Fort Wilderness Campground is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, being one of the original three resorts at Walt Disney World. In this post, we’ll share history of Fort Wilderness and look at how the rustic retreat is paying tribute to 50 years with “new” entertainment, merchandise, and more. We’ll also explain why it’s such a special spot that you should visit on your next Walt Disney World vacation!
Unlike Magic Kingdom, Fort Wilderness did not open on October 1, 1971. Along with the Contemporary and Polynesian, “construction” of Fort Wilderness was behind schedule in the home stretch of 1971. Unlike those hotels, it wasn’t fast-tracked to debut by opening day of Magic Kingdom. In fact, the land earmarked for the campground was essentially pristine wilderness as of Spring 1971 when the team arrived on-site to begin work on the project.
Consequently, Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground opened on November 19, 1971 over a month after Magic Kingdom and the two hotels. Similar to how Contemporary was viewed as an extension of Tomorrowland and Polynesian of Adventureland, Fort Wilderness was viewed as a counterpart to Frontierland, giving guests a way to stay in the American frontier. The campground debuted with 232 campsites as well as Tri Circle D Ranch, which was primarily constructed as a convenient location for horses in the parades at Magic Kingdom.
In the years that followed, Fort Wilderness would expand considerably. The first big addition was the Fort Wilderness Railroad, which soft opened in Spring 1973. Fort Wilderness Railroad consisted of four steam trains that each pulled five cars around a circular route through the campground, similar to that of the current internal buses, at a maximum speed of 10 miles an hour. Each train was approximately 115 feet long and having capacity for 90 guests.
Fort Wilderness Railroad’s track was far and away the longest railroad operating in a Disney park, more than double the 1 1/2 mile route around the Magic Kingdom. During the heyday of the River Country water park in peak summer seasons, all four trains of the Fort Wilderness Railroad operated daily to provide sufficient capacity to meet demand. Tickets cost $1 and were good all day, with the train typically running from 7 am until 11 pm. (Resulting in a similar ‘wake-up call’ that guests staying in the Poly bungalows now get each morning!)
Fort Wilderness Railroad was relatively short-lived by Walt Disney World standards. There’s still debate over when it permanently closed; we know that service was reduced in 1977, but continued until at least 1979. In early 1980, Fort Wilderness Railroad went on “hiatus” for a feasibility assessment or evaluation, but it never returned. (Learn more about Fort Wilderness Railroad.)
Another addition around that same time is more well-known. Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue was one of the original ‘upcharge offerings’ at Walt Disney World. This show was created to lessen the blow of decreased attendance in the wake of the 1973-74 Oil Embargo, debuting on June 30, 1974 as a temporary summer show with a cast of college interns.
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue was an immediate hit with guests, and Walt Disney World Entertainment scrambled to audition a full-time cast by the end of summer as the interns headed home. Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue opened as a permanent show on September 5, 1974.
It’s now one of the longest-running dinner shows in the United States, with more than 40,000 performances. While the show has been tweaked over the years, it’s largely the same today as it was in 1974, maintaining the same spirit of Americana and old-fashioned family fun served with down-home comfort food.
More recently, Tri-Circle-D Ranch was relocated and Mickey’s Backyard BBQ was demolished in preparation for the construction of Reflections Lakeside Lodge–a project that Walt Disney World has since abandoned. (Thankfully.)
Today, Fort Wilderness offers campsites and cabins along with a wide range of recreational options. While Fort Wilderness is only a short boat ride from Magic Kingdom, it feels worlds away. The sprawling ‘resort’ is situated on 750 acres of pine and cypress forest, giving the campground a ‘buffer’ between it and the rest of Walt Disney World.
Fort Wilderness is a blissful escape from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks, offering about as sharp of a contrast to Magic Kingdom as is conceivably possible for a place only minutes away. It’s almost as if Fort Wilderness Campground is “off the grid” and hasn’t been victim to as many of the changes made that have sanitized and made some of the other original ‘Vacation Kingdom of the World’ resorts less endearing.
There’s an undeniable magic to Fort Wilderness, and it’s easy to see and feel while walking around the rustic resort, enjoying dinner, or catching the evening entertainment. It’s as if the atmosphere rubs off on everyone who stays here or visits, with a spirit of conviviality and community unlike any other resort on property. Not to overstate things, but it sure seems to me like Fort Wilderness is the happiest place at Walt Disney World. It’s a really special place.
