>Seaside Fun, without the Sea

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This was one of the very first articles I ever posted on-line. It talks about one of my favorite places in Walt Disney World. Enjoy today’s Second Chance Sunday.

To get to one of my favorite “Unknown Magics” you need to get to the International Gateway at Epcot. It is located just passed the United Kingdom Pavilion. As you pass the Yorkshire County Fish Shop and start up the small hill, Do Not cross the bridge, stay to the right and walk down the opposite side of the hill. You will pass a small shop and then come to an exit for the park. This is called the International Gateway. You can board a boat here or you can continue walking to an “Unknown Magic” filled with “Unknown Magics”.

As you walk along, you come to Disney’s Boardwalk. The Boardwalk itself is behind Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Resort and Villas, but as with many of the wonderful Unknowns in Disney World, it is free to visit. The Boardwalk is reminiscent of a turn of the 20th century seaside resort town, very much like Atlantic City, NJ.

During the day the Boardwalk is usually a quiet relaxed place, with people walking around Crescent Lake and visiting the stores and restaurants. You can also rent surrey bikes for a ride around the quarter mile loop. There are tables and benches around the Boardwalk, where you can sit and enjoy pastries and other goodies from The Boardwalk Bakery or Seashore Sweets. Your food options range from The Pizza Window to Flying Fish Café. There is an ESPN Club at the very end of the Boardwalk that has a bar, restaurant and an arcade where they sell ESPN merchandise.

My favorite place on the Boardwalk however is Big River Grille and Brewing Works. This Brew Pub is small, but there are tables outside where you can sit and enjoy the

view of the Lake. They don’t serve fried food there, so there aren’t any fries served with the burgers, but the food is very good and their crafted beers are wonderful. Our Family considers Big River a must for lunch at least once every trip.

At night the Boardwalk takes on a whole new persona. As the sun goes down, the lights come on and the area becomes electric. There are Performers that come out to entertain and amaze. There are boardwalk or midway games to play and win prizes. There is a nightclub called the Atlantic Dance Hall and a piano bar called Jellyrolls, that are both 21 and over clubs, that are fun, especially with a group of people.

The Friendship Launches that navigate Crescent Lake, come from Epcot, but also go to Disney Hollywood Studios, the Beach and Yacht Club resorts and The Swan and Dolphin Resorts. The boat ride from the Boardwalk to Epcot takes about 10 minutes, while the walk from the Boardwalk to the International Gateway entrance is about a 7 minute walk.

The Boardwalk is a great place to visit and take a well deserved lunch break, or just a mid-afternoon stroll, when visiting Epcot. But at night, as people get caught up in the excitement of the Boardwalk, the magic seems to come from Boardwalk itself, it seems to have a special quality that makes it a perfect “Unknown Magic experience”.

>A Relaxing and Fun Experience

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I asked John the question I ask every Tuesday, “What is something that everyone should know about in Disney World?”
His answer:

The Boardwalk.

According to Disney’s Website, “Disney’s BoardWalk is designed after the boardwalks that were famous during the turn of the 20th century along such coastal cities as Coney Island, New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey.” It “contains more than 9,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and nightclubs.” It is connected to the Boardwalk Resort Hotel.

Why should they know about it?

Because of the many different things you can do on the Boardwalk.

What is your favorite thing about the Boardwalk?

Big River

Big River Brew Pub is only one of the four Big River Grilles, to be found outside of Tennessee. It is owned by the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Inc which owns and operates brew pubs in 29 states and two in Taiwan. It is not a really big place, but it is never really crowded and there is outdoor seating for when it is. They have Awesome Burgers and good Craft Beers.

What is your least favorite thing?

I don’t think I have anything.

Not even waiting for the boat?

I guess, waiting for the boat, but even that is nice.

Even in the Hot summer sun?

Yeah, summer is nice, especially in Disney.

Of course he says this now, sitting in our house when it is 40 degrees outside. When we are actually there, waiting for the boat when the temperature is 95 degrees and the humidity is 95 percent, He whines pretty good  about waiting.

