Happy April, everyone! We’re in our first full month of spring and you can definitely tell around Disney World — EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival is in full swing, there are some fun and festive treats available, and even the birds are out enjoying the weather!

We know many of you will be heading on down to Disney World (or up, depending on where you live) this month for Spring Break and other vacations, so we’re here to help! We put together a list of the BEST things to do in Disney World in April, including some things we’ve been waiting a LONG time for, so let’s check it out!

Join in on Easter Celebrations

Easter is on April 17th this year and Disney World is celebrating! Over at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, there is an all new spot in the lobby where you can grab some festive baked goods — the The Grand Cottage. Over here you can find things like GIANT chocolate Easter eggs filled with jelly beans, hot cross buns, and even gourmet marshmallows (is this Disney’s answer for Peeps?!). This stand will be available until April 18th.

Speaking of the Grand Floridian, there is also a HUGE Easter egg display in the lobby! These are large eggs made of chocolate and have elaborate designs inspired by things like Disney movies, characters, and attractions. They are absolutely gorgeous and incredibly detailed — it’s definitely worth a visit to check them out!

You can also find fun chocolate Easter eggs like this over at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Also happening this month is the EGG-stravaganza in EPCOT! All around the park, you can go on a scavenger hunt for eggs themed to different characters. Once you find them all, you get a prize!  You can purchase a map for the hunt at various gift shops in EPCOT for $9.99.

Also, be on the lookout for the Easter Bunny as it gets closer to the holiday! In the past, we have seen Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny pop up at places like Magic Kingdom. It’s a pretty rare character you can spot!

Some restaurants also have specials for Easter, like over at Steakhouse 71. A brunch will be happening from 7:30AM-2PM on Easter. Some of the items on the menu include Floridian Eggs Benedict, French Onion Soup, Bacon & Eggs, and Walt’s Prime Rib Hash.

As you can see, there are a ton of different ways you can celebrate Easter in Disney World!

Click here to check out all of those AWESOME chocolate Easter eggs!

Ride Expedition Everest Again

Expedition Everest has been closed for MONTHS and it is FINALLY supposed to reopen in mid-April! It has been undergoing a lengthy refurbishment and we’ve seen some testing happening periodically over the past few months. We are SO eager to climb back up that mountain and see what was done to the ride!

We don’t have an exact opening date, but we’ll keep you posted, so stay tuned!

Enjoy Extended Evening Hours in Hollywood Studios

For months now we’ve seen Extended Evening Hours on select nights at Magic Kingdom in EPCOT, but in April, there will also be these special hours in Disney’s Hollywood Studios! On Wednesday, April 13th, qualifying guests will be able to stay in Hollywood Studios 2 hours past normal closing hours, so from 9-11PM.

To qualify for this perk, you have to be staying at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Disney World hotel. You can find out more about all of the hotels that qualify right here.

Note that right now, April 13th is the only day listed as having Extended Evening Hours in Hollywood Studios right now, but we’ll keep an eye out if anything changes!

Click here to learn more about Extended Evening Hours in Disney World!

Celebrate Earth Day

There is a whole WEEK of celebrations coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for Earth Day this year! From April 18th-24th, you can celebrate the holiday in a variety of ways at the park.

At Conservation Station (over at Rafiki’s Planet Watch), you can draw Disney characters step by step using real animals for inspiration during the Animation Experience. These animals represent stories of conservation work Disney is doing around the world.

On Discovery Island, you will be able to see a special Disney Character Cruise on the Discovery River! And around the park, you can find Disney PhotoPass shots that show you with Wall-E and Eve from Pixar’s Wall-E. There will also be a limited-time Wilderness Explorer activity that rewards you with a special Earth Day Nature badge!

You can also pick up a limited-edition Earth Day 2022 trading pin at the park, as well as finding other specialty merchandise and custom food and beverages throughout the whole week.

But, those aren’t the only exciting things happening during the week-long Earth Day celebrations! Disney’s Starlight Safari Tour will officially return on April 22nd.

This tour takes place at night at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. It lasts for one hour, with one tour starting at 8:30PM and another starting at 10PM.

If you go on the safari, you will be able to see zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, and antelopes by using night-vision goggles! This experience is $89 per person, and you can go ahead and book it right now!

Click here to learn more about the Starlight Safari!

Dress Up for Dapper Day

The spring Dapper Day outings will take place at Walt Disney World on April 30th and May 1st. If you don’t know what Dapper Day is, it’s when guests go to the parks dressed, well, dapper! Guests dress up in their very best clothing and accessories to hang out in the parks, it’s a pretty cool thing to see AND take part in!

If you want to see more of these awesome outfits, check out our posts from when we were in Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom on Dapper Days in the past .

Click here to see more Dapper Day dates for the Disney Parks!

Hug Mickey Again

That’s right, folks — it’s the moment you’ve ALL been waiting for — you can hug Mickey Mouse again in Disney World!!! Disney announced that starting April 18th, traditional meet and greets will be returning to Disney World. This means you can hug and interact with them again, get close for pictures, and snag autographs.

How EXCITING! It’s been over 2 years since we’ve had normal character interactions in Disney World. The traditional meet-and-greets will come back in phases throughout spring and early summer, so they won’t be available at all locations right away.

Disney also hinted at the return of normal character dining interactions, but we’ll have to wait and see!

Those are all of the best things to do in Disney World in April! We hope you get to take part in some of these activities on your trip. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news and updates.

Click here to learn more about character meet and greets returning to Disney World!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Will you be visiting Disney World in April? Let us know in the comments!

The post The BEST Things to Do in Disney World This April first appeared on the disney food blog.