More than anything else, this is why we say “thankfully” about Disney’s decision to abandon Reflections Lakeside Lodge. While there are several reasons Reflections was a half-baked idea, chief among them was the irreversible impact it’d have on the seclusion and serenity of Fort Wilderness, its largely unspoiled scenery, and the atmosphere that exists as a result.
In addition to the aforementioned Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue and Tri-Circle-D Ranch, other features of Fort Wilderness include playgrounds, two heated swimming pools, Trail’s End Restaurant, Crockett’s Tavern, P & J’s Southern Takeout, Electrical Water Pageant, fishing, horseback riding, wagon rides, and more. There are showers, laundry rooms, restrooms, and Comfort Stations in every campsite loop.
This just scratches the surface of the dining and recreation offerings at Fort Wilderness. It’s honestly hard to keep track of everything. In addition to permanent food trucks, there are also temporary ones that appear during the week. We see something new each time we visit.
One of the reasons for our trek out to Fort Wilderness on this particular evening was catching Chip ‘N Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long. This returned a few months ago, but we hadn’t yet returned to check it out.
For those unfamiliar with Chip ‘N Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long, it features the nutty friends for a campfire celebration followed by a classic Disney movie under the stars. Prior to the character appearance, there’s a talented performer who leads classic campfire songs in an outdoor amphitheater.
Prior to Chip ‘N Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long, fire pits are available for roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.
Once the characters appear during the performance, guests are invited up towards the front of the stage for an informal dance party. (I seem to recall this being different last time we did it–I think Chip ‘N Dale mingled with the audience during the first half of the show, signing autographs, posing for photos, and engaging in general hijinks. It’s been a few years, though!)
Regardless, Chip ‘N Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long is good ole fashioned fun for guests of all ages.
The musician is talented, and performs songs that are actually good. Expect to hear “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain When She Comes,” “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” among others. I don’t have a full playlist, but if you like the music of John Denver or Johnny Cash, you’ll enjoy this.
Not that we make a point of creeping on other guests during sing-alongs (sometimes it just happens), but it really seemed as if everyone was having a good time during Chip ‘N Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long.
It’s one of those things that’s deceptively simple, and simply fun. With campfires, good music, and character shenanigans, what’s not to enjoy? In general, this is the story of Fort Wilderness as a whole. It’s a ‘resort’ that may not seem compelling as compared to its more impressive counterparts at Walt Disney World, but is much more fun in person than it might appear on paper.
We often recommend Fort Wilderness to families with kids who are high energy and hands-on. It’s a great place for children to actively explore and have fun in real life. Without fail, we see kids having a hoot at Fort Wilderness.
If I had to score resorts at Walt Disney World on their ‘fun factor’ for kids, Fort Wilderness would be the runaway champion. (The only others that even come close are Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Yacht/Beach Club.) In an era when entertainment for kids primarily occurs in front of a screen, Fort Wilderness is a breath of fresh air. Literally and figuratively.
As a kid, I loved camping at Fort Wilderness, which was my family’s go-to place to stay at Walt Disney World until Shades of Green opened in 1994. We stayed in our truck camper there at least a half dozen times from the late 1980s through early 1990s. I have a lot of nostalgia and fond memories for Fort Wilderness as a result.
Sarah and I have stayed at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness several times as well as the campsites. It’s one of our favorite resorts for larger parties, for anyone wanting a place to decompress from the sensory-overload of the parks, or those wanting a convivial setting for group bonding.
In general, the (Walt Disney) World and life move at a slower pace at Fort Wilderness. It’s a simpler time and place, and that really needs to appeal to you and also mesh with the priorities for your Walt Disney World vacation. If you’re theme park commandos, it’s not for you. If you’re fine with a more leisurely experience, it could work.
On an odd and random note, one of my favorite “jokes” is stopping Sarah abruptly before she’s about to enter Meadows Trading Post. I’ll exclaim: “Hold on, we’re not allowed in there!”
“Well, we’re not service animals, are we?!”
This is the corniest of corny dad jokes, and one that is guaranteed to induce eyerolls from your family and friends. Please feel free to borrow it. I promise you, no one will laugh. Maybe it’s simply too cerebral.
While at Meadows Trading Post, we spotted a ton of awesome 50th Anniversary merchandise.