What is the silliest thing you have ever seen on the boardwalk?

Probably one of the traveling entertainers, but those you have to catch at the right time.

Disney’s Boardwalk is the home to some fabulous street performers. There is the Bicycle piano man, Musicale Mark, who is not only good at avoiding running people over, but a funny and talented pianist, that puts on a good show. Besides Musical Mark, there are magicians that do tricks and performers that will play card games with you. There are also jugglers and other street performers that tell stories and draw in crowd members to help them tell jokes and entertain the rest of crowd. And then there are the Sword Swallowers. This both amazes me and creeps me out. But they are fun to watch on the Boardwalk. The Performers on the Boardwalk are there nightly from around seven o’clock until about nine o’clock, rain or shine, but if it is raining, you may have to search for them (Hint: they may be in the Boardwalk Resort Lobby or in a restaurant).

What is the neatest thing that you have seen or done on the Boardwalk?

Hmm, that’s a hard one, The bicycling with the family, which we talked about before in another article.

We did , if you would like to read about John’s advice for boats and Bikes, Click here.

I thought you were going to talk about Staying above the Boardwalk and leaving the drapes open so you could see the lights all around the Boardwalk and the lights at Epcot too.

Yeah, that works. I don’t think about things like that.

What is something that you have done, but don’t need to do again?

Nothing.

I figured here he would say riding the bike all the way around Crescent Lake.

What kind of experience would you describe the Boardwalk as?

A Relaxing and Fun experience, because everyone is relaxed and the music is playing and it’s a nice atmosphere.

What is the best thing to do at the Boardwalk?

Eat, funnel cakes are my favorite!

I’m not even going to comment on this. He is 15. Besides girls, sports and video games, he doesn’t think about much else.

Would you recommend going there at Night or Day?

Night.

Why?

The Lights, the entertainers and the games are open. And you can see fireworks from Epcot.

This is one of our favorite places to see the Epcot fireworks, although you only get to see the ones that are higher up.

Is there anything else people should know?

There are boats to MGM and Epcot.

That would be the Friendship launches that run between the Disney Hollywood Studios and Epcot and stop at teh Epcot Resorts.

Thanks John Boy.

You are welcome.

>A Sweet Place to Watch the Games

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The Sweet 16 starts today. What a great time of the year. I don’t even follow basketball, normally (I can’t stand watching the pro game) and very rarely watch a college game, until late February. I do like watching college sports though. It is a great thing to watch athletes play hard to win for their team, not for an endorsement or a higher free agent contract, No these kids play because it’s what they do. I especially like watching the smaller conference teams play in the NCAA tournament. These are the kids that play in a gymnasium the size of my son’s high school gym, until they make that field of 68. Then they are playing in front of more people than they ever imagined. It is great for them. And when one of these teams, a Richmond or a VCU pulls off the upset that puts them in the final rounds, it is even more exciting. What’s makes it thrilling as a fan is watching these games with other people. In Disney I think one of the greatest spots to watch all these games would be the ESPN Club on the Boardwalk.

The whole establishment is great for watching games. The bar area has TV’s all around and plenty of sports memorabilia (much of it with a Florida feel; i.e. Florida Marlin and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jerseys). The bar has ample seating and the food is your typical bar fare with Wings and sandwiches. They also offer soups and desserts. The ESPN Zone is on the Disney Dining Plan, but the reason you will go here is definitely for the sports coverage. The dining room area, not only has televisions around the room and a large screen, but it also has a stage, that is used when they have special guests and radio shows from time to time. One of my son’s favorite things about the ESPN Zone is that they have televisions in the bathroom so that you don’t miss any of the game. This is a sports fans dream place to watch a game, or many games.

