One of the breakout hits from Reddit during this otherwise crazy-ass year has been a thread of ancient family recipes. Trending on the list of the best-loved is a magically simple baked pasta dish called Great-Grandma’s Famous Baked Ziti. We gave it a try and found it worthy of adding to our glamping menu. It’s inexpensive, fast, tastes deceptively authentic, and would probably feed most of Loop 100 at Fort Wilderness. Continue reading “Reddit’s Viral Old-School Baked Ziti is Glamping Worthy” →
As the 2010 New Year rang in, President Obama was completing his first year in office, and the economy was beginning to recover from that hellacious Great Recession. Lady Gaga’s Poker Face was among the top hits, and Instagram did not yet exist. A one-day park pass was about $75, and partial hook-up campsites at Fort Wilderness were under $50 a night. Here’s a look at some defining or news-worthy moments at the Fort since January 1, 2010. Continue reading “One Rootin’ Tootin’ Decade: Looking Back at the 2010s at Fort Wilderness” →
Oh, how time brings such a rose-colored filter to days gone by. The further we get away from our younger days in the sun, the more the darker memories seem to fade. And such are our memories of those innocent-yet-wild times at Disney’s Fort Wilderness. One thing is certain – if you remember most of these, then you were there – and are one of the lucky. Continue reading “Timewarp: You Grew Up Camping at Fort Wilderness in the 70s if You Remember These” →
This is my slightly-adapted version of my great-aunt’s recipe for Mississippi Mud. We had it so many times at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground that we started calling it Marshmallow Marsh Cake. As you may remember, Marshmallow Marsh was a splendid evening event at the campground where guests paddled canoes to a spot on Bay Lake, roasted marshmallows, watched fireworks and sang old-time ditties. It disappeared some time in the 1980s, along with make-your-own pizza, the trams, and other favorites. Continue reading “70s Recipe Flashback: Marshmallow Marsh Cake” →
This salad has been a go-to for All-American celebrations (think Mickey’s Backyard Barbecue) for many years. There’s little, if anything, that has changed from this favorite since the campy Hoop-Dee-Doo dinner show opened 45 years ago. Yesterday, for our July 4th party, Baby Back Ribs and Clementine’s Prizewinning Potato Salad took center stage, but our good friends and neighbors devoured this traditional salad (iceberg lettuce) with its tangy and complex vinaigrette. Of course, its presentation in a heavy tin bucket at Pioneer Hall adds the frontier touch,and makes it suddenly appealing to kids. For our shindig, I picked up a cheap tin ice bucket at Walmart.
The Orlando Sentinel published the Disney-provided Pioneer Hall recipe as a response to a reader request back in 1978. “The salad was the best we’ve ever had anywhere,” the reader noted. Nearly a decade later the recipe reappeared (with some small modifications in the amounts of ingredients) in the first Disney cookbook, Cooking with Mickey Around the World (1987). As you recall, back in the 80s, a spinach salad with bacon dressing was about as exotic as we got. It wasn’t until the 90s when we saw the spread of arugula, spring mix, candied pecans, and more inventive creations.
As far the cookbook itself, very little of the food items are still served at Disney today. In addition to the Pioneer Hall Salad Dressing, some other favorites that remain at WDW include the Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup (Liberty Tree Taven), Cinnamon Rolls, Fettucine Alfredo (Italy Showcase), Queso Fundido (San Angel Inn), Scotch Eggs (Rose & Crown Pub), Fish ‘N Chips (Rose & Crown Pub), and Strawberry Shortcake (Pioneer Hall). Most of the restaurants in the cookbook, such as Top of the World, South Seas Dining Room, and The Empress Lily, are long gone.
When you crave the good-old-standard salad, it doesn’t get much better than this. I suppose the closest commercial equivalent might be the beloved Olive Garden salad, but this dressing stands superior. As with any Disney recipe, some measurements look like of strange when they have been reduced from a mass quantity. For example, the dressing recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of chopped red pepper. Seriously? So, I’ve provided the original recipe, but indicated how I made reasonable modifications. Note that the recipes do not include cheese, but it has been served on this salad for some time. This stores well in the refrigerator, so you can make it a few days before your camping trip or outdoor soiree. I would leave the addition of the chopped boiled egg until the day of serving.
For Father’s special day, your mind likely goes to fishing, golfing, and perhaps a cookout at Fort Wilderness. But if Dad and Grandpa visited Disney World during its early years, it’s really all about nostalgia. For we are drawn to revisit those days in the sun, the days of our youth. Remember that an entire generation has grown up since Y2K. And that 8-year-old boy who camped in a Winnebago in Fort Wilderness in 1972 is now your 55-year-old father or grandfather. Continue reading “What Dad and Grandpa REALLY Want to do at WDW for Father’s Day” →
There’s so much to miss about 80s Disney World, including Horizons at Epcot, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, $25 park passes, and an easy day of park hopping between only the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Heck, I even miss the big hair (because it’s so hard for my hair to go straight) and the Jellies shoes. Fort Wilderness feels as though it is a remnant of the way we were in the golden days, but even it has evolved. For starters, the petting farm and pony rides have disappeared from the Settlement Area behind Pioneer Hall. If you haven’t been Continue reading “For Better or Worse: 15 Ways Fort Wilderness Has Changed Since the 1980s” →
A welcoming of a new DVC resort (Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge) brings with it the angst of the unknown. Long-time Disney campers at Fort Wilderness wonder how it will change the walking path (temporarily closed), the sense of privacy, and affordability. Currently, rumors abound, with many of them quite inaccurate (no my dear, a parking lot will likely not back all the way up to Pioneer Hall, as the stakes are marked for buffers). With Fort Wilderness often at near capacity, we often wonder about Walt’s original vision for two campgrounds at Walt Disney World. As long as we are dreaming, Continue reading “What If Disney World Added A Campground and It Looked Like This . . .” →
These were the days of Teflon and Tupperware, of $5 campsites and gelatin molds. Mothers were still the ones in the kitchen, and their upbringing had taught them that dinner was to be delicious, yet appear effortless. I remember being at Fort Wilderness in the 70s, and all of the Winnebago moms had on full make-up and flawless beauty parlor hair throughout the entire camping w Continue reading “Forgotten RV Cooking & Camping Hacks That Your Grandma Rocked in the 70s” →
Long before Walt Disney visited central Florida, and long before Disney Springs opened a couple of years ago, a tiny fishing town north of Orlando was one of the top Florida tourists attractions. The town, Dunnellon, Florida, is relatively unchanged since its heyday. The town of fewer than 2,000 residents is not filled with hipster stores or farm-to-table restaurants. There are no quaint bed & breakfast inns, but instead – very dated but functional 1950s fish camps and motels. What Dunnellon does have is two natural wonders that are superior to anything that man (including Disney) can make. I often wonder if Walt had visited this area if Walt Disney World might have been located about 90 miles northwest of Orlando. Perhaps it is better that it remains off-the-beaten path.
There are many springs to enjoy in areas north of Orlando, but Rainbow Springs is a true paradise. With crystal clear water that goes down 250 feet, the springs are now a popular watering hold and part of the River Springs State Park. In the 1930s, the springs became one of Florida’s first theme parks (along with Silver Springs and Cypress Gardens), complete with a hotel and a zoo. Continue reading “Lost in Time: The Hidden Paradise of Rainbow Springs & The Withlacoochee” →
