The Tacky Tourist

Dec 28, 20229 min read

Let's Drive Down to Walt Disney World

I'm a road tripper, it's what I do. So when we decided that we would go to Walt Disney World Fall 2022, I knew our mode of transportation. Even with higher than normal gas prices, it was still cheaper than flying and a ton more fun.

Day 1

Waking up at 1am to be on the road at 2am isn't an easy feat. But we did it. Even with the full day of work prior. And to be honest, we probably won't do it again. One thing about this trip is that we made all the mistakes so we could do better next time.

Why were we on the road at 2am? To complete the 9 hour drive to the legendary Mothman Museum.

I was pretty stoked to have found a Hodag sticker near the peachy statue.

Mothman Museum and Statue, Point Pleasant, WV

We then did a short drive to the Shoney's Big Boy Museum. Yep. That's it.

While small, I do appreciate the museum being 24 hours. It's always a huge help to us road trippers and why I love roadside attractions.

Shoney's Big Boy Museum, Charleston, WV

We then ate at Bob Evans. It has been way too long since I have ate at the friendly joint and it was Mike's first time. It was love at first bite.

Bob Evans

After being up since 1am for me (7am the day prior for Mike!) it was time for some shut eye. Unfortunately, we had what was one of the worst hotel rooms I have ever stayed in. We couldn't even use the shower. Good thing we had a hot tub.

Not pictured is the toilet that rocked every which way when sat on.

My favorite was the frame that was positioned super high on the wall.

Day 2

We had a pretty late start after the long day the day prior.

Our first stop was the New River Gorge National Park. This is America's newest National Park which was previously a National River.

New River Gorge, WV

Most of our time in Virginia was spent driving, but of course we had to stop and be welcomed at the visitor center.

Virginia

I made sure we made a stop at the Andy Griffith statue in Mount Airy. We got there about 2 minutes prior to the museum closing so we just saw the statue (and well, time). I took a photo to compare to the one my brothers and I took in 2012.

2012>2022

We drove past this beautiful mural that I had to drive back to see. It was done by Andy Griffith's son, JEKS.

Mt. Airy, NC

My first time eating Bojangles! Was not a big fan of the chicken but loved most of the sides. All preference.

Bojangles

Day 3

We started the day at Fort Sumter.

We walked through the museum and stood out on the balcony where we could see a glimpse of Fort Sumter. We didn't have a ton of time but there is a ton to do here if you are looking to spend some time (which we will one day!)

Fort Sumter, SC

Next stop was the World's Second Largest Sweet Tea! We had past the current world's largest the night prior but we wouldn't have been able to get a photo. So we enjoyed this one instead (which is a lot cooler in my opinion).

Formerly The World's Largest Sweet Tea, Wadmalaw Island, SC

We eventually made it to Compass Rose Park where we met Charles Fraser and Albert.

Charles Fraser has a pretty interesting life that is worth reading about!

Compass Rose Park, Hilton Head Island, SC

In Savannah, GA we found this super cool vintage Taco Bell sign. We also passed the Thunderbird Inn which I may need to check out in the future!

Taco Bell Sign, Savannah, GA

Recall the beginning of this blog when I talked about how I'm a road tripper and driving was better than flying? Well, sometimes a tire flies up from under the person in front of you and smashes the front of your vehicle. Thankfully, nothing was wildly damaged so we were able to continue, just a little less stylish.

We did eventually make it to Orlando where we stayed at Hom2 Suites Flamingo Crossings. This was another test I wanted to try out and compare staying off site versus staying at a Disney property.

We did have a slight issue because we booked through Expedia, so when I decided to change the dates a little bit, we had to make a new reservation for the additional day. This caused us to stay in one room the first night and move to another room for the remaining nights. Hom2 was super great about it ad was willing to hold our things during our park day so we could just wheel it into the new room. Both rooms were gorgeous!

Read about our Disney hotel comparison here!

Day 4

We made it to the Magic Kingdom!

I really wanted to get to Walt Disney World for the 50th anniversary. The golden statues were scattered around the parks for the 50th and had an interactive piece to them we didn't do.

It was EXTREMELY busy at the Magic Kingdom. Wall to wall people. I had assumed it might be busy but not like that. Turns out, it was a record breaking day since Wine and Dine was the weekend prior so all the runners and their families were spending a day at the park.

Mike pictured with his favorite ride, the People Mover!

We had lunch at Skipper Canteen. This "sit down" restaurant is across from the Swiss Family Robinson tree and is themed as a art of the Jungle Cruise. So yes, get ready for some great puns.

Overall, we weren't a huge fan. The entrees just weren't great especially for the price. The Orinoco Ida's Cachapas were an amazing appetizer and I would definitely get them again. The same goes for the Enchanted Orange Dream.

Speaking of the Jungle Cruise, we waited around 2 hours to ride the Jingle Cruise (Jungle Cruise's holiday overlay) I really hope they change the queue one day because boy was that a nightmare of a wait.

The firework show was a nightmare crowd, so we weren't able to watch it. So we wiggled our way to The Hall of Presidents. In the waiting area, they had a new display of various presidents' items. They also had a note about Walt Disney's interest for Abraham Lincoln.

Then it was back to the hotel to prep for another big day!

Day 5

We chose the dates for this trip to include some holiday time but also the wrap up of the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT!

The grand list of everything we tasted!