I’ve never been to Disney World during March Madness, but I have been during the NHL play-offs and the ESPN Club was packed then, so I can only imagine it would be wise to get there earlier in the evening if you want to be able to sit and enjoy the games. If you are with the family, there is also “The Yard” which is their arcade/gift shop. The Arcade is a nice size, works on token cards, and has enough different games to entertain the kids or the family for a while. The gift shop section is kind of small, but you can still get some shirts and things that say ESPN Club Walt Disney World. Over all this is a great place to go and watch a game, because even the kids will be able to hang out here for a while, without getting antsy.

So, Sports Fans, you need not worry about how to be able to watch the games to make sure your brackets are still ok; all you need to do is head to the end of Disney’s Boardwalk, on the side that is closest to Epcot. There you will find the ESPN Club and a great place to watch the tournament.

>A Great Place to Relax

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This is one of my favorite views in all of Disney World. Enjoy

 

>A Rocket and a Boardwalk View.

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I have mentioned before that I like Disney’s Boardwalk. I enjoy taking a break from the parks and hanging out there. I enjoy staying in the Resort, I think it is perfectly situated to get to anywhere, and I really enjoy the fact that there are so many choices for food and drink. You can eat high end at Cat Cora’s Kouzzina or the Flying Fish Café or you can go quick and easy with Hot dogs or Pizza. For Liquid Refreshments there are plenty of choices also, but hands down one of my favorite places in all of Disney World, and located on the Boardwalk is the Big River Brew Pub.

The Big River Brew Pub is located, between Thimbles and Threads and the Disney Vacation Club Preview Center. It is open Daily from 11:30am until midnight. This Big River Grille Brewing Works as it is officially named is the only one of the four Big River Grilles, to be found outside of Tennessee. It is owned by the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Inc which owns and operates brew pubs in 29 states and two in Taiwan. It is not a really big place to eat or have a beer, but it is never really crowded and there is outdoor seating for when it is.

The food is very good, there is a starter menu which includes dips and nachos, while the main courses offered range from chicken, fish, and meat to pastas and sandwiches. There are many salads, everything from a Greenhouse Salad to a Grilled Salmon Caesar. There are kids’ meals, and “homemade” root beer. Big River is on the Disney Dining Plan.

We have had many of the different menu items at Big River. We try to get there for lunch, usually the first day we are in Disney. The Caesar Salads are good as are the Nachos, and the Blackened Mahi-Mahi Sandwich, but I am partial to the burgers. Their Burgers are fantastic! (I think this is because it is a brew pub, I have found that most brew pubs have great burgers.)

Since Big River is a brew pub, that makes your drink choices a little different. They do offer a full bar for mixed drinks and wines, but they do not offer Bud, Miller Light or Coors, because they don’t offer beers other than their own. Big River Grille Brewing Works is true to its name as they brew their beers on sight. And they are good! I have not found one of their beers that I didn’t like. Some are comparable to mass produced beers. Their Gadzooks Pilsner is a good choice if you like Budweiser, while their Southern Flyer Light Lager is a very nice light beer. My favorite is the Rocket Red, which is a refreshing ale that is reddish in color. They also have a Steamboat Pale Ale, and a Sweet Magnolia American Brown Ale. At different times of the year they offer other seasonal choices, such as a Summer Wheat. They do offer a beer sampler, that costs a few dollars and offers you a 2-3 oz. taste of each of the beers and ales they have on tap at the moment.

One of the best things about Big River is the Boardwalk seating. They have tables outside the restaurant that are on an “enclosed” patio. (They are enclosed by some potted plants.) Sitting here, you are overlooking Crescent Lake and can see the people coming and going to the Beach and Yacht Clubs and Epcot on the Friendship Launches. While sitting at these tables, you can also enjoy the view of the rest of the boardwalk and you can even see the top of Illuminations, the fireworks form Epcot. Relaxing on the boardwalk, enjoy some very fine beer, is one of my favorite things to do when in Walt Disney World. This is why Big River falls into my top five places to get a drink in Disney.

