Sense of Places and Times - Part Two

Walt Disney World Resorts

Unlike the World Showcase at Epcot or the ‘lands’ of the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, the geographic-themed resorts are first and foremost, guest lodgings. By their nature, lodgings, as in the case of the WDW resorts, are hotel complexes. They must serve as efficient, living / sleeping quarters with the basic amenities such as maid service, pools, restaurants, shops, laundries, etc. It becomes obvious to anyone who stays at these resorts that they are not real plantation houses, backwoods shacks or a Caribbean village. Despite the WDW promotional literatures, guests know that they are not checking into a steamboat on a landing (Dixie Landings), they just want feel like they are without experiencing the realities of such an endeavor.

If guests were to truly experience lodging in the time periods of some of the resorts, it would typically be a small room with only a bed, chest of drawers and wash basin (and a chamber pot, of course). There would be no air conditioning, no elevators and the pool would be a nearby insect-infested fishing hole or river. That would obviously not appeal to most visitors, not to mention that it would fail to pass various regulatory inspections! There are, however, numerous lodgings around the world that are in truly historic buildings, usually converted from old hotels, commercial buildings or residences into bed and breakfast lodgings. Unless completely remodeled, they do retain some of the true historical elements and it is these elements that provide the inspiration for geographical and historical theming at WDW (and other places as well).

Alternatively, the WDW resorts are all very new hotel complexes made to appear to be historic or in a regional setting (with the exception of the Swan and Dolphin resorts which are made to appear to be something that most people can’t figure out). To accommodate visitor’s demand for comfort, accessibility and impeccable cleanliness, the theming elements are secondary to the priorities of modern amenities. Since many of these complexes consist of the basic modern hotel room with a bed or two, furniture, a bathroom or two and a television; the theming is instead, accomplished by interior decorations (wallpapers, wall hangings, floors / carpets, bed frame, some of the furniture and fixtures) and exterior elements (building layouts, architecture styles and landscaping).

The interior decorations of the lodgings must not interfere with their first order of business - providing a safe, clean and comfortable place for guests to sleep. This is also true for the lobbies, shops and the restaurants of the resort complexes where their first priorities are for guest services, retail business and dining. So where the lobby of Dixie Landings is themed to be ‘checking in for boarding in a Mississippi River steamboat’ or where its food court is themed to be ‘dining in a cotton mill’, guests would have to use their imagination. If it were really a cotton mill, there would be so much cotton dust in the air that it would render the experience very inhospitable. But that’s obvious. Guests want to enjoy a sense of the atmosphere of a place and time as oppose to a generic, sterile hotel environment. WDI succeeds in creating this atmosphere without sacrificing any of the modern amenities you would expect from upscale hotel resorts.

Wilderness Lodge Resort

The theme of the relatively new Wilderness Lodge is to capture the ‘majesty and grandeur of the Pacific Northwest’ in providing a ‘true reflection of the great, historic National Park lodges’ of the early decades of the 1900s under the direction of Stephen Mather. The architectural essence in these lodges, and subsequently in the Wilderness Lodge, is combining native wood and stone with Native American styles to create visually appealing structures that seemed to fit naturally within the majestic landscapes. The term ‘Parkitecture’ is a relatively recent expression that is being applied to the popular rustic designs of not just the National Park lodges, but to their landscapes, informational structures and road systems as well. The primary influence of the Wilderness Lodge, according to WDW literature, is the Old Faithful Inn, designed by Robert Reamer, in the Yellowstone National Park located in Wyoming. However, other lodges including Paradise Inn in the Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington State and the Grand Canyon Lodge in Arizona perhaps also provided some themed elements to the Wilderness Lodge.

