America’s favorite campground is by no means on the road less traveled. But there’s so darned much to do at Disney’s Fort Wilderness – some of it enchantingly obvious, and some of it a little more unknown except to us old-timers. Here’s our list of favorites.

1. Go looping. The all-time favorite activity may be getting in your golf cart and simply riding around and exploring the various decorations and campsites. You can rent a golf cart (months in advance) from Fort Wilderness or from places that rent RVs, such as Kissimmee Orlando RV.
2. Go find remnants of the old train tracks. Back in the 70s, Fort Wilderness had a train that was twice as long as the one in the Magic Kingdom. Long gone and terribly missed, you can still find some of the ties on the back side of Loop 700.
3. Take a late night swim in the Wilderness Pool. The smaller pool becomes quite the party around 10 pm and is usually open ’til midnight. It’s located in the midst of the cabins but is open to all Fort guests.
4. Take a canoe or kayak ride. One of my very favorite activities is to rent a kayak. You’ll see old Florida along this 30-minute canal ride, along with plenty of wildlife. Really nothing else compares.
5. Explore the beautiful horse barn. Fun for all ages, you’ll get up close and personal with Disney’s horses that work the parades and observe them being washed and groomed. There’s also a small museum that highlights the history of Walt Disney and his horses.
6. Play pickleball. Fort Wilderness actually has some under-used tennis courts in the Meadows area that are set up for pickleball as well. You’ll need to bring your own equipment. This is as good of a time to start as any.
7. Watch the electric water pageant. The old classic floats around Bay Lake with music and lights, heading to Fort Wilderness around 9:45 each night. Viewing is from the beach.
8. Eat fried chicken. One of the best food bargains in all of Walt Disney World, you can pick up a family pack at P&J’s Takeout at Trail’s End. And it’s mighty good.
9. Take a trail ride. It’s by no means a thrill ride, but you get to explore some remote areas of Fort Wilderness on some very well-trained, extremely tame horses. You must be under 250 pounds, and yes you will be weighed. Departs from the Outpost area.

   

