Who remembers . . . . . . . . ?

[Tri-circle-D]

I have been inspired by some of the recently posted photos. I don't have photos of any of these things, so I thought this could be the topic of a new thread. I notice that this board gets a lot of newbies (Welcome!), but that there are also some veterans around.

So, the idea is, post a memory of something that you remember from the past at Ft. Wilderness. The rest of us can then pipe in and say we remember, or ask what it was.

Got it?

Good!

So here goes:

Who remembers:

1. The 25th Anniversary Golf Cart?

2. Minnie Moo?

3. The Wilderness Homes (before the Wilderness Cabins)?

4. When you could drive your golf cart to Wilderness Lodge?

5. When there was no Wilderness Lodge?

6. Discovery Island?

TCD

 

[CottontailCurl]

Good idea! Unfortunately, we started camping at FW in 99 so we don't remember much from before then. (PS, I love your username )

I have been inspired by some of the recently posted photos. I don't have photos of any of these things, so I thought this could be the topic of a new thread. I notice that this board gets a lot of newbies (Welcome!), but that there are also some veterans around.

So, the idea is, post a memory of something that you remember from the past at Ft. Wilderness. The rest of us can then pipe in and say we remember, or ask what it was.

Got it?

Good!

So here goes:

Who remembers:

1. The 25th Anniversary Golf Cart?

What is it?

2. Minnie Moo?

I remember Minnie, Moo Hooo. The next trip we took after we'd learned she'd died, we were talking with a CM at the stables by the kennel. We told them we were so sorry to hear that she'd passed away. He said that the CMs were torn up about it and after she died had a BBQ in her honor. Half of my kids gasped because they thought he meant she was on the menu! We really miss her at the petting zoo.

3. The Wilderness Homes (before the Wilderness Cabins)?

Know of them, never saw them.

4. When you could drive your golf cart to Wilderness Lodge?

Samantha Brown did that when she stayed at WL, has that changed recently?

5. When there was no Wilderness Lodge?

Yep

6. Discovery Island?

Our first stay at FW was the last time Discovery Island was open, I didn't know it was going to close so I regret not going that time.

TCD

 

[Nikkole]

My first trip was last year, I have seen a picture of Minnie Moo but thats about all... Those all sound so interesting

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Good idea! Unfortunately, we started camping at FW in 99 so we don't remember much from before then. (PS, I love your username )

CC- I like your user name too. Isn't it the name of the 1500 loop?

The 25th anniversary golf cart was one of the rental carts that was painted pink and decorated as a part of the 25th anniversary celebration at WDW (something along the lines of the birthday cake castle). I believe that was 10 years ago? As far as I know, it was rented out just like all the other carts. A random person would get to drive it. We always hoped to get it, but never did.

I wish I had a photo, but I don't.

As far as driving your golf cart to Wilderness Lodge, once upon a time, you could drive along the exercise trail. You could park at the circle at the end of the trail. That hasn't been allowed for years now.

TCD

 

[donaldduck1967]

I remember all except the 25th anniversary cart

 

[mash]

Does anyone remember, before the Wilderness Lodge was built, the bike bath extending all the way to the road where the Contemporary Resort is at?

What about River Country?
Trams running through the resort as opposed to buses?
The petting farm with goats?
The boardwalk path by Bay Lake?
Every light post decorated with greenery and lights for the Christmas season?

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Mash- I see you go back further than me, good buddy. Here are my responses to your ?'s:

Does anyone remember, before the Wilderness Lodge was built, the bike bath extending all the way to the road where the Contemporary Resort is at?

No, I sure don't remember that, did it really go all that way?

What about River Country?

Oh yes, River Country was the best for those of us staying at the campground, what fun to just take the golf cart or ride a bike there!

Trams running through the resort as opposed to buses?

Nope, that was before my time. But, now that you mentioned buses, I remember that there used to be an internal bus route, where all of the buses were called either Chip or Dale, and then the buses that left the campground were called Boone and Crockett.

The petting farm with goats?

Oh yes. And you could go in the pens and pet the critters! I remember visiting once right before Animal Kingdom was about to open, and they must have had all of the animals that were eventually going to go out there in the FW Petting Zoo. It was packed!

The boardwalk path by Bay Lake?

Good one. It is actually still there, but rotting away, and closed off. The path is so overgrown, that you wouldn't even know that it was there.

Every light post decorated with greenery and lights for the Christmas season?

Nope, don't remember that either.

Thanks for sharing your memories!

TCD

 

[donaldduck1967]

Does anyone remember, before the Wilderness Lodge was built, the bike bath extending all the way to the road where the Contemporary Resort is at?

What about River Country?
Trams running through the resort as opposed to buses?
The petting farm with goats?
The boardwalk path by Bay Lake?
Every light post decorated with greenery and lights for the Christmas season?

bike path - yes
RC - yes
trams - yes
petting zoo goats - yes
bdwk path to BL - yes.

 

[Colson39]

When we were kids my brother and I's favorite place to drive the golf cart was back in the exercise path that headed towards the Contemporary (now the Wilderness Lodge). I remember when you got to the end of the patch, they had two cement poles coming out of the ground that kept you from going any farther, and you could clearly see the Contemporary and the Magic Kingdom in the distance.

We spent many a day/night driving back in that path (and off the path, but shh, we were young, don't tell anyone , making sure we missed the myriad of joggers/bikers/deer that would inhabit it. It's one of the things I miss most about Ft. Wilderness, being able to drive the golf car back through there. You really got pretty deep into those woods, and it was quite a sight. Of course, this is back in the early to late 80's, so there was no Wilderness Lodge at the time.

