4. Enjoy the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue

When Walt Disney World first opened, each of its resorts featured a dinner show. The Contemporary Resort included the Top of the World – a restaurant/lounge that hosted musical acts and, later, a Broadway-style revue (it was later replaced with the California Grill). The Polynesian Village Resort hosted its tropical luau show that still runs today. And, keeping with that tradition, Fort Wilderness had the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.

The show is essentially a western-themed, family-friendly vaudeville act, featuring singing, dancing, and some light-hearted comedy. Perhaps most importantly, the show includes an all-you-can-eat meal consisting of fried chicken and BBQ ribs and such.

The Hoop-Dee-Do Musical Revue is particularly fun as an artifact of early Disney charm – an experience removed from the corporate brand synergy we're familiar with today, and instead focused on giving families a rollickin' good time. Plus, who doesn't love all-you-can-eat fried chicken?

5. Go during the holidays

Fort Wilderness is always charming, but much as Walt Disney World transforms into a unique version of itself during the holidays, so too does Fort Wilderness find itself made over beautifully during the wintry months.

But it's not just the cast members who give the resort that elaborate holiday theme – it's the guests too. Year after year, Fort Wilderness fans return in their RVs and tents decorated to the nines with lights, ornaments, inflatable Santa Clauses and so on. The entire resort transforms itself into a charming holiday-themed neighborhood, with friendly guests checking out each other's decorations and sharing hot chocolate under the stars. Walking around the resort becomes an attraction unto itself, with each campsite topping the last in originality and creativity.

And the community you can form with your fellow celebratory guests adds just another layer of magic onto your Disney trip.

6. Do absolutely nothing

Image: Disney

The immense popularity of Walt Disney World lends itself to fans and guests each having their own “best kept secrets.” But, perhaps the most well-kept secret of all is exactly why Fort Wilderness captures so many imaginations. It is, quite simply, because it does not feel like Walt Disney World.

When you wake up each morning or go to bed each night, you're out in nature – whether you're in a tent, RV, or cabin. You wake up to the sounds of nature and you experience it viscerally. It's the opposite of the theme parks – natural, peaceful, and serene.

At the end of the day, you're choosing to stay at a campground for a reason. Amid all the hustling from park to park, the dining reservations and Fastpass+ arrangements, the buses, the planes, the stores, and the walking, it's important to take time to sit down in the beautiful outdoors and do absolutely nothing. The theme parks are great, but there comes a time when you need to take a moment and slow down.

After all, it's your vacation. You've earned the right to relax.