Take The Ballyhoo Tour at at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn & Villas

During a recent stay at Disney's Boardwalk Inn & Villas Resort at Walt Disney World, my husband and I took part in the Boardwalk Ballyhoo guided tour. The tour takes place in and around the Boardwalk resort and surrounding area. It is a free tour and available to anyone who wishes to learn about the Atlantic City era and where the Disney Imagineers got their inspiration for the Boardwalk Resort.


The Ballyhoo Tour Meets In Boardwalk's Bell Vue Lounge


The tour began at 9:00am in the Belle Vue Lounge located just off the lobby at the Boardwalk Inn. Our tour guide's name was Tim and he started off by talking about different artifacts displayed in the Lounge and their history. We were then lead down a few hallways learning about some of the pictures on the walls and what they represented, before heading into the lobby.

One of the focal points in the lobby is the miniature carousel. It even spins! Our guide gave us the history of carousels and their popularity and we also learned that the carousel we were looking at was the actual model built by the inventor, not just a replica. On the other side of the lobby is an elephant up on the wall. This elephant's name is Lucy and she is a (small) replica of Lucy the Elephant who was built in 1881 just south of Atlantic City and stands six stories tall. Lucy was built by James V Lafferty in an effort to sell real estate and attract tourists. Today, she remains a tourist attraction.


Details of the Boardwalk Inn Lobby


From the lobby, we headed out to the Luna Park pool and continued to the Boardwalk area. We visited the Flying Fish restaurant and Seashore Sweets, learning about the inspirations for how each was decorated. We even got a sample of ice cream from Seashore Sweets at the end of the tour! We really enjoyed the tour and learned a lot of the details of the resort.

Currently, the Ballyhoo Tour takes place Wednesday through Saturday at 9:00AM. The tour is free and no reservations are required. You just check in at the Belle Vue Lounge 15 minutes prior to the start of the tour. The tour is 45 minutes, however, ours actually lasted closer to an hour and a half.


Luna Park Pool, Flying Fish Cafe, and Seashore Sweets


Are you a Boardwalk fan? Have you taken the Ballyhoo Tour? Leave a comment and let us know what your favorite part of this great resort!

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Thanks so much to Guest Author Erica C., also known as Spook in our member forums. Erica lives in Ontario, Canada, loves everything Disney, and visits Walt Disney World every year. She and Husband Erik became Disney Vacation Club members in 2014!