None of this is new–I remember seeing posts about it on social media a while ago, but it was all new to us. I’m guessing it’s also new to many of you, so I figured I’d share photos of the line:
Maybe I’m biased because I love Fort Wilderness, but I think this whole line is fantastic. I ended up buying only the Chip ‘N Dale mug to add to my growing collection of rustic Wilderness Lodge and Grand Californian mugs, but I was tempted by so much more.
Several of the shirts are really good, but my favorite item of all is the backpack. As someone who always carries a photography bag, I wouldn’t have any use for that…but I almost bought it, anyway. The quality is fantastic and those patches are perfect. (For similar reasons, the water bottle is also exceptional–but we only use bottles with filters.)
Kudos to the merchandise team behind these products, because they really captured the essence of Fort Wilderness. I do wish they could’ve brought back “Musket Mickey Mouse,” but totally get why that wasn’t possible. At least there are fan made/small shop designs available with him.
Ultimately, we had a fantastic afternoon and evening at Fort Wilderness, celebrating 50 years of the magic, merriment, and merchandise of this underrated Walt Disney World resort. While it’s not for everyone, you might just be surprised by how much your family enjoys Fort Wilderness. At the very least, we’d recommend booking Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue or taking a boat ride over for a midday break from Magic Kingdom to enjoy some delicious fried food.
You might even consider a stay at Fort Wilderness in the cabins or campground, depending upon your party’s preferences. In our view, Fort Wilderness is the ideal intersection of being outdoors while still being a part of civilization. It’s a perfect change of pace from the craziness of the parks, and 50 years later, there’s still something special about this place. It’s the best remaining embodiment of the “Vacation Kingdom of the World” and continues to carry on the vision the Disney brothers (and others) had for the Florida Project back in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Have you stayed at the campsites or cabins at Fort Wilderness? What did you think of the experience? Have you visited for dining, entertainment, or anything else? Do you think there’s a certain magic to the place? Agree or disagree that it’s a nice serene and secluded change of pace from the parks? Anything else to add that we didn’t cover? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
November 1979 my husband and I spent 2 weeks in Fort Wilderness for our honeymoon, in a tent, and we had the best time ever! After we had our 4 children, the first time we took them there they were 3, 5, 7 and 8 and we all had so much fun! That was the summer of 1989. We live in NJ, and every time we went on vacation, that was where we went. We loved River Country and would always splurge and spend one day there every time. We would rent a go cart one of the days and just ride around on that, too. They also had the island with the birds on it, I think it was called Discovery Island. For us, there was no other place that we would rather go to for our vacations, and we never even went camping for a weekend or anything here in NJ because for us, camping meant Fort Wilderness. We even made an adventure out of doing our laundry at the “laundromat”, lol. As a matter of fact, one of my very best memories was the time we spent doing a ton of laundry one night! As the kids got older and grew, we graduated to using 3 separate tents, but I’ll tell ya. We never grew tired of going there. We enjoyed each time just as much as the time before. Now our kids are grown and 3 of them have a bunch of kids of their own, and it’s been many, many years since we’ve stayed there. My husband and I had to move on to staying at the different resort hotels (which is fine and are still filled with the magic of Disney) and every so often we do go over to Fort Wilderness to reminisce, but it just isn’t the same anymore. I’m so glad they finally brought back Chip ‘n Dale! Now if they could bring back River Country, that would be AMAZING!
My girlfriends and I used to go 3 times a year. We loved the cabins and loved walking around after 3am! I would go rent a fishing pole and sit on one of the rocking chairs. Us young ladies did this for years. It saved us money and gave us so many wonderful memories! Nobody who drove the internal buses will ever forget the girls from 2222!
I loved the atmosphere of Fort Wilderness, and for the most part we loved it. The only downside to it was that both my parents needed mobility aids, which made it difficult to navigate, and made traveling to the parks take almost two hours with waiting for the internal busses, because we couldn’t just hop on a golf cart. The cabins were very comfortable, and my daughter still keeps talking about our cabinet!
Bring back the Musket Mickey! Also, I wish they had some Fess Parker/Davy Crockett merchandise.
With that said, I still love the FW merchandise, and I hope to venture over there in Christmastime 2022 to purchase a bunch if the selection is similar to Christmastime 2021.
