decides they are done with the parks.

5. Watch the Electrical Water Pageant

For an evening Disney experience that requires very little energy, it’s difficult to beat the Electrical Water Pageant.

The nighttime tradition sends illuminated sea creatures floating across Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake to music. It lasts about 15 minutes and can currently be viewed from Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Photo by CJ Ayd

You don’t have to stake out a spot on Main Street, U.S.A. an hour ahead of time or navigate thousands of people leaving Magic Kingdom afterward. Grab a snack, find a spot along the water and enjoy one of Disney World’s most delightfully old-school nighttime traditions.

Just check the current schedule before heading over, since viewing times vary by resort and the outdoor show can be affected by weather.

6. Spend the Evening Exploring Disney’s BoardWalk

Leaving EPCOT or Hollywood Studios early? You don’t necessarily need to go very far.

Disney’s BoardWalk is one of my favorite areas to wander when we want to keep the evening going without committing to more time inside a park. The waterfront promenade connects Disney’s BoardWalk Inn area with the neighboring EPCOT resorts and offers restaurants, snacks and nighttime entertainment.

Photo by CJ Ayd

This is an especially good option if your family isn’t quite ready for bed but doesn’t want a structured activity. You can grab ice cream, pick up something to eat, watch the entertainment along the promenade or simply walk around Crescent Lake.

And unlike an evening in the parks, there isn’t necessarily an objective. You’re not trying to get to your next Lightning Lane or calculating whether you have enough time to fit in one more attraction before fireworks. You can just wander.

7. Make an Evening Out of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the few Disney World resorts we would happily visit with no real agenda. The resort itself is beautiful after dark, and there are multiple savanna viewing areas where you can slow down and look for animals. Pair that with dinner at one of the resort’s restaurants and you’ve got a pretty substantial evening without stepping inside another theme park.

Depending on the night’s recreation schedule, you may also find additional activities happening around the resort. That’s another reason we recommend checking the current schedule when you arrive rather than assuming the offerings and times will remain the same from one trip to another.

This is another particularly convenient option after visiting Animal Kingdom. When the park closes earlier than you expected — or your family simply hits its limit — an evening at Animal Kingdom Lodge lets you keep some of that animal-focused atmosphere going without pushing through another few hours of attractions.

8. Turn Fort Wilderness Into Your Evening Destination

Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long deserves its own spot on this list, but Fort Wilderness is worth considering as an evening destination beyond the campfire.

The sprawling resort feels dramatically different from the theme parks, particularly after dark. Depending on the activities available during your visit, you can combine dinner, the campfire, a movie, and even the Electrical Water Pageant into one very relaxed evening.

Photo by Jeff Chiu

And that’s what makes Fort Wilderness such a good alternative to another night in the parks: it still feels distinctly Disney without feeling like you’re doing more of the same.

If you’re coming from Magic Kingdom, taking a boat over also makes the transition feel like part of the experience rather than simply “going back to the hotel.” Instead of fighting the urge to fit in another three rides because you’re worried about wasting valuable park time, you’ve deliberately moved on to the next part of your day.

Thank you to Disney for hosting us for a Stay in the Magic experience at Walt Disney World.