Opening Day – 1971

Fort Wilderness opened on November 21, 1971, just a few weeks after the Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary Resort, and the Polynesian Village Resort opened. It initially had about 230 campsites, with an additional 1000 planned to be available in the following years. The original nightly campsite rent was $11 per night, and included access to air-conditioned shower facilities, land transportation to other parts of Disney World, and steamboat transportation to the Magic Kingdom. Early materials promoted nightly campfires, fishing, canoe rides in the canals, a Western town, bridle trails, games and watercraft rentals. 

Even in the earliest days, Cast Members at Fort Wilderness considered themselves to be a “different breed” than other Walt Disney World employees, according to a March 1974 article in the Orlando Sentinel. Like their comrades, they thrived on the family feeling of Disney, but were the original adventurers, relishing a day in the outdoors surrounded by nature instead of being part of the “rat race” on Main Street.