>Epcot Resort Area

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So, how many times have you heard someone say, or have said yourself, “I need a Vacation, because of my vacation?” That cracks me up. If you are going on Vacation and working harder than you would have at work, then you are doing something wrong in my mind. Many people find Disney Vacations especially tiring. This is because some families think they have to do everything there is to do in Disney World in one trip. I can tell you from experience, it cannot be done. But people think if they go commando*, they can make it happen. All going commando seems to do is make you grumpy and causes people to not have a Magical Experience. When my family visits Disney World, we have a philosophy of non-Commandoism. We may start at the crack of day and not end our day until late, but at some point in the middle, we will leave the parks, stop what we are doing and take a break. These breaks can be as short as a lunch break (in which case we’ll also take a dinner break) or they may be as long as a few hours and we will stop for the afternoon. We have found that this type of break, where we leave the parks behind and go

back to our resort after lunch, hang by the pool, maybe take a nap, visit another resort or even just ride the Monorail, is the perfect way for us to “Do Disney“. Our Hakuna Mawednesday articles will share with you the different places we have found to relax and maybe even recreate, while taking a break from the parks. We hope you find some places you can enjoy the next time you are in Disney World.

One of my favorite places to relax is at the Epcot Resort Area. The Epcot Resort Area is “out the backdoor” of Epcot, also known as the International Gateway. The Epcot Resorts are The Beach and Yacht Club, the Dolphin and the Swan and the Boardwalk Resorts. Each of these Resorts has some great places to relax and get away from the crowds and rushing of the parks.

There are also some recreation choices for you in the Epcot Resort area, if you are so inclined. At the Bayside Marina you can rent bicycles and boats for your personal use. They also offer fishing excursions and specialty cruises. Over on the Boardwalk you can also rent bicycles and surrey bikes for some family fun. Across the street from the Swan and Dolphin is Fantasia Gardens Mini-golf, which many people don’t know about and is a great place to get away from crowds of people.

All of the Epcot Resorts offer great places to eat and some neat shops to walk through. Of course the main area to visit, for guests who are not staying in the Epcot Resorts, is Disney’s Boardwalk. The Boardwalk itself is located behind the Boardwalk Resort. The Boardwalk is an actual boardwalk like you might find at the beach in the Mid-Atlantic States. It is fashioned after the Boardwalk in Atlantic City around the time of the turn of the 20th century. Disney’s

Boardwalk offers a variety of food choices, everything from a hot dog stand to Celebrity Chef Cat Cora’s Kouzzina (which is becoming a signature restaurant in Disney.) One of my favorite places is The Big River Grille and Brewing works. This brew pub is a nice place to get some fresh brewed beer and have a burger. (best burgers ever!) They have outdoor seating areas, which when it isn’t too hot, is a great place to sit on the Boardwalk and people watch.

The Boardwalk is also home to some very unique shops. They have a Wyland Gallery which if you have never been in one, I recommend just to see some really great pieces of artwork. The ESPN Club at the end of the Boardwalk also has their own shop called the Yard which sells ESPN merchandise. There is also an arcade in the Yard and one further down behind the Wyland Gallery that is actually part of the Boardwalk Resort.

The main reason my family enjoys going to the Epcot Resort area, to relax, isn’t the shops or the eateries (although they are all wonderful), it is the relaxing atmosphere. Taking a break from the Parks to go and hang out in the stress free environment is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon or even an evening. As places to Relax in Walt Disney World go, the Epcot Resort Area and the Boardwalk are at the top of the list for Hakuna Mawednesday!

*By going commando, I mean being a Disney Commando and rushing from one attraction to the next and then from park to park. Going from the crack of dawn, until the wee hours of the night.

>Friday Fotos

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Today’s Fotos all are from my Favorite place in Walt Disney World. Disney’s Boardwalk.



The Front Entrance of the Boardwalk



The greatest sign in Walt Disney World  takes up the whole side of a building. It points the way to the Boardwalk.





Every morning they power-wash the Boardwalk. This view is from the Boardwalk Bakery.





