Hello and welcome to my runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend 2025 trip report! I’m returning to the blow-by-blow diary format for this trip. Today we grab a post-race lunch and cocktails at Crockett’s Tavern in Fort Wilderness. Read all the posts in this report here. Onward!
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground is like no other resort on property. The sprawling grounds and relaxed vibe create an ambience that feels worlds away from the World. It’s kind of a tier of resort all its own, with a mixture of value, moderate, and deluxe features.
This extends to the food options, which range from quick service at Trail’s End to a pool bar to little snack stands to dinner and a show at Hoop Dee Doo. In between all these choices lives Crockett’s Tavern.
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH CROCKETT’S TAVERN?
Crockett’s Tavern is the primary bar at Fort Wilderness. An extension of Trail’s End, it opens in the mid afternoon with an assortment of drinks and snacks. You’ll find a walkup window and plenty of porch seating if you’re looking to keep it rustic and outdoorsy, or you can come inside for bar and table seating. The bar is serviced by the bartenders, while there are dedicated servers for the tables.
They also have plenty of TVs above the bar showing The Sports. If you’re trying to catch a game Crockett’s Tavern is a solid bet.
I had the sense to grab shots of the menu below, or you can click here for Disney’s online version.
WHAT’S THE COCKTAIL SITUATION?
We showed up to Crockett’s Tavern coming off a successful Princess Half Marathon, and we were more than ready for some celebratory drinks.
While there were several tempting options, I ultimately settled on the Bear-y Buckle: whiskey, cane sugar, lemon juice, bitters, ginger beer, and muddled blackberries.
I am very pro-whiskey on the rocks, but not always pro-whiskey in a cocktail. Whiskey is such an arresting flavor that I find it frequently overpowers other ingredients. I do love both blackberries and ginger, however, so I had to give it a go.
And I was vindicated! The Bear-y Buckle is a shockingly balanced drink. It’s not a particularly effervescent drink if you were hoping to pick up a bunch of bubbles from the ginger beer, but the ginger and lemon do an excellent job balancing out the whiskey. I wouldn’t even necessarily describe the alcohol taste as strong.
My one note would be that I wish the blackberry element came through a little more. I did get some whole blackberries, though, which was a nice touch.
YOU CAN SIT WITH US… IF YOU SHARE
The cardinal rule of dining and drinking the Jecky (that’s Jenn + Becky to you) way is this: all are welcome, BUT THEY MUST SHARE. Your food and drinks are yours, but a small sharing tax is unavoidable. As such, I also got to try Becky’s and Erika’s drinks!
Becky selected the moonshine flight, which comes with mini versions of the gullywhumper, blackberry lightning, and spiced appleberry shine. Any of these can be ordered as an individual full cocktail.
And all of them are varying levels of fine. The gullywhumper was peach flavored; we too wanted to get to the bottom of that mystery. The spiced appleberry had a decidedly seasonal flavor and would probably be improved by a chilly day and a cozy fire. The blackberry was the lightest, and I think everyone’s favorite. They’re very juice-forward, if that’s your scene. Myself, I prefer the ‘shine at Homecomin’, but this is a fun little sampler at the Fort.
Erika got the seasonal old fashioned, which I should have written down but did not. Blood orange, I want to say? Regardless, it wasn’t really my thing – old fashioned cocktails are generally of the mostly-whiskey-but-weird genre that are the reason I’m picky about whiskey as a mixer. If you love a good old fashioned, though, it’s worth a shot!
DOES CROCKETT’S TAVERN HAVE DISNEY’S BEST CHARCUTERIE BOARD?
We were also in search of a light lunch, and Crockett’s Tavern had us covered. Surprisingly, we were able to continue our Every Charcuterie Board at Disney quest here! Crockett’s charcuterie board consists of a selection of meats and cheeses with house-made bread and butter pickles, tomato jam, and cornbread crostini.
Ummmm this might be my favorite Disney charcuterie board so far? It’s quite unique, but it’s not just the rarity factor – the most unusual items were also so good. The meats and cheeses were as savory and enjoyable as you would imagine, but the extras really pushed it over the top.
The tomato jam was beautifully sweet and sour and bright. The cornbread crostini (shaped like Mickey heads!) were tasty and soft on their own, with a sweetness that nicely complimented the sharpness of the cheese. And I looooved the in-house pickles, which had the beautiful crisp and fresh flavor that only comes from recent pickling. No chilling in a jar for months for these babies! They were sweet pickles, though, so if you don’t like that you won’t be as enthusiastic.
There is still much charcuterie to try before we can crown a winner, but the Crockett’s Tavern iteration has shot to the top in my book.
CHICKEN NUGGETS WITH A TWIST
We also put in an order of chicken bites: your choice of Buffalo, garlic-parmesan, or blueberry BBQ sauce, served with celery, house-made ranch, and blue cheese.
Our server informed us upon receiving our order that we could in fact select two sauces, not just one. I would have expected these sauces to come on the side as dips, when in fact the chicken comes pre-coated. Further I would argue that “bites” is a misnomer – these are chicken strips by any other name.
Semantics aside, these chicken strips are crispy and well fried. The sauces arrive as a light coating; I do kind of wish they were dips, as it would be less messy and more customizable. As it is, I liked the blueberry barbecue sauce better than I would have expect as a member of the Anti-Blueberry Club. The berries to bring a sweetness to the sauce without being overtly blueberry flavored.
The garlic parmesan was more parmesan-y than garlicky, which is a shame as far as my tongue’s preferences are concerned, but that’s a matter of preference. And the homemade ranch did taste elevated compared to out of the bottle, although I’d be hard pressed to explain exactly how. Something about the texture, I’d say.
The chicken strips come with seasoned fries on the side, and if you told me these were the exact same fries they serve at Mr. Kamal’s in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I would 100% believe you. They are the same thin, crispy style with what tastes to my palate like the same light and unassuming mix of spices. Hardly a reason to order the dish, but a perfectly serviceable accompaniment.
Overall this plate didn’t wow me, but I wouldn’t stop you from putting in an order if we were already there for another round with the charcuterie board.
IS CROCKETT’S TAVERN WORTH THE TRIP?
You know what? Crockett’s Tavern is worth the trip – when the radius is right. On Fort Wilderness property and not in a hurry? No brainer. Trail’s End is for time crunches and early meals.
Off Fort Wilderness property but staying at a monorail resort? It might still be worth the trip – just pick up the boat launch from the Magic Kingdom and boom, they’ll drop you off right there. Ditto if it’s a Magic Kingdom park day and you’d like a break and a drink. Believe me, we’ve all been there.
Outside of those locations, Crockett’s Tavern might be a bit more of a hike than you care to make for snacks and drinks. Should you be looking for something a bit off the beaten path, however, I’d say it’s worth a look.
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Threads @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!