The front entrance of the Wilderness Lodge Resort with its "Parkitecture" style among tall pines and oak groves

The Wilderness Lodge, on the shores of Bay Lake in back, is surrounded by tall pines and oak groves, along with some birch, pine and cedar trees, all to create the feeling of a Western forest. However, from the parking lot approaching the entrance, all you see of the lodge is the multi-layered green roof. From the entrance area, you can get a better feel for the ‘Parkitecture’. The structure itself features extensive use of authentic lodgepole pine and quarried stones. Even though the structure and some of the tree groves accurately capture the ‘majesty and grandeur of the Pacific Northwest’, the theming cannot be completely successful due to one significant circumstance that cannot be controlled – it is placed in the flat landscape of Central Florida! When you visualize staying at a lodge in Yellowstone or Glacier or Mt. Rainier, you think of cool mountain breezes through the pines, towering snow-capped peaks and cold, sparkling waters of nearby lakes and streams. The setting of the Wilderness Lodge in flat Central Florida with its hot, humid air cannot be avoided obviously. Therefore, the Wilderness Lodge from the outside appears to be really out of place from its intended geographic setting. Once inside though, that’s a different story.

But let’s stay outside a minute and look at some of the external themed elements. The Wilderness Lodge is among those WDW resorts (like the Grand Floridian) that consist of, primarily, one very large building instead of a series of structures sprawled throughout the resort area. It would have been appropriate to include some outbuildings representing ‘cabin’ structures nestled among the pine groves for guests to stay at instead of just the six-story hotel. The hotel itself is a horseshoe-shaped complex with water flowing from the lobby into a rocky geothermal area outside. Within the center of the horseshoe structure, the water continues on into a short ‘creek’ and is transformed into a small ‘rushing, roaring’ waterfall which feeds into the swimming area. Along the shores of Bay Lake in back of the resort, there are a few nature trails and simulated bubbling mud pots and geysers. All of these are elements that are found throughout Yellowstone National Park. They provide an interesting way of doing landscaping but probably more than any other landscaping elements found in the various WDW resorts, the ones at Wilderness Lodge just look odd. You cannot get away from the fact that Wilderness Lodge is in Central Florida, so even if they were to add some topography to the grounds, that wouldn’t be much an improvement. That was why the designers focused on the hotel building itself to provide the true atmosphere of staying at a lodge in the Pacific Northwest.

A small waterfall feeding into the swimming area is in the rear of the Wilderness Lodge Resort

The interior of the Wilderness Lodge continues with the same rustic log and stone environment of the outside, but much more intensely. The log-structured main lobby, which extends up six-stories, includes bundled log columns, two 55-foot tall totem poles, an 82-foot tall stone fireplace (which emanates a ‘rustic’ mountain smell even though it may be hot and humid outside), chandeliers with glowing teepees and rustic-looking furniture on multi-colored floor tiles and rugs. Surrounding the lobby are the four or five levels of walkways to the rooms. These walkways use extensive logs and other wood-workings (some real wood, some not) to represent rustic porches of a mountain cabin. To complete the theming, the various dining establishments off of the lobby use names such as Whispering Canyon, Artist Point and Roaring Forks.

Detailed moldings and railings give the appearance of rustic cabin porches within the interior of the Wilderness Lodge Resort

Overall, the Wilderness Lodge is an exceptional geographical-themed place to stay at WDW but not necessarily to explore the grounds. No one expects it to be like staying in the mountains but walking inside the lobby and seeing all that timber and stone without seeing the outside environment (which is the key in creating a transcendent place), you can feel like you are at the Old Faithful Inn or the Paradise Inn.

Caribbean Beach Resort

A very different setting than the Wilderness Lodge, the Caribbean Beach Resort covers 200 acres with five, tropically themed hotel ‘campuses’ surrounding a 45-acre lake. To put that into perspective, it is nearly twice as large as the Magic Kingdom. Like many of the villages of the Caribbean islands, the structures are low-slung and clustered copiously along the shores of the lake, as well as along inlet coves and tree groves (but without the volcanic peaks commonly found on most of the islands).