The Boardwalk is across Crescent Lake from the Beach and Yacht Club Resorts.




This picture was taken from the Yacht Club lighthouse.

 



The top floors of the Boardwalk Resort’s Villas offer great views…



Both during the day…

 



And at night.



If you enjoyed today’s Friday Fotos, come back tomorrow, you’ll love our first Saturday Matinee.

>I like to Ride My Bicycle

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A bike like the one  I had as a kid.**

 I loved riding my bike as a kid. In the summer, I lived on that thing from the time I woke up until we stopped for lunch. As an adult I started riding again many years ago, and really enjoyed it. I don’t ride much anymore. Bad knees and no good places to ride made me basically give it up. My son doesn’t ride bikes much. Actually none of his friends do either. I think it is a generational thing. Or maybe like I said there isn’t any good place to ride. Great places to ride a bike in my book are paths and roads that aren’t used by cars, or are so out of the way that you don’t have to worry about any vehicles at all. Someplace like the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds comes to mind. With that as my thought, I present to you, the Unknown Magic of Bicycles in Walt Disney World.



The view of the Boardwalk from the Beach Club

 We enjoyed a Magical Experience with a bicycle in Disney, years ago when our son was younger. Well, for him it was a Magical Experience, for us, it was 30 minutes of hard work and hysterical laughing. We rented one of the surrey bikes at Disney’s Boardwalk. If you have never done this kind of experience, let me explain what a surrey bike is. It is a basically a cart with four wheels that is propelled by people pedaling like a bicycle. These carts come in two sizes. We took out the smaller one, which has two sets of pedals. Our son sat in the middle and cheered us on, or laughed at us whatever you want to call it. At the Boardwalk, as you rent the surreys they tell you to the right toward Epcot and you should not go the other way. So once you start out, you have to go all the way around Crescent Lake to get back to the bike rental place. If you have never been to Disney’s Boardwalk, it sits on Crescent Lake and across from the Boardwalk are the Beach and Yacht Club Resorts The lake itself is a pretty good size and there are a couple of up-hills. So, the ride itself is a little bit of a work out. The best part of it was the downhill leading

back to the Boardwalk, from the walkway that can lead to either the Yacht Club or the Swan and the Dolphin. My wife and I decided that day that renting a surrey was fun, but we were done! And we’d never do it again.

A few years later, when we were down with my sister and her family, our son got firsthand experience in pedaling around the lake. They rented a surrey bike and asked John to jump on with them. We sat in front of the Beach Club and watched them come around a few times. Each time around, they looked more tired and by the end my son and our nieces were hardly pedaling at all, leaving all the work up to my sister and brother-in-law.

But the Boardwalk isn’t the only place where you can rent a bike to ride, when you are in Walt Disney World. You can find bikes at, the Campsites at Fort Wilderness, the Wilderness Lodge Resort, the Coronado Springs Resort, Port Orleans, French Quarter and Riverside Resorts, and the Old Key West Resort. From the Wilderness Lodge, the ride to Fort Wilderness Campground is about ¾ of a mile and it is a very nice ride along a wooded path. If you are staying in the Fort Wilderness Campground, you’ll see bicycles all over the place. People that camp bring their bikes here to make it easier to get around.

At the other Resorts as you ride, you can check out the resorts and enjoy the views, as well as seeing some of the areas of the resort that many people don’t take the time to see or explore. And anytime you find an Unknown Magic it can lead to Magical Experiences.

So, now you know, there is a Magical Experience just waiting for you, on a bicycle seat, the next time you are in Walt Disney World. So, check your resort to see if you can rent a bike and then take a ride to find some Unknown Magic.

**The Picture of the Bike is from Ebay- it is being sold here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280583588044
It goes off sale on Nov. 11, 2010

>The Last of the Zones

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The baseball playoffs have begun and tonight the Braves play in their first post season game since 2005, you might not know this fact about them, but they started this season at the Walt Disney World Resort, as they do every year. Their Spring Training facility is at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The ESPN Wide World of Sports complex* is an enormous multi-sport venue, where Pro and Amateur athletes can come to compete. This is a neat fact, but an Unknown Magic that Sports Fans may need to know more about when they are in Walt Disney World is the only ESPN Zone that is still open is on Disney’s Boardwalk.

The ESPN Zone is all the way at the end of the Boardwalk, on the side that is closest to the International Gateway leading into Epcot. The ESPN Zone on the Boardwalk is the last surviving ESPN Zone of the Franchise Bar/Restaurants that ESPN used to own and operate. The others were in Los Angles, Las Vegas, Anaheim, Chicago, New York, D.C. and Baltimore. The one in Disney World is a little smaller than the others were, but just as great.

The Bar area is great for watching a game, with TV’s all around and plenty of sports memorabilia, much of it with a Florida feel; i.e. Florida Marlin and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jerseys which enhances the atmosphere. The bar has ample seating for the big game and the food is your typical bar fare with Wings and sandwiches. They also offer soup and desserts. The ESPN Zone is on the Disney Dining Plan, but the reason you will go here is definitely for the sports.

There is a Small dining room, (The food in the dining room is the same food that is offered in the bar) with a stage, that is home to special guests and radio shows from time to time. Once when I was in Disney they were taping an ESPN show for Television about former players and what they were doing now. That week they had Rick Barry, Grant Fuhr, and other former players every afternoon at the ESPN Zone, for the filming of the show. It was free to go in and watch and be part of the studio audience, and you could eat an early supper too. It was a neat Magical Experience that I got to have.

My son’s favorite thing about the ESPN Zone is that they have televisions in the bathroom so that you don’t miss any of the game, although he also likes the arcade/gift shop. The Arcade is a nice size, works on Token Cards and has enough different games to entertain the kids or the family for a while and create a Magical Experience for all of you . Over all this is a great place to go and watch a game, because even the kids will be able to hang out here for a while, without getting antsy.

So, now that you know, for sports fans, there is chance for a Magical Experience if your team is in the big game and you’re dying to see it while you’re in Disney World, or if you just want a decent meal at an ESPN themed Sports Bar. All you need to do is head down to the Boardwalk and go to the last of the Zone.

*You can click here to find out more about the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

>What a View

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I started back to school this past week (I am a teacher) and on the first day, our principal asked, if anyone had traveled over the summer and if so, where did we go. I didn’t add my trip to Disney into the mix, because they all knew where I had gone, they know we go every year. Some of the other people I work with went to Europe this summer, another went to Washington DC and some took cruises. I was happy for
them, but not really caring, because I had a wonderful time with my family in Walt Disney World. I’ve noticed some of the teachers that traveled have put up pictures of their trips in their classrooms, for the kids to see; which I think is really cool, as some of our kids will never get to see these places in person. Looking at some of these pictures I started thinking about some of the great pictures I have taken over the years in Disney World. Some of them are pretty, some are funny and some are just really amazing views. So today I present to you, the Unknown Magic of the Views in Walt Disney World.

Of course the most amazing view I have ever captured, in my mind, is Cinderella Castle at night. It changes colors every few minutes and each new color brings a new sense of awe.

Of course something else that brings Magical Experiences and a sense of awe when you see them in Walt Disney World is fireworks, either at night or during the day.

A really Great view and an ominous picture that I captured was taken from one of the Friendship Launches on our way back to the Boardwalk one day. The sky around the Hollywood Tower Hotel even makes it seem like an attraction you should fear.

Another great view with ominous overtones is looking across Asia in Animal Kingdom, at Expedition Everest.

When you are over in Crescent Lake you can also see this wonderful sight, the Yacht Club Lighthouse.

Of course the Boardwalk from above at night is an Awesome view at Crescent Lake that can create Magical Experiences and Romantic ones.

So, now you know, no matter where your friends have gone, you can say you have seen some just as magnificent views. But of course you’ll have had some Magical Experiences and been to Walt Disney World also.