Wilderness Lodge

Opened:
1994

Story:Paraphrased from stories in "The Silver Creek Star"

The journey of Lewis and Clark inspired many other men to journey to the West. One such man was Colonel Ezekiel Moreland, who was a field commander during the War of 1812. Colonel Moreland was recently widowed at the time he read accounts of the expedition out west, and Colonel Moreland was not a man to just sit around in his retirement. In a short time, Colonel Moreland organized an expedition of 50 men and headed out west.

To see inside the Yellowstone Suite, click on the picture or click here.

To see pictures of one of the Honeymoon rooms, click here.

This expedition started out with a bad start; a buffalo stampede. Most of the men decided to pack it in and head back to civilization. The Colonel was not content to return so he ventured out on his own. For two years no one knew what happened to the Colonel, but the Colonel returned to St. Louis to sell the pelts that he had collected. He could have stayed in St. Louis as a very rich man, but he yearned for his new home. His sweet valley named Silver Creek Springs.

Throughout the years many men would journey to Colonel Moreland's paradise. One such man was Frederich Alonzo Gustaf. After one view of the vista's surrounding the Colonel's valley, Gustaf decided he would be a painter. His favorite vista was on a ledge overlooking a geyser. Many painters including Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran also came to that ledge. And in later years when the great lodge was built, the dining room was built on Gustaf's ledge, and so the dining room was named Artist Point.

My Thoughts:
Oh, I love this hotel. Jason and I had the opportunity to stay in the Yellowstone Suite which is the hotels Presidential Suite. We were only there one night, but it was a fabulous night. Eventually I will have pictures of the suite on this site.

Jason and I also stayed in a Honeymoon room for 3 nights. The Honeymoon room is slightly smaller than a normal room, there is only one bed, king-size. But the bathroom has a large jacuzzi tub. The black circle in the tub is the on/off switch for the jacuzzi jets. We're telling you where it is, so you can save yourself an embarrasing phone call (which we had to do). A simple touch won't turn it on, you have to hit it pretty hard. There are 4 honeymoon rooms, 7085, 7086 face more towards the Magic Kingdom. 7095, 7096 overlook the entrance to the resort.

One of my preferred resort amenities is a food court. Wilderness Lodge's is called Roaring Forks. It is much smaller than the food courts at the moderate and value resorts, but Wilderness Lodge is also a much smaller resort. I am a big fan of the chicken tenders basket and the philly cheesesteak sandwich. There is also a really good selection of breakfast pasteries and sandwiches.

If a food court isn't your thing there are two restaurants; Artist Point and Whispering Canyon. Artist Point is a premier dining experience. The food is wonderful, but don't believe it's typical Northwest fare; I've lived in Washington State for 20 years and the salmon, and mussels are about the only traditional stuff on the menu. But the food is very good, I just wish I didn't have to travel to Florida to have Buffalo Steak or venison. I haven't eaten at Whispering Canyon yet.

There is a large pool and a hot and cold hot tub; but I am ashamed to admit that we didn't even use the pool while we were there....we were too busy soaking in our jacuzzi tub.

Transportation at Wilderness Lodge is not up to the same level as some of the other resorts. You definetely have to plan your time, like don't go to Downtown Disney before 4 PM. Why? because that's when the direct buses start running, before 4 you have to go to the TTC, stand in the direct sun and wait for a Downtown Disney bus. Transportation to Magic Kingdom is by boat only. It leaves every 15 minutes starting at 7:15. I like the boat it's very relaxing. It takes a long time for the bus to get to Animal Kingdom. The park buses also make stops at the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian.

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Page last updated Sept 23, 1999