Spotlight on: Whispering Canyon Café

photo credit: Mike Miley via Flickr

There are what can seem like endless dining options in Walt Disney World.  But often, new visitors focus on restaurants inside the parks, forgetting about or not realizing there are some awesome options at the resorts themselves.  Got kids?  My kids absolutely adored Whispering Canyon Café at the Wilderness Lodge.  And getting there can be lots of fun!

What’s special about the Whispering Canyon Café?

So what’s so special about this restaurant?  First of all, it means taking a visit the gorgeous Wilderness Lodge.  With a geyser, waterfalls and a soaring lodge style lobby, it’s pretty amazing.  The Whispering Canyon Café is located inside, just off the main lobby.  Here, you’ll find a casual menu to please most anyone in your family.  But what’s really fun is that the servers here are lively and entertaining, playing around with you and messing with your kids.  They have a hobby horse parade for the little ones in the middle of your dining.  And if you want to see something really funny, just ask for some ketchup – trust me.

Whispering Canyon Café menu

And the food?  Delicious.  One of the most popular options is the all you can eat Family Platter, with your choice of three: Kansas City-style Smoked Pork Ribs, Herb-baked Chicken, Hand-carved Oak-roasted Beef Strip Loin, Citrus-crusted Market Fish, Western-style Sausage Sides for Sharing: Seasonal Farm Fresh Vegetables, Herb-crushed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Cowboy-style Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob.  You also get the dessert sampler with Whispering Canyon Chocolate Cake, Jalapeno-Lime Cheesecake, and Apple-Cranberry Buckle.

This restaurant is also well known for its milkshakes, and one of the best things about them is that they are one of the included beverages if you are on the dining plan, which is not true of most of the restaurants!

How to get to the Whispering Canyon Café

So what about getting here?  Easy.  There is a boat that will take you from the Magic Kingdom to the Wilderness Lodge!  This just adds to the fun if you’ve got kids in tow – a boat ride and a fun restaurant?  Win/win!  If you are coming from elsewhere in Walt Disney World, first take your transportation to the Magic Kindom, then go the boat docks to catch the boat over to the Wilderness Lodge.  But this is also a great choice as a lunch and afternoon break for a Magic Kindgom park day, or a nice little escape for dinner before re-entering the Magic Kindgom for some fireworks.  Or, end your day by heading over the to nearby Fort Wilderness Campgrounds for a campfire and some s’mores with Chip and Dale!