Similar to the Old Key West Resort to some extent, the intent of the Caribbean Beach Resort is to capture the ‘Calypso spirit’ of the islands which means the sounds of steel drum, lush gardens and warm breezes; basically a tropical paradise. The theming of the grounds and the buildings do add to the Caribbean sense of place but most of that feeling comes from the Central Florida environment with its warm tropical breezes and lush vegetation around numerous water bodies. Of all of the resorts, this one (along with the Old Key West and Grand Floridian Resorts) works the best in capturing its sense of place being in Central Florida.

A tropical paradise with its white sand beaches and lush vegetation at the Caribbean Beach Resort

Each of the five villages is named after Caribbean islands: Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique and Trinidad. However, no attempt was made to provide the regional characteristics of each of these distinct islands into the Caribbean Beach Resort villages. Instead, we are given a generic Caribbean ‘look’ with cool, colorful pastel exterior walls, white wood railings and vividly colored metal roofs. The only major difference among the villages is the color schemes of the buildings. For example, one village has yellow walls with white trim and pale blue roofing, while another has coral walls with white trim and aqua blue roofing. From the outside, they are very decorative and colorful but way too upscale, clean and un-crowded to resemble any villages on the islands of their namesake. Caribbean Beach Resort has become very popular, not only due to its moderate pricing, but because this resort captures what many non-Floridians expect a vacation to Florida to be: palm trees, white sand beaches and blue waters under a warm sun.

The welcome center and guest check-in is built in the style of a Caribbean customs house which means you get a large ‘house’ with wood floors, ceiling fans and cast members dressed in formal white uniforms. Customs houses in many ports of the world were used to collect duties and where vessels entered and were cleared to proceed to load or unload at the port. So it makes sense, at least from a historical perspective, that guests at the Caribbean Beach Resort must check into the ‘customs house’ in order to stay in one of the ‘villages’. This is a common approach to theming in most of the geographical and historical based resorts. Since this is typically the guest’s first exposure to the resort’s theming and atmosphere, it might as well be a customs house motif which is historically accurate for the Caribbean islands.

Example of one of the five "village" themes with its cool, pastel colors

The center of the resort is a cluster of buildings called Old Port Royale, named from the historic English port on Jamaica. These buildings (using all of the color schemes found in the villages) are the food courts, restaurants and gift shops, all to evoke images of an island market. In reality, what most peoples’ views of island markets in the Caribbean islands are the souvenir stands catering to the cruise lines. Off the beaten tourist path into some of the villages, the island markets are not shopping boutiques but rustic, makeshift stands of fruits, vegetables and hand-made goods.

The main pool of the Caribbean Beach Resort with its Spanish Fort / Pirates of the Caribbean theme

When you ask people what is the one image of historic Caribbean they have, the most common answer would probably be a pirate. Many travelers go to the islands seeking out the places where the pirates were common. The tourism industry caught on to this by renovating old forts, harbors and seaside villages from the period of the Spanish Main. Movies, books, themed resorts (e.g., Treasure Island in Las Vegas) and of course, Pirates of the Caribbean all add to the mystique and romance of the Age of Piracy in the Caribbean. The Caribbean Beach Resort also includes pirate-themed elements with its stone walls, pirates’ cannons and parrots around the main pool next to the Old Port Royale. As you walk along the sandy paths from some of the villages to the pool area, you come out of the trees to see a small lighthouse off to the left. This is where a dock is for the paddle and motor boats that can cruise the lake. To the right, you see what looks like old stone walls with Spanish-style towers and bridges being guarded by cannons. This is actually the main pool, themed to look like a fort protecting the harbor. Kids love it because than can play pirates of the Caribbean.

