Archery at Disney’s Fort Wilderness

The Fort Wilderness Archery Experience is one of our favorite recreational activities at Walt Disney World. We had family in over the holidays and decided this was the perfect way to spend a few hours away from the parks.

Who Can Participate?

All guests ages 7 and older can participate in this activity. Guests ages 7-17 must have a waiver signed by a legal guardian and guests 18 and older will sign their own waiver. You do not need to be a guest at Fort Wilderness or any Disney resort to participate in this activity. Check the fine print about cancellations when booking.

Cost & How to Book

The Archery Experience is $49.00 plus tax per person, or $52.19 total. The full balance must be paid at the time of booking which can be done on Disney’s website, by calling (407) WDW-PLAY, or by using the My Disney Experience app up to 60 days prior. There are a few classes offered each day of the week with the exception of Wednesday and Thursday. Each class has a limit of 10 participants and same day reservations may be available. The only way to secure a same day spot is to inquire at the Bike Barn at the Fort Wilderness Meadow Recreation Area.

Getting There

If you’re coming from another Disney Resort to Fort Wilderness, you can get there a few ways. You could take a ride share, like Lyft, to Fort Wilderness, which may be expensive. If you’re driving your own vehicle, you’ll enter through the main entrance and take the internal bus to the Meadow Area. The internal buses are the yellow or orange lines and will display the next stop on the headsign like all Disneys buses.

You could also take a resort bus to the Magic Kingdom and hop a boat to Fort Wilderness. The boat from the Magic Kingdom will dock at Settlement Trading Post where you’ll find the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue and Pioneer Hall. This is where you’ll board an internal bus, the yellow or orange line, headed for the Meadow Recreation Area. If this is your plan, you should allow at least 90 minutes of travel time. We promise the process is easier than it looks in print, but it is time consuming. For those of you who process easier in bullet points (us):

• Boat from Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness
• Dock, walk toward Pioneer Hall
• Board internal bus to Meadow Area. Internal buses = yellow or orange line
• Follow signs to Bike Barn where you’ll check in 15 minutes prior to your event

The Target

The Archery Experience is 75 minutes long and is front loaded with detailed safety training. Provided safety goggles must be worn the entire length of the class, even when posing for pictures like our fabulous models above. The class begins with the Archery Guide explaining the compound bow, the targets, and how to draw – all while stressing safety measures. While 75 minutes may sound like a long period of time, we can vouch for the fact that the whole process was slow and orderly with each archer taking aim three times each round. The Archery Guide controls each round closely – there is no willy nilly flurry of flying arrows.

Our group found that the length of the class and number of times they were able to practice was just right. It was enough time to see improvement with each round but not long enough that they were left sore. There will be time at the end of the class to take pictures with the arrow-riddled targets, but don’t try to pull out your phone while taking the lesson – it is strictly prohibited.

What Fort Wilderness activity would you like us to cover next? Let us know in the comments!