Newly-appointed Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle has taken to Instagram to show us inside and around the newly-completed Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. We’d recently gotten an aerial look down at the new ranch as horses had just begun acclimating to the new space, but now let’s take a look around:
Jeff Vahle wrote the following caption for the post on his Instagram:
Met with some incredible Cast Members who are busy getting the NEW barn at Tri-Circle-D Ranch ready to welcome guests on Monday. Always love seeing our Cast take such great care of our horses, including our newest addition—a baby foal named “Violet”—who was born here a couple weeks ago. Nice also to see the horses escort the Dragon Calliope to its new home today. This iconic piece of Disney heritage has a rich history at both @Disneyland and WDW. Know it’s a guest favorite!
As mentioned by Vahle in his post, Tri-Circle-D Ranch is set to reopen next Monday on June 22 along with Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.
The redesigned the Tri-Circle-D Ranch will offer a modern stable and updated outdoor spaces and facilities for “The Happiest Horses on Earth.” Here, we see the tiny, yet mighty baby Violet, a foal that was recently born at the ranch. On the Walt Disney Cast and Community Facebook page, a video was shared showing the newborn foal, Violet, bonding with its mother Elsa:
The new ranch will also include a museum-like space, maintaining the history and spirit of the original Tri-Circle-D, welcoming guests to explore exhibits of classic Disney equestrian artifacts, some of which date back to the 1950s!
Here, we see the Dragon Calliope, an authentic circus wagon that was purchased by Walt Disney himself back in the 1950s for use in the short-lived Mickey Mouse Club Circus parade at Disneyland. The Calliope went on to appear at Disneyland parades until the park’s 25th anniversary. It was eventually repainted silver and blue for Walt Disney World’s Tencennial in 1981, and featured in multiple parades and Christmas broadcasts before retiring to the former Tri-Circle-D Ranch location. It has since also been moved to the new ranch!
Are you looking forward to seeing the new Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground? Let us know in the comments!
Can’t wait to see the new area at Ft Wilderness. Heading there in early July!