Much of the grounds throughout and around the villages include many types of trees (especially palm trees), flower beds and shrubs, grassy areas that extend to the lake and sections of white sand beaches. Some of the more upscale resorts in the Caribbean islands are similarly landscaped, providing the visitor with a version of tropical paradise without the undesirable elements typically found in Caribbean villages. Geographically and historically accurate they are not, but guests expect to have a safe, clean and comfortable place to sleep, shop, eat and play. The Caribbean Beach Resorts succeeds at this probably better than any of the WDW resorts because it provides the elements that guests expects from a tropical vacation to Florida.

Dixie Landings and Port Orleans Resorts are marketed together as a coherent geographical and historical theme. You can view Port Orleans as being the Mississippi River port city given way to the rural South upstream or you can view it as embarking on a steamboat at Dixie Landings for a trip downstream to the big city. Either way, these two resorts are themed to evoke images of the antebellum South along the Mississippi River. In actuality, there is a small, tree-enshrouded man-made river called the Sassagoula which visitors can travel on flat-bottomed boats between the two resorts and points beyond. Dixie Landings and Port Orleans opened within nine months of one another and even though they exhibit different themed elements, they share a major geographical and historical theme: capturing the mystery and romance of a trip up (or down) the Mississippi River. They both offer the same type of accommodations and guest services, even use the same resort newsletter (The Sassagoula Times), however, they provide subtly different "Southern" experiences.

Checking into the Dixie Landings Resort is advertised as booking passage on the steamboat which the building is said to resemble. Through the back windows of the restaurant next door, you can see a rustic looking dock, a couple of water towers and a slow moving river spanned by a wooden foot bridge connecting to an island. The main building of the registration area and the restaurant are painted in a light, yet muted color with ornate white moldings, all offering a contrast to the gray, weather-beaten look of the docks. The other building of the dock area is the large food court designed in the style of a cotton mill with its requisite water wheel. This too is themed in the same gray, weather-beaten look. As said before, guests know that they are not checking into passage on a steamboat. The illusion is lost right away when you enter the building from the parking lot and look out to the docks, as oppose to walking along the docks and stepping onto gangplanks into a building for check in.

There are a number of highly romanticized periods of American history; the patriotic times of the American Revolution, the images of the hardy pioneers of the westward movement, the fortune seekers of the Gold Rush and so on. But perhaps the most romanticized period has been the antebellum South, as seen in many elements of popular culture: movies, books, tourist attractions, theme parks and resorts. The most popular image of the antebellum South is the great plantation house; ranging from the Georgian-style mansions along the James River in Virginia, to the Italianate-style country homes found around Charleston, South Carolina and to the Greek Revival-style mansions in the Natchez, Mississippi area. These houses, although exemplifying a small fraction of all housing during this period, were part of the antebellum Southern landscape. Most, however, were not the shining exteriors and perfectly manicured grounds that we see today. From photographs taken before the Civil War, even the grandest mansions seemed more rustic and unkempt than now for they were rural houses. The ones that survived and have since been placed on display have undergone extensive remodeling and refurbishing in the past 125 years, thus making them look more upscale than they actually were.

At Dixie Landings Resort, WDI chose the image of the Greek Revival antebellum mansions as the theme for the east side of the Sassagoula River and named the area, Magnolia Plantation (according the official resort map). Among the themed elements depicted from this period for Magnolia Plantation include the Greek Revival columns and trims, gazebos in flower gardens and even Disney characters dressed in Southern belle gowns. The real antebellum houses and public buildings represent the antebellum South in the same way that a National Park lodge can represent the Pacific Northwest or a tiled hacienda can represent the Old Southwest. These are some of the most popular and understandable symbols of a region or a time period, so in that sense, the Greek Revival antebellum mansions are no less worthy to be depicted than any other. The antebellum mansions do represent the dwellings of slaveholders, even though there are no traces of slaves or slavery depicted in Magnolia Plantation. With any representation of a historical place and time, you can find both positive and negative connotations. Without such historical references (good or bad), our understanding and appreciation of history would be reduced.