🍴 Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Baby Potatoes, Cornichons, and Baguette from The Alps: Loved! Pretty simple but delicious.

🍴: Tai Shrimp and Coconut-Curry Rice Noodles from The Noodle Exchange: Mike wasn't a fan, but I loved this dish. It was very refreshing.

🍴: Grilled Pork Shoulder Lettuce Wrap from The Swanky Saucy Swine: Delicious! We couldn't stop thinking about these the rest of the day!

🍴: Gnocchi de Patate (both mushroom and bacon): Loved both, each had their own flavor.

🍴: Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake from Ireland: I had higher expectations for this. Was not a fan.

🍴: Fisherman's Seafood Pie from Ireland: Not great.

🍴: Spam Musubi Nigiri from Hawai'i: I'm a huge spam musubi fan so this was an easy win for me

🍴: Passion Fruit Bubble Tea from China: Pretty mid. Neither of us were a big fan of the flavor.

🍴: The Impossible Burger Slider from Earth Eats: Oddly spicy. Otherwise good for a plant burger.

🍴: "Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon from Canada: So backstory, I worked the Canada booth in 2016. Never tried the filet but it was super popular along with the cheddar soup. I understand now. We will probably go back to Food and Wine just for this filet. Life changing.

🍴: Apple Crumble Tart from Appleseed Orchard: Very disappointed to have found that "Oh Canada!" has been gone for a few years now. Tart was mid to me and Mike loved it.

🍴: Cinnamon Apple Cider from Appleseed Orchard: The mini size is good. The strong flavor made it not so refreshing and was pretty sweet.

We also played Remy's Hide and Squeak! I was dedicated and even in the pouring rain, we found them all!

We (and a surprising amount of others) were invited to an open house of the Imagination Institute. We were trying to learn about our senses but this strange purple dragon kept interrupting the tour!

Fun Wisconsin Fact! Did you know this sleigh in the Norway pavilion was carved in Wisconsin? In 2016 it was in the store holding stuffed animals, but it seems to have moved since then. Phillip Odden is the artist behind the beautiful woodwork.

Some more photos from EPCOT. This was out first time riding Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and we had a blast!

We were drenched by the end of the day due to heavy rains. But it was all worth it!

Day 6

This was called our "Orlando" day. I like to plan one of these to get away from the parks and sleep in a bit.

Unfortunately, a hurricane hit.

Well, Hurricane Nicole started to hit Florida and became a tropical storm by nightfall when it hit Orlando. This still put a damper in a few of our plans.

Hom2 Suites Flamingo Crossings

We shopped until we dropped at Lakeland Antique Mall. The place is packed but I only snagged a photo of this horse outside.

Lakeland Antique Mall, Lakeland, FL

For lunch we grabbed some Steak n Shake and fell in love. This would definitely be a regular place for us if we had one closer to Madison.

Steak 'N Shake

I wanted to visit the Wizard gift shop in Kissimmee so we stopped in here for a bit in between downpours.

Wizard Head Gift Shop

We drove all the way to the other end of Orlando to a restaurant we were really excited to try. They closed for the hurricane right as we got there. Glad those there could take time to get home but it was still a bummer to our trip.

Disney Springs was still open for a short time by the time we got back in the area. We checked out World of Disney, took photos with these adorable figures, and headed back to the hotel in the pouring rain.

Disney Springs

Day 7

The parks didn't open until the afternoon. It's a bit disappointing when you pay for and plan a full day at the Magic Kingdom but it turns into a half day with pouring rain and heavy winds. But I was thankful they still opened.

I wanted to see the gingerbread houses at the resorts, so we started on the Monorail and saw those first. Since it was super busy, we waited for the monorail for quite some time and then again every time we got off. The boat didn't run so it made it busier than normal. Of course the gingerbread houses were worth seeing.

We took a few more photos at the entrance to Magic Kingdom and met Mickey!

Since the People Mover is Mike's favorite, it was our first stop after photos.

We were on the People Mover and as we came out of a long tunnel, I see Mike in my face. He was kind of crouched down and all I heard was "Nikki Johnson..."

And as a major surprise to me, Mike asked me if I would marry him!

Of course, I said yes!

We were all giggles and smiles the rest of the ride and jumped right back on.

When I finally got my footing back, we went back to photos and favorite rides.

Of course, half hurricane day was also Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party which we had tickets to attend.

We loved the stage show, marveled at the parade, met characters, took even more photos, drank hot cocoa and ate cookies. It was an absolute blast!

Day 8

Our last day was at Hollywood Studios. Usually, I like to end at Magic Kingdom but I wanted to see Hollywood decked out for the holidays.

We started with the new Mickey's Runaway Railway which was a fun ride. I am still a bit sour for losing the Great Movie Ride.

The rest of the day was a pretty great day at Hollywood Studios. We watched Muppet Vision, drank Star Wars sodas, found Santa, and beat Mike at Toy Story Mania.

We rode Rise of the Resistance for the first time. Another huge but expected line for this trip. I was very grateful the queues had seats throughout. We really enjoyed the ride and I was surprised by how long it was.

And then, another disaster struck.

All together, Rise took us about 3 unplanned hours to get through. WDW just brought back Fantasmic. And we missed it.

Fantasmic is my favorite show and I don't recall a time it was more than halfway full. 30 minutes prior to show start, the seating was full. We were two of many not able to watch the return. It was pretty heartbreaking. But as we tend to say "it's just another reason to come back"