I stopped by Trail End for the breakfast buffet a couple of weeks ago on a beautiful morning around 9:00 and it was gone! The buffet tables were missing, so it looked like a permanent thing (?) There were 4 or 5 people in the restaurant picking up bags of food all nicely stapled shut & going elsewhere to eat – presumably mobile orders. It was so sad…and creepy. When I asked a cast member about it’s status, I got the most vague answer possible & I just kind of shuffled out the door, dejected. Anyone know about this? Between the missing buffet and no more boats to & from Wilderness Lodge or Contemporary, the whole place had a ghost town, abandoned feel. I hate to write such a negative experience on this post, but I’m hoping it was just a one-time thing.
Hi Joe … Trails End is no longer a buffet – it is served family style, and is still all you can eat. It’s been that way since it reopened after the pandemic closures. You might have been there on a Tuesday or Wednesday – it is closed on those days. P&Js is open for take out only, and in the evenings, the food truck round up is there when Trails End is closed. Maybe you were there super early, but the Settlement area has been very lively and active anytime we’ve been theree.
The boats do only run back and forth to Magic Kingdom now, but there is a bus that goes to Wilderness Lodge from the Settlement bus stop. As with so many other things that Disney has not brought back, it is due to staffing shortages.
We absolutely adore Fort Wilderness. We bought an RV in the summer of 2020 as that would make travel so much easier in a pandemic, and we are hooked on the RV travel life! The Fort is our favorite place to go, and even though I am grumpy about almost everything else with Disney, I just can’t stay away from the Fort! We’ve been 8 times in the last two years, and have two more trips booked … so far.
This is a great article, the only thing not mentioned is how huge the resort is, and planning for getting around it is essential. There are internal buses that run between the front and back of the resort with stops along the way, but this can be slow and you’re stuck with their routes and schedule. The Fort also offers golf cart rentals, right now at about $67 a day, which makes getting around super easy, but can really hike the price of a stay. There are other golf cart vendors in the area, many of which are much lower in cost. However, Disney does not allow them to deliver to the Fort, so one has to go out with a vehicle capable of towing a small trailer and bring it in, then return the trailer. Some will allow you to drive their truck and trailer, but you still have to go get it. Kind of a hassle, but worth it to save a pretty big chunk of money.
We did the math, and considering our frequent visits, we found it was more cost effective to buy two e-bikes than to rent a golf cart each visit. We absolutely love our bikes, and make cruising around the Fort part of the fun in our stay. During holidays, people decorate their sites with inflatables, lights and other cool stuff, and it’s fun to ride around looking at it all.
Hi Tom and Sarah – Our first trip to Fort Wilderness was in 1974. The wilderness railroad at that time was free, I rember our son riding the train by himself (he was 4) around the campground. When we went back in 1976, the railroad cost 50 cents to ride, and in 1976 it was gone. I still have all of the handouts that we received when we would check in at the main gate. Fort Wilderness has changed a lot since we first stayed there in our pop up. We are now DVC members in our 70’s and stay at Bay Lake Tower. Enjoy our articles immensely.
Tom, you’re article on Ft. Wilderness hit home on so many levels! We’ve only stayed there once…but dream of going back with others. As a couple in their 50’s, I do all the WDW planning. My girl isn’t a huge fans of the parks due to crowds so one trip about 5 years ago, while planning, I googled “things to do in WDW besides the parks.” I also researched renting a camper as we would be flying in from New Jersey. I found a company on-line and couldn’t have been more happy. They provided a fire ring, bicycles, firewood, tablecloth and candle for the picnic table and lights to decorate the trailer. We went to the parks 2 out of 7 days that trip. The rest of the time was mostly spent in Ft. Wilderness. It never rained that whole week and we spent so much time riding bikes, canoeing, walking, swimming and I introduced my girl to the Electric Water Parade on the beach. We saw the Hoop-De-Doo, at Trails End and said ‘Hi’ to countless others enjoying that park! We can’t wait to return!
Thanks for sharing your experience–Fort Wilderness really is a special place!
If you don’t mind, please share the company–that could be a helpful resource for others and I don’t have any expertise (yet) as to which of those options are best.
Tom, The company I used was Greenbergrvflorida.com. I just checked and now it looks like it takes you to rvshare.com. It looks like things have changed somewhat re these companies since our trip in 2014
Hey Tom … one camper rental company that is really good is Camper Rental Adventures – https://www.facebook.com/camperrentaladventures They have great packages that can even include a golf cart, and they have Disney themed campers too.
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