Disney merch at 50, 60, 70 percent off?! It's not a fever-dream or a Dole Whip brain-freeze-inspired hallucination. It's the Disney Character Warehouse. In fact, there are two of them, one each in the Orlando Premium Outlets shopping centers. Here, amid shelves that are, despite employees' best efforts, often destroyed beyond recognition due to the hoards that mill through looking for great grabs, you will find extremely reasonable prices on all manner of Disney merchandise. Mugs, pins, hats, T-shirts, home goods, plushies, accessories and more. The rub? Much of what you'll find is a tad dated (say, shirts with last year's date on them). The good part? You can bring home souvenir tees for friends and family at a fraction of the price of what you'll pay at the park.
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: Great finds afoot for those of you with Disney fans on your shopping list!
A.D.'s expert tip: Don't go in expecting to find the hot, new item you were hoping to grab at the parks. Go expecting great deals.
Is grandma from England and craves certain chocolate from there? Do you have a neighbor from China who collects certain figurines from her home country? Does your child's teacher like all things French? Instead of traveling the globe to get that perfect gift, head to Epcot! World Showcase has 11 countries (including the U.S.) and each one has shops with trinkets, gifts and food exclusive to their homeland. Your friends and family will be amazed you found that ever-so-hard-to-get item they've been yearning for. Yes, to shop the countries you do need an admission ticket to Epcot (which can cost about $100). If you're not ready to pay that price for shopping, ask a friend who plans to visit the park to shop for you.
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: Your family and friends will think you traveled the globe to get their gifts.
Michelle's expert tip: To get the full international experience, enjoy a meal at one of the countries while you're shopping.
Wine is one of those things that can be intimidating to shop for. At Winter Park's Wine Barn, dispense with the fear and embrace the expertise of its affable staffers. They'll guide you to your ideal bottles without a trace of hard sell or upsell. In fact, if you have a pricey favorite, they might even find you a wonderful doppelganger for less. Come the holiday season, beautiful baskets are oft available for purchase for those in a bit of a hurry, but if you have a moment, do spend some time perusing. Wines of all colors, from all regions and for all palates abound.
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: The Wine Barn makes gift shopping easy. Its on-site pizzeria makes it tasty.
A.D.'s expert tip: Come for the wine, stay for the pizza. The Wine Barn's surprise gem is a brick oven in which some of the city's best pizza is baked to order. Sample some with a sommelier-selected bottle!
With only four stores (three in NYC, one in Orlando at the always-fun UniversalCityWalk) online shopping is all that most people can do when it comes to PiQ â" and while they have an astonishing cyber inventory, we recommend heading to the Orlando outpost and checking out all the amazing unique art, books, jewelry, accessories and more. Always colorful and ever-changing, PiQ's merchandise runs the gamut from handmade items to unique pop culture collectibles and often a melding of the two. Designer toys for your coolest comic-fan and killer notebooks for the journal junkie in your life, not to mention a host of fun and funny items for home and work and person. Check them out!
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: Super colorful, fun gifts and designer toys will win you the prize for most creative present under the tree.
A.D.'s expert tip: Don't come all the way to CityWalk without hitting up some of the other venues. At the very least, a serious milkshake at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Kitchen.
Craft beer and wine and food and furniture and boutiques and antiques and vintage shops and boutiques and sporting goods and art and music and...and...and... Ivanhoe Village has been called up-and-coming for more than a few years at this point. It's safe to say that while new businesses continue to open, it has most certainly arrived. With a host of shops, from gourmet bakeries and vintage furniture to original art and used records, this is a neighborhood where one could easily spend an entire day browsing, dining, drinking and even enjoying a bit of al fresco relaxing, whether at one of the area's stellar restaurant or bar patios or beneath the shady oak-studded park beside its eponymous lake.
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: Great for unique finds from home furnishings to stationery to comic-art creations to rare vinyl.
A.D.'s expert tip: On-street parking is widely available but look sharp for the lot just adjacent Washburn Imports (corner of New Hampshire & Orange) on busy evenings. It's pretty ample.