At least the path is still open, my brother will be riding his bike (along with his 2 year old son) from Wilderness Lodge to our camper next week during our Thanksgiving trip! I'll probably take a ride back with him one day, and then come right back, just to get back in there with him for old time's sake, it's been a LONG time.

 

[mash]

Colson39 and DonaldDuck1967 - thanks for remembering how far the bike path used to go. It's been so long that I was starting to think it was just a figment of my imagination (let's not get started on the changes to Journey Into Imagination!). Wish they would extend the bike path to the MK. We'd rather ride our bikes over there!

 

[Love That Stitch]

5. When there was no Wilderness Lodge?

Our family took bike rides and pinicked in the open spaces of the current Wilderness Lodge. It was beautiful. They had all these bushes that were formed into animals (kind of like topiaries but you could climb on them). We have tons of pictures of us on top of a buffalo, next to the dragon and all kinds like that. Those were the days. That is when vacationing at Disney was simple and relaxing.

I loved it!

 

[mash]

Trams running through the resort as opposed to buses?

Nope, that was before my time. But, now that you mentioned buses, I remember that there used to be an internal bus route, where all of the buses were called either Chip or Dale, and then the buses that left the campground were called Boone and Crockett.

I forgot about the naming of the buses. The drivers used to tell us the way to remember which bus to take was Chip and Dale lived in the campground and Boone and Crockett were explorers outside of the campground.

 

[Love That Stitch]

Does anyone remember, before the Wilderness Lodge was built, the bike bath extending all the way to the road where the Contemporary Resort is at?

Yes, that was a great place to ride bikes, picnic and have fun.

Trams running through the resort as opposed to buses?

We have lots of pictures of us as kids on those trams. We use to hop on the trams for entertainment. I think it helped us kids wind down. They use those trams now at the MK Parking (well at least they look the same). Funny!
Thanks for the memories!

 

[Colson39]

You remember that path headed towards the Contemporary but not the trams? I mean, I'm talking I remember that path from in the late 80's, but I can't remember now when the trams stopped in Ft. Wilderness, but I definitely remember riding them as a kid.

I swear that the exercise path to the Contemporary was there while the trams were still running, but we're just missing a few years in between or something...lol

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Colson39- Yes, I do remember that you used to be able to drive the golf carts around in a lot of places that you can't anymore. Does anyone remember when what is now like a wide sidewalk behind the 100 loop (the path that goes from the Settlement Trading Post out to the main road) was unpaved dirt and mulch? When my kids were younger, I can't tell you how many times we drove back and forth just on that path. The kids called it the "bumpy road." Even at the slow speed of a FW golf cart, you could get major air on some of those bumps. I think they enjoyed that more than any ride in the Magic Kingdom.

Now, that path is a big concrete sidewalk. Everytime we go on it, I say, hey do you remember when this was the bumpy road? The kids do remember.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Let's try this one:

Who remembers when you could swim at the Ft. Wilderness beach. There was a roped off swim area, and lifeguards!

TCD

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Let's try this one:

Who remembers when you could swim at the Ft. Wilderness beach. There was a roped off swim area, and lifeguards!

TCD

I do!! There was even a dive platform that you could swim out to.

The tram used to go one direction around the campground while the old brown, unairconditioned bus went the other way

At the petting farm the used to have lots of goats and even some piglets from time to time. The goats used to get out all the time because people wouldn't shut the gates very well. As kids we took brown paper bags filled with popcorn for the goats, the goats would try to "climb" which ever one of us had the bag.


Who remembers when the Bike Barn was over by the 300 loop?

 

[proudmomof4]

At the petting farm the used to have lots of goats and even some piglets from time to time. The goats used to get out all the time because people wouldn't shut the gates very well. As kids we took brown paper bags filled with popcorn for the goats, the goats would try to "climb" which ever one of us had the bag.


Who remembers when the Bike Barn was over by the 300 loop?

I remember the goats and pigs at the petting zoo, along with many other small animals that are no longer there, I also remember when the peacocks would "invade" the petting zoo.

I remember the Bike Barn by the 300 loop too. And I remember the trams and the train

Does anyone remember when the Hayride actually had HAY?

What about River Country before they put the pools in, when it was only the lake area with the water slides and rope drops?

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

The Wilderness Homes (before the Wilderness Cabins)?

I remember when they had travel trailers in the sites to stay in. It was before the Wilderness Homes. It had to be in the 70's because i was a teenager.

 

[Demosthenes]

The Wilderness Homes (before the Wilderness Cabins)?

I remember when they had travel trailers in the sites to stay in. It was before the Wilderness Homes. It had to be in the 70's because i was a teenager.

It used to cost just $10 more a night than a regular camp site. we stayed in one in loop 500, now called Buffalo Bend, but then called Terry Trail for the Terry travel trailers. Since we no longer camp, but do like to stay in the trailer homes, I sure wish the location of those trailers was still up front toward the settlement trading post. (I know, you don't need the comfort station). The problem with the trailers was that, they weren't built to be lived in every night, and they showed too much wear and tear.


I guess I'm older than I thought.

I remember taking the golf cart down the exercise path to the topiary field in front of the CR; I loved the trams (the loop by the group campsite was for the tram to turn around at the end its run); I remember Marshmallow Marsh.

Do you remember taking a boat to the Polynesian so you could swim in the pool, since there was no pool at FW?