Grassy lawns extending down to the Sassagoula River in the Magnolia Plantation area of the Dixie Landings Resort

There are four main buildings making up Magnolia Plantation. Two of the buildings are 2-story, basically U-shaped structures. The center of the U is a set of pillared archways leading from the structure to a gazebo surrounded by flowerbeds. This is probably designed to simulate the tree-lined entrances found in some of the plantation houses. The other two buildings are 3-story, H-shaped structures. The interior spaces of the H are not archways but grassy lawns surrounded by large trees. From the lawn, you get a clear view of the building in the middle part of the H. This part of the building includes an entrance area framed by four tall columns arranged in a semicircle with a stairway raising to the second level. The arrangement of the lawn with its view of the main entrance is a common design found in many Greek Revival-style buildings, with the White House in Washington D.C. being the most popular. The basic layout of all of these predominately brick buildings includes white columns every 15 feet or so, a low-sloping roof with white brick chimneys (probably air conditioning vents) and white or dark green metal railings and shutters on each level. The grounds are immaculately landscaped with numerous trees, shrubs and flowerbeds and grassy lawns extending down to the Sassagoula River, all with plenty of space for walkways. This openness adds to the atmosphere of mellowness and a perceived escape to the lifestyle of Southern aristocratic families.

Example of Greek Revival architecture as shown in one of the Magnolia Plantation buildings

On the north and west side of the river, interestingly, WDI chose to represent part of the Southern culture not commonly depicted – that of the rustic, backwoods-style villages of the Bayous. The 16, two-story buildings, called the Alligator Bayou, are made up of brick, stucco or clapboard sidings with somewhat rustic wooden railings and posts. Most of these buildings are set haphazardly in dense tree groves with numerous shrub-lined ponds. In other words, evoking a sense of what you would find among the woods and bayous of the lower Mississippi River. What is interesting about this dichotomy in geographical theming is that while the Alligator Bayou supposed to represent the poor, backwoods folks, the rooms are no less in quality or price than their aristocratic counterparts across the river in the Magnolia Plantation! No other resorts at WDW provide guests with such a contrast in theming within the same resort and the choice basically comes down to convenience to the pools, bus stops or the food court.

The counterpart to the Magnolia Plantations, the Alligator Bayou buildings set among dense tree groves and shrub-lined ponds

The American South (besides Florida) is a popular destination for many travelers due to its many historical points of interest scattered throughout the region. Much of the history of what led to the American Civil War, as well as the war itself and its consequences can be understood by studying and traveling throughout the South. Some of the most photogenic historical houses can be found here, as well as unique landscapes and peoples that populated them. It is not surprising that WDI chose to include Southern themes as one of its resorts. No guests should interpret that the buildings of the Dixie Landings Resort are actual plantation or backwoods-style houses, they are just two equal choices in hotel-type lodgings, albeit with different moods.

Whereas the Dixie Landings Resort is said to represent the rural upriver South, the Port Orleans Resort represents the urban experience of Catholic New Orleans, specifically of the French Quarter and Mardi Gras. Approaching Port Orleans by traveling down the Sassagoula River, you see a number of three-story buildings arranged in an orderly fashion among stately trees along the banks. Approaching the resort from the main entrance, you see a sophisticated light brick building with abundant use of windows, skylights and wrought iron railings. Inside this main building is the registration area, gift shops and restaurants / food courts; all done in elaborate brickwork with dark green iron fixtures and trims. It is laid out as a pedestrian mall / market place, part indoors and part outdoors with shops along walkways evoking the atmosphere of a retail street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

The grid pattern layout at the Port Orleans Resort

The layout of the Port Orleans Resort is very distinctive, not a curved walkway in sight. All of the three-story lodgings are about the same size and are arranged parallel or at right angles with each other. These buildings are in the style of the French Quarter, which primarily includes Italianate architectural features (brick/stucco, low or flat roofs, wrought iron balconies). To provide a sense of the variety of the French Quarter, these buildings come in different colors and materials, with slight variations in the rooflines and other architectural elements. The pathways, lawns and gardens among these building are also laid out in a grid pattern. Many of the trees are arranged in a line along the many paved and brick pathways bordered by low hedges and iron fencing , thus giving the impression of an up-scale, urban park. To add to the French Quarter sense of place, the pathways include names like "Pontchartrain" and "Bourbon" and the resort pool is themed in the revelry style of Mardi Gras.