A few years back, East End Market made Orlando's already-cool Audubon Park neighborhood a little more so. Artisan foodstuffs such as cheese and produce, craft-level cookies, hot sauce and house-made kombucha notwithstanding, there is much to be found in the realm of the inedible, as well, particularly where holiday gifts are concerned. Freehand Goods, for example, brings together a lovely array of unique handmade goods from t-shirts to leather to bath and body items. Porch Therapy is a haven of horticultural gifts and you'll want to come early so you can bring home a box of Gideon's Bakehouse cookies before they fly from the case (which they do on the daily).
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: East End Market's friendly vibe is well suited for the holiday season and its shop-local mantra makes spending feel extra good.
A.D.'s expert tip: Many of the in-house food purveyors put together beautiful baskets for the holidays. And don't forget to check out the other great indie shops on Corrine!
Disney Springs is the umbrella name for this walkable, lakeside strand of shopping, dining and entertainment within the Walt Disney World complex. Its expansion has brought with it a host of new venues well suited to part you from your cash. There is literally something for everyone on your gift list. You can find fancy shaving gear at The Art of Shaving, stylish headwear at Chapel Hats and collectibles at Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers. There's, of course, every kind of Disney memorabilia you could ever think of. You can even cross off items for the foodie in your family. Disney Springs has a bunch of famous chef-owned restaurants, making gift cards or delicious goodies, good present options. Think cupcakes from Sprinkles, a bottle from Wine Bar George or Spanish food-truck fare from Pepe by Jose Andres.
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: With its recent and massive expansion, DS is now home to an abundance of popular brands including Alex and Ani, Anthropologie, Kate Spade & more!
Michelle's expert tip: Disney Springs' parking garages are amazing, but even these can fill at peak times. Valet is available.
Winter Park's famed Park Avenue and its surrounds have been delighting shoppers for ages with quaint, cobbled, oak-shaded lanes and top-of-the-line boutiques. Here you'll find names you recognize (Lilly Pulitzer, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, etc.) along with scads of locally-owned boutiques and galleries for your fashion, home furnishing and even pantry-related needs. Check out Kathmandu, Partridge Paper, Ten Thousand Villages, Frank, the Grove and more! In between the great excuses to spend, the cooling fountains and relaxing benches of Central Park beckon, as do the dozens of restaurants for true, tony, small-town immersion during your stay. Whether its spent window shopping or a credit card-igniting spend-a-thon is up to you.
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: Shopping doesn't get more pleasant than when you're perusing the picturesque purveyors of Park Ave.
A.D.'s expert tip: Make a day of it. This walkable area is rife with shops, restaurants, outdoor spaces and even museums. Plan ahead and maximize your time.
Orlando residents have been delighting in this weekly Lake Eola event since 1987 and it just keeps growing. The market features more than 50 vendors all year 'round, creating a veritable cornucopia of Florida fruits and vegetables. Also on tap: plants, jewelry, pottery, paintings, clothing, accessories, locally made specialty food items and more. The market is dog- and kid-friendly; many residents bring the whole family to shop, grab a late breakfast or lunch and even enjoy beer and mimosas (courtesy of Orlando Brewing) in its oak-shaded "Biergarten" where a local singer/guitar-slinger entertains the crowd every Sunday with rock and pop classics, sometimes with accompanying musicians, as well.
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: One of the nice things about Florida Christmas shopping in Orlando is that you can do it outside. Orlando Farmer's Market is an ideal venue.
A.D.'s expert tip: On-street parking is available but there are multiple garages nearby if you don't feel like circling.
Magpie's calls itself a "modern general store," which means you will find things every home needs. Now your needs (or that of the person for whom you are buying a gift) are subjective. Everyone needs soap for the bathroom, for example, and so at Magpie's, you can satisfy your loved one's need with beautifully packaged, handcrafted soap that will look and smell and feel lovely on the hands. Jewelry, for some, is also a need. And here you'll find beautiful unique pieces, some of which are very reasonably priced, for primary gifts or stocking stuffers. Also, beautiful, high-quality home goods, tasty snacks for foodies, and more. It's a wonderful store for browsing and one where inventory changes regularly. Around the holidays, though, the stock is exceptionally gift-driven with items you're not likely to find elsewhere.
Recommended for Christmas Shopping because: At 10Best, we love shopping local and Magpie's unusual stock makes for phenomenal gifts, none of which need to break the bank.
A.D.'s expert tip: Come back often! The stock at Magpie's rotates seasonally. You're likely to find new things on each visit.