10. Take a bus ride to Wilderness Lodge. While you’re there, explore the little-known Carolwood Trail Room. It is chock full of Walt Disney’s train memorabilia and is quite worthwhile. This is one time when the destination outweighs the journey.
11. Go fish. You’ll see lots of people fishing from the picturesque dock behind the Meadows Trading Post, but one of the best spots is actually behind Loop 300 near the dam. Remember, it’s catch and release.
12. Take a guided fishing excursion on Bay Lake. This is easily one of the very best activities of all time at Walt Disney World. And it’s relatively inexpensive – at least compared to a day in the park. Don’t be surprised if your group (up to five people) catches 30 or more bass over a two-hour period.
13. Skip the parks for a day. Or two. Or three. And just hang out at Fort Wilderness. I promise you won’t regret it.
14. Run the mile from the Settlement Area to the Outpost. It’s flat and mostly shady. You’ve got this. Okay, at least walk it if you’re unable to run that far.
15. Eat a Mickey Bar on the rocking chairs at the Meadows Trading Post. They really taste better there than anywhere else in the world. You can buy one right inside the trading post. I seriously do this every single trip and it’s pure joy. And you deserve it after number 14.
16. Drink some moonshine. You can pony up to the bar at Crockett’s Tavern and catch your TV sports game along with several choices of moonshine-based cocktails, along with fried green tomatoes or other bar snacks.
17. Go gold-mining. Just in front of the bike barn is a relatively new addition to Fort Wilderness.  It’s cool, wholesome fun and you’ll go home with a few gemstones and fossils.
18. Play checkers on the porch of the Settlement Trading Post. Now this is an old classic, having been there since the dawn of the Fort way back in the early 1970s. Nothing says lazy like whittling away the hours with a relatively mindless game of checkers, a little people watching, an ice-cold lemonade, and maybe a moon pie.
19. Get a pressed penny. You can make one up right there at the Settlement Trading Post. This makes a fabulous price for the winner of the checkers tournament.
20. Decorate your campsite. You can go all out for the holidays and spend tens of thousands or just put up a little all-American or Mickey bling. Nowhere do campers do this better than at Fort Wilderness.
21. Go bird watching. Gone are the peacocks from the earlier days of Fort Wilderness but there are plenty of wild turkeys, cranes and an occasional bald eagle to spot. Take a hike along the trails near the far end of the beach for some of the best discoveries.
22. Watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach. These happen at various times on different nights so use your My Disney app to find out when. The beach at Fort Wilderness provides a wonderful and relaxing view of the castle and the fireworks in the distance.
23. Eat at the food trucks. Several food trucks usually come to Fort Wilderness a couple of nights a week (often Tuesday and Wednesday, but this varies). Sometimes, they set up in the Settlement Area. These are often local favorites and are an incredible treat at delightful price points.
24. Go to Hoop Dee Doo. If we forget about pandemic and the subsequent hiatus, then this is America’s longest-running dinner show, going on at Pioneer Hall since 1974. It’s pricey, but real old-fashioned, live, slapstick fun with all the fried chicken, cornbread, beer and sangria you can hold. You only live once. Do know it’s currently one of the hardest reservations to come by.
25. Go on a scavenger hunt. Use ours and pick up a little prize from the Trading Post for your winner. Or there’s also a cute Facebook group where people on site hide things for one another. Better yet, do both.
26. Check out the Chip and Dale Campfire Show. This is loads of fun and starts around 7 in the winter and 8 in the warmer months. S’more kits are available for sale or you can bring your own. Lots of songs and dance.
27. Watch an outdoor Disney movie after the show. You can find the updated schedule right here on our website or posted all around at Fort Wilderness. The movies are always family friendly. There are stands, but you can bring lawn chairs or blankets.
28. Don a coonskin hat. They’ve always sold them in the trading posts since the beginning of time. With the demise of Musket Mickey (he now carries a politically correct stick), I’m surprised everyone doesn’t walk around looking like Davy Crockett. Please, please DO be that person. You can even pick one up on Amazon ahead of time (affiliate link).
29. Indulge in an afternoon nap. Fort Wilderness naps are the best ones. Particulatly when it’s 90 degrees outside and you’ve eaten that 800-calorie breakfast at Trail’s End followed by the 1-mile run from the Settlement to the Outpost. They’re those good deep kinds of sleeps that princesses have with no bad dreams at all.
30. Take a fireworks cruise. Starting at $399 for 10 people, this chartered evening affair on Seven Seas Lagoon makes for a particularly elegant and unforgettable celebration, complete with balloons and snacks. Reservations required.
31. Play Pac-Man in one of the arcades. If you wanna get a little lost from your family, there’s no way they’ll find you hidden in the tucked away arcades. Both have a nice little selection of retro games and are usually fairly empty, even during rainy times.
32. Soak it up in the hot tub. Both pools have hot tubs which are terrific ways to soak your aching feet after a long day in the parks and may make some new friends.
33. Bring out your inner Robin Hood. On the back side of the Meadows area near the Campfire Show, you can take archery lessons. If you don’t try it, you’ll never know what you’re missing (pun intended).
34. Make a s’mores pie. Because you’re glamping and you want your family to love you even more. Here’s the best recipe ever. Don’t forget the milk. There’s plenty in the Trading Post.
35. Rent an RV. It doesn’t matter that you have your own. Unless you’re local, you can actually save money by not hauling your own down the road for hours. Just make sure you’re renting from a reputable company with spotless RVs. Read here about our experience and why we keep renting intead of hauling.
36. Take a romantic carriage ride. Or send the kids on one and have a romantic time while they’re way.
37. Go visit the dog park. It’s a pretty nice little set up for your dog, and fun to visit the other dogs even it you don’t have you own.
38. Take a segway tour. I think this is the only think I’ve actually not done yet on this whole list but it looks like a lot of fun.
39. Send an old-fashioned wish-you-were-here post card or letter home. Just enough with the texting already. What better way to get back on your moral high ground after you’ve completed your drinking around the monorail tour?
40. Meet some neighbors. Okay, so I’m a little on the shy side, but I love it when my husband does this (he’s a natural yakker). We’ve ended up cooking out together and making friends we still keep in touch with. Politics don’t even matter when you’re at the ol’ campground and sharing some burgers.

    

41. Play shuffleboard. If you’ve forgotten the rules to this old classic, you can find them, right here.
42. Play late night billiards at the Meadows. The pool table is located in the covered area at the entrance to the Meadows pool.
43. Take a long bike ride. Didn’t bring your own? You can rent them at the Fort Wilderness Bike Barn by the hour or the day.
44.  Leave a tip for the guy at the guard gate. I assure you it’s a very rare occurrence. Just put it in a sealed envelope and make some real magic.
45. Wear some light-up bling at night. The better to see you with. My favorite go-to is this light-up skirt I ordered from Amazon (affiliate link). It makes me the light of every party. And what a way to go looping at sunset.
46. Go deer hunting. Well not really. Just go see how many Bambis you can spot. They often frequent the Outpost area at night, sitting safely on hills and watching the tourists visiting their habitat.
47. Leave a note with the front desk politely demanding that the walking trail to the Wilderness Lodge be reconstructed. It truly was that wonderful. The best thing ever. We all need it back. Could hundreds of notes a day make a difference?

    

48. Start a new tradition. Find something that you’ll do every time you’re at Fort Wilderness when you first get there. For us, we always eat at Kona at the Polynesian for our first meal, usually around 3 pm in the afternoon. You might buy a new coffee mug at the trading post or stay in a new loop each time.
49. Go full-on Disney at the pool. Pool games include trivia, dancing, and all kinds of glee. Forget your proper British roots and act a bit of a fool.
50. Find the hidden Mickeys in the Fort Wilderness registration room. Better yet just hang out and relax in the registration room. It’s a weird and quiet place and almost nobody ever actually goes in there at all.
51. Encounter the ghost on Loop 2400. They say some folks really never want to leave Fort Wilderness. Legend has it that this one walks around the loop at night (as an apparition) and moves around the pots and pans inside the cabins.

Related: In Defense of the Plain Ol’ Swimming Pools at Fort Wilderness