Details of the Port Orleans Resort architecture with its intricate wrought iron railings

The three regional themes of Dixie Landings and Port Orleans: the plantation houses, the backwoods shacks and the French Quarter, are some of the many landscapes of the American South. Even though you can find examples of Greek Revival mansions or backwoods shacks / cabins or urban Italianate architectures in many places through the United States, none are perhaps more recognized than the areas that inspire these two resorts. The area from Baton Rouge to Natchez along the Mississippi has some of the best examples of restored Greek Revival mansions. The bayous of the Mississippi Delta region are populated, in part, by the unique culture of the Cajun community, with its emphasis on fishing, alligator trapping and down-home cooking. The French Quarter, with its influence from the French, Spanish, Anglo and Creole cultures, offers a blend that is perhaps unique for its scale in any American city. Words like romance and mystery have been used to advertise the Dixie Landings and Port Orleans Resorts and each of the three themed areas offers its own feeling of romance and mystery.

The Coronado Springs Resort includes a convention center in addition to nearly 2,000 moderately priced lodgings. It is themed in the Spanish-influenced motif of the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico with its use of adobe and terra-cotta walls, ceramic tile floors, clay tile roofs, and like the Mexico pavilion in Epcot, a Mesoamerican pyramid. This resort has low-slung buildings sprawled around a lake, similar to the Caribbean Beach Resort. However, there is one striking difference between the two resorts. Standing along the edge of the lake at the Caribbean Beach Resort, you see various colored buildings nestled among lush tropical foliage. At the Coronado Springs Resort, you see most all of the adobe, terra-cotta and cabana-style buildings among sparse placement of palm trees. Even though this is still Central Florida with not a desert in sight, this resort does give the impression of being in a more ‘arid’ environment than the Caribbean Beach Resort. Additionally, the situation of the Coronado Springs Resort being along a lake can be compared to places along the Gulf of California.

The terra-cotta buildings of the Coronado Springs Resorts with its Spanish-Colonial style architecture

The main buildings of the resort are done in the Spanish-Colonial style that includes a campanile (bell tower) reminiscing of the California missions. The exterior colors of these terra-cotta buildings are desert-pastel with its light tan walls and turquoise and salmon colored trim. The registration area is a spacious, high-ceilinged room and numerous arches and lattice ironworks. This almost feels like an Old-World cathedral. Extending off the registration area are long hallways framed with arches and ornate pillars. The places off of these hallways are the gift shops, restaurants and the meeting rooms for the convention center.

There are three guest areas, each offering a slightly different Southwestern theme. The Casitas area is done in the same style as the main buildings, thus offering a more city-like atmosphere with its use of brick-paved plazas, fountains and small park settings with benches. In a separate area along a dry streambed (is that possible in Central Florida?) are the pueblo-style guest buildings called the Ranchos. These adobe structures are more rustic looking, thus evoking a sense of being in a small village in New Mexico or Sonora Mexico. The Cabanas, the third area of guest buildings are situated along a rocky palm-lined beach. These two-story building with its thatch-type roofs and rustic wood trim, evoke the casual atmosphere of the Mexican beach towns of Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan.

The Cabanas of Coronado Springs Resort evoking the atmosphere of the Gulf of California region

The Coronado Springs Resort themes draw upon the Spanish and Native North American influences found in the American Southwest and the Gulf of California region of Mexico. When you see an adobe building, its geographical association would be a place in the hot, dry desert. Even though the Ranchos are not made of true adobe bricks (they used stucco), the architectural style is familiar to those modern buildings found in places like Santa Fe and Taos. And with the sparseness of vegetation in the property, it does evoke somewhat of an arid atmosphere. However, the Spanish and Native North American themes can also be found in southeast Texas and in the Mexican states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. This is not so much a desert region for the Gulf Coast is known for its high humidity. So in a sense, seeing adobe and terra-cotta structures, and especially the cabanas, in the Central Florida environment, you can think of these of not only drawing upon the influences of the desert regions of the American Southwest and Sonora, but the Gulf of Mexico region as well.

The interior of the Coronado Springs Resort with its requisite tiled fountain and archways

Other Resorts

There are several other North American geographical and historical themed resorts at WDW. These include:

Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, two neighboring lakeside resorts capturing the charm of the classic seaside inns of Cape Cod and Long Island;

Old Key West Resort, a condo-like resort evoking the tropical flavor of the Keys with its quaint village atmosphere;

Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, the gem of WDW modeled after the elegant, luxury resorts built by Flagler and Plant in Palm Beach and other resort towns along the Florida coast; and

Boardwalk Inn and Villas Resort, capturing the essence of the Atlantic Seaboard tourist towns.

Each of these resorts deserves their own write-ups but it is the author’s discretion to be selective.

Is using the most obvious versions of architectural styles (like a Greek Revival plantation house from the South) or popular sites (like the French Quarter from New Orleans) clichéd? Not necessarily, just because a version may or may not be the most popular does not make it less important. The builders of the original structures were, in part, following current trends. For example, the emergence of the Greek Revival architecture for residences and public buildings in the early- to mid-1800s coincided with boom in the Southern economy. Apart from popular trends, architectural styles that we commonly associate with a region or a time period may be due to practicality. Consider these common associations: log cabins in mountain regions, adobe structures in desert regions or brick structures in urban places. In the time periods when many such structures were built, the use of readily available building materials was a primary consideration. In the case of brick structures in urban places (like the Georgian- or Federal-style buildings in most East Coast cities), it was due to the practical consideration of moving from wood structures to a less fire-prone building material. Therefore, in choosing a Greek Revival theme for Dixie Landings, or a French Quarter theme for Port Orleans, or a Georgian-style theme for the American Adventure pavilion, it is honoring the geography and history of the place.

On a personal note, theming has always interested me, whether it be a restaurant, a restored historical building or in a theme park. I have always wondered what is it that captures the atmosphere of a place or a time period and how does it relate to geographical or historical reality. Theming has become a very popular device to attract customers and tourists, to the point where original historic places have been ‘re-themed’ to meet visitors’ expectations. There are a few places that attempt to faithfully recreate ‘what it was like’ (Plimouth Plantation comes to mind), but short of going back in time, modern conveniences (and regulations) prohibit re-creating a place to its exact historical specifications. Places like at WDW are now themed using selective elements from the past or from a region that would evoke a pleasing atmosphere and thus, have become popular attractions. If they get more people interested in knowing and reading about the geography and history of those places they depict, that is a good thing.

You can write Stephen Clark at:
sclark_photographer@att.net

Part One

www.cr.nps.gov (for a good description of ‘Parkitecture’)

www.realviews.com/ architecture

www.mouseplanet.com

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada, Stephen S. Birdsall and John W. Florin, John Wiley & Sons

Walt Disney’s EPCOT: Creating the New World of Tomorrow, Richard R. Beard, Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

Designing Disney’s Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance, Edited by Karal Ann Marling, Flammarion

Since the World Began: Walt Disney World, The First 25 Years, Jeff Kurtii, Hyperion

Inside the Mouse: Work and Play at Disney World, The Project on Disney, Duke University Press

Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2000, Jill Safro – Editor, Hyperion

Walt Disney World: A Pictorial Souvenir, The Walt Disney Company

Walt Disney World Resort, 2000 Vacations, Walt Disney Travel Co., Inc.

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