>This past week, a report came out that there were Disney engineers looking at land around Fort Wilderness Campground and that they may be thinking of using this area between Fort Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge to build a new Disney Vacation Club Villa Resort. I don’t think they will do this just because of the other resorts in the area. I don’t think they would put another Vacation Club Resort this close to the Wilderness Lodge. The Wilderness Lodge is set back off a side road as you are going toward the Contemporary Resort. It is set back in the woods, and I think it is overlooked by many people. For this reason, I present to you today, the Unknown Magic of the Wilderness Lodge Resort.

The Wilderness Lodge Resort is a dual resort, by that I mean, it has a regular Resort Hotel and a Disney Vacation Club Villa section. The Lodge according to the Disney Website is “inspired by the Great American Northwest National Park lodges from the turn of the 20th century—is an architecturally grand Disney Deluxe Resort hotel honoring American craftsmanship and artistry, and celebrating the majesty of the unspoiled wilderness.” The Main part of the Resort is the Hotel, with a building set off to the one side where the Vacation Club Villas are. This Resort is truly an Unknown Magic because it is such a great place to stay. Walking into the lobby is a Magical Experience of its own. The Lobby  is seven stories high. The décor is all wood. The Lobby is framed out by two large totem poles and in the corner, there are rocking chairs set in front of a 82 foot high fireplace. The four chandeliers in the Lobby look like a Native American teepees and accentuate the feeling of the open land of the western movement.

The Wood and fireplace aren’t the only things that make you feel as if you are staying in a very special place, the stream that runs from underground, inside the back of the lobby, helps with this feeling also. If you follow this stream out the back of the building, you will see that its waters are used to fill the Silver Creek Springs pool. The pool may remind you of an old swimming hole, with its rocky mountain style slide and the landscaping around it. There is a Bar/snack shop out near the pool called Trout Pass, which looks like another small cabin in the woods.

Out behind the Resort, there are paths to wander around and explore. Some lead to the boat dock, where you can board a boat to Fort Wilderness, the Contemporary Resort or Magic Kingdom. They also have another path that leads down to Bay Lake, where you can rent personal watercraft, or bicycles. There is also a Beachfront area for you to sun yourself in the sand if you wish. They also offer Movies Under the Stars.

Another Unknown Magic at the Wilderness Lodge, which can create Magical Experiences for you and your little ones is Fire Rock Geyser which shoots water 120-feet in the air every hour on the hour, most of the day. This is something that is very impressive to see and the kids get a kick out of it. I’ve actually seen kids jump out of the pool to run over and watch it do its thing.

The Mercantile shop is the “general store” at the resort, where you can buy things you need and Disney Merchandise. There are three places to get food at the Wilderness Lodge. Roaring Fork is the Quick Serve dinning option, the food here is good and they have things for breakfast lunch and dinner. Artist Point is the signature Restaurant for the Resort and is a very elegant place to eat. (Just a note here they do have a dress code
for Artist Point). The last place to eat at the Wilderness Lodge is another Unknown Magic that I have written about before, Whispering Canyon Café. (http://tinyurl.com/umwdw-WCC) When we can, we try to eat at the Whispering Canyon Café, when in Disney.

All of these things make the Wilderness Lodge a great place to stay, and the rooms are wonderful too. Very nicely coordinated with the theme and cozy, but your room isn’t the only place to feel cozy in this Resort. There is a room set aside called the Golden Spike room that has a nice fireplace and comfortable chairs that you can go and sit and read or reflect on the day, catch up on messages or just relax.

So, now you know, there is a very nice Resort hidden in the woods, but very modern and full of great things to provide your family with Magical Experiences.