Dig a Little Deeper Into the Disney Vacation Club McKim’s Mile House – A Member Lounge
Last June, the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade in Magic Kingdom closed to make way for a new Disney Vacation Club lounge. Today, the Disney Vacation Club McKim’s Mile House has opened — and we got a first look at this beautiful new location.
The new DVC lounge, situated in the heart of Frontierland, provides amenities Members have come to expect such as complimentary soft drinks, snacks, and Wi-Fi, similar to other DVC lounges. However, unlike the lounges in EPCOT and Disneyland, this location was designed from the ground up to not only provide Member’s a place to escape but also enhance the theme. The Imagineers' dedication to seamlessly integrating the lounge into its new Frontierland location is evident.
As the story goes, the fictional McKim Family founded this location in the 1800s during the height of the Gold Rush. McKim’s Mile House served as a resting place for countless guests as they made their way west by stagecoach.
The lounge pays homage to the artistic legacy of Disney Legend and former Imagineer, Sam McKim, whose conceptual artwork was instrumental in shaping the Frontierland we know today. McKim's Mile House proudly displays several of his original pieces, offering visitors a glimpse into the creative mind that helped bring this beloved land to life.
Members will likely visit the lounge to escape the Florida weather, but hopefully the children's drawings on display and the names written on the doors on the upstairs rooms will pique their curiosity and encourage them to delve deeper into the location's rich backstory. The story of the McKim family opening this mile house (a type of boarding house) provides a chance to expand the story of Frontierland. One of the first things I noticed when I walked in were the three doors on the second floor of some of the “travelers" that had just arrived.
The first room on the left is occupied by a guest whose lore ties deeply to the story of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: B.T. Bullion. To keep this from becoming too long of a deep dive into the fictional history of Big Thunder, I will sum it up by noting that Barnabas T. Bullion is the fictional owner and president of the Big Thunder Mining Company… and also bears a striking resemblance to Disney Legend and Lead Imagineer on the attraction, Tony Baxter.
The center room features M. Davis — or Disney Legend Marc Davis, renowned for creating iconic Disney characters like Tinker Bell and Maleficent as well as someone who contributed to Disney parks to make them as we know them today. However, his highlight here is the unrealized Magic Kingdom project, The Western River Expedition, which is featured in artwork on the ground level.
This ambitious project, envisioned as a grand boat ride akin to Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean but set in the Old West, would have included a runaway train attraction on top of the attraction building and exploration walkways all around it. It was initially planned for the current Big Thunder Mountain Railroad location but, unfortunately, due to overwhelming guest demand for Pirates of the Caribbean in the first few years of the park operations, the Magic Kingdom ended up with a smaller version of the Disneyland ride. Thus, the potentially epic Western River Expedition was lost.
The last of the three rooms has special significance to me as a Disney Nerd. It connects to an experience I had during my first Walt Disney World visit in 1980. I also seem to be one of the few people who have a picture of Hoot Gibson.
Hoot was designed to be in the aforementioned Western River Expedition, but when that attraction was pushed back to the second phase of the Magic Kingdom he was placed in the post-show of the Walt Disney Story, current home of Town Square Theater, to at first promote WRE. But, when that attraction was scrapped, he became a spokesperson owl to showcase Audio Animatronic in the Disney Parks.
Now that I have given more information about some of the more hidden tributes in the lounge, let's look at one that is not so hidden, when guests walk by they will see the above phrase on the wall outside. Any guest that visited Walt Disney World up to the early 2000s should remember “Disney’s Best Kept Secret" as the tagline for the Disney Vacation Club. DVC has since stopped using that, but this fun detail is sure to trigger a memory to those who know.
The lounge's rustic décor and warm ambiance evoke the spirit of the Wild West, transporting guests to a bygone era. It's a place where members can relax and recharge, surrounded by the rich history and artistry that make Frontierland a truly special destination.
If you would like to know more about how to become a member of the Disney Vacation Club you can either stop by one of the Information Locations in the Disney Parks or hotels or if you don’t have a trip planned just click here.