Don’t Miss that Train! – Find the Hidden Carolwood Room in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Wilderness Lodge Train Room
One of two cars from Walt’s original backyard train on display at Wilderness Lodge.

In the most beautiful resort in all of Disney World is a hidden treasure most WDW visitors don’t know about. Try asking a Wilderness Lodge bellhop where the train room is – I did, and he had never heard of it. Yet, nestled in a corner of the Wilderness Lodge DVC building is a heavenly space called The Carolwood Pacific Railway Room. In addition to seeing one or two people sitting in complete peace, you will find a rare collection of trains that belonged to Walt himself, along with related memorabilia and displays. Continue reading “Don’t Miss that Train! – Find the Hidden Carolwood Room in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge”

Quiz: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – How Much Do You REALLY Know?

Wilderness Lodge OutsideTake this 20-question quiz to find out if you know as much as you think you do about one of WDW’s favorite deluxe resorts, Wilderness Lodge. Even though you will likely not get them all correct, you will have inched ever closer to a mastery of both interesting and useless Disney facts.

Continue reading “Quiz: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – How Much Do You REALLY Know?”

Chatting with Walt About Fort Wilderness: A Hypothetical Interview

Walt Disney 1946 public domain
Wald Disney, 1946 (public domain)

As most of us know, Walt Disney passed away in 1966 from lung cancer. This was well before Disney World opened in 1971. He never saw his vision of a campground at Disney World come to fruition. We can only imagine what his thoughts would have been about the campground, and how Fort Wilderness might be different had he lived another 20 years.  In this hypothetical, fictional interview, I’ve taken some questions about the Fort, and answered them using quotes attributed to Walt Disney. Continue reading “Chatting with Walt About Fort Wilderness: A Hypothetical Interview”

Chasen’s Chili Recipe (Walt’s Favorite)

Walt Disney was known to be one of those who would pick a hamburger over a steak, no matter what the setting. Like so many who grew up during The Great Depression, he had developed a taste for simple foods and canned foods (including Spam). One of his favorite meals of all, however, was Chasen’s Chili. Chasen’s was a famous restaurant in Hollywood, California from 1932 to 1995, whose recipe was revealed after it closed. Other famous fans of the chili included President Franklin D. Roosevelt, actor Frank Sinatra and actress Elizabeth Taylor.  Continue reading “Chasen’s Chili Recipe (Walt’s Favorite)”