Weekend Update: Kidani Village, Wanganui, Cactus Factory, Carter's Toy Museum
Well, it's one of those weeks where the Disney photos are in short supply, but we came up with some pretty cool stuff to get you through the weekend!
In our only Disney segment, nbodyhome has a preview of the new DVC project at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then we veer off course with Ian Parkinson's beautiful photographs of the New Zealand countryside followed by MickeyMaxx's "cactus at the chocolate factory". We finish up this week's update with a surprise trip to the toy museum, courtesy of YoYoFlamingo and NeverNeverland.
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt takes us on a tour of the new Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas.
Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas will be opening on Friday, May 1st. I have about 250 photos up so far at my site, and here are some of them:
Some photos from the resort:
The library:
At Sanaa, the resort restaurant:
In the lobby, looking at the shop:
Looking up at the ceiling, the light looks like flames:
Outside the front door:
A giraffe:
The pool area:
And fitness center:
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I have 9 videos, including 3 of the pool (in all, so far nearly 20 minutes of video). Here is one of them, this is the lobby (which seems very small for such a large resort!) The resort itself is a mile long from one end to the other.
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Ian Parkinson take us to Wanganui, New Zealand this week. These beautiful green hillsides are exactly what I think about when I picture New Zealand in my mind.
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Largely undiscovered to most New Zealanders and other visitors and investors, Wanganui is a thriving and vibrant city, holding true to steadfast values in a modern era. Our river, nature, heritage, arts, culture and sport are the cornerstones of our community.
Wanganui is a delightful provincial city rich in both Maori and European history and culture. The town abounds with historic buildings, preserved from the early days of European settlement, along with beautiful parks and gardens.
Add this to outstanding sporting and education facilities together with the vibrancy created from a variety of creative and event activities and you have found a lifestyle and environment that will satisfy your every need now and forever.
Wanganui is a delightful provincial city rich in both Maori and European history and culture. The town abounds with historic buildings, preserved from the early days of European settlement, along with beautiful parks and gardens.
Add this to outstanding sporting and education facilities together with the vibrancy created from a variety of creative and event activities and you have found a lifestyle and environment that will satisfy your every need now and forever.
What could be better than a chocolate factory in the middle of the desert? How about a chocolate factory with an adjacent cactus garden! MickeyMaxx finishes up his trip to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory Tour with a trip through their world famous cactus display.
A few weeks ago, we told you of our visit to the Ethel M Chocolate factory. As big a draw as the