My Three Sons: Walt Disney World with Pre-teen Boys

Before we get started, let me make some introductions. We are: Mom (that's me, obviously), Avery (13 and quiet), Bailey (11 and thrill-seeking), and Clayton (10 and mischief-making). You'll see occasional interjections from them during the course of this article. We hail from rural northwest Pennsylvania, and I'm a teacher, hence the summer trips.

The first thing we consider, of course, is where to stay. We've stayed off-property, on-property, in a house, cabin, cottage, hotel room, and a tent. Our favorite resort by far, which we've stayed at four out of the eight years we've been going to Walt Disney World, is Fort Wilderness. Three out of those four stays have been in a tent. Tenting at Fort Wildernessin the summer isn't as bad as some might think, but that's another article.

There are so many things for the boys to do at the Fort. Of course, there's swimming and games at the pool; there's the campfire, complete with s'mores, and the movie every night. There are the playgrounds and wide open fields for running around; but the hands-down favorite, and what puts Fort Wilderness ahead of the other resorts we've stayed at, is catching (and releasing, thanks!) the little lizards that seem to be everywhere. ("Salamanders, Mom!") For all of these reasons and more, we love Fort Wilderness and are looking forward to returning this August.