Disney Wilderness Preserve

[corinascot]

Has anyone been there? It's about 15 miles south of the parks. We're thinking of stopping by on our next trip. We wondered how the birding is there.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I haven't been there yet. But I'm planning on going some time, since DH and I are birders (after Disney, it's our favorite pastime). I know they have a website with hours, cost, directions, etc.

 

[susan1]

hiwe went last feb, it is great, but would advise only visiting between nov and end of march as i would imagine it gets very hot and mosquito ridden! the other good birding place is the orllando wetlands preserve also not far away but had more sightings than disney wilderness but is a lot more spread out and a bit of a trek if you have youngish children.

 

[corinascot]

Thanks, birders! Orlando Wetlands Park looks good, too, but it appears to be closed in December and that's our next trip. Any other good birding spots close to WDW?

 

[susan1]

Thanks, birders! Orlando Wetlands Park looks good, too, but it appears to be closed in December and that's our next trip. Any other good birding spots close to WDW?

hi
shame about orlando wetlands, another good place is lake woodruff which is up by de leon springs, it is about 1hr north on th I4. we usually eat early ish at the wonderful sugar mill restaraunt at de leon springs, where you can make your own pancakes at a griddle in the middle of the table. then we go to lake woodruff which is about 5 mins back down the road. we were there in jan when we saw whooping cranes which we were told were very rare! both places combine to make a great day out! they both have websites but i am not techy enough to import them to this site.

 

[cleo]

Disney's Wilderness Preserve is a great birding location. Tibet-Butler over on the 535 (just behind the 'back door' to Disney property) is another good place; it's closer but it's also much smaller. Very few people know about it so it's always quiet, which makes it perfect for viewing wildlife. And...it's free!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Ditto on recommending Tibet-Butler. I've only read on birding siles, not visited yet, so maybe locals can verify/non-verify what I read. Split Oak WMA is one 16m south, it seems. Tosohatche State Preserve looked pretty good, but one website said it wasn't open-I don't know how up to date that info is, though. I really want to get to Disney's Wilderness Preserve, however. I figure that considering how well-kept their parks are, it must be in excellent condition. And I think that, unlike the parks, admission is very minor.

 

[cleo]

Just a quick side note, Disney owns the land Wilderness Preserve is on, but is not instrumental in the upkeep or the running of the place. Because Walt purchased a huge amount of land to build on, he was then required to keep some of his holdings 'pristine'. He purchased the land that became the Wilderness Preserve, but it is really a 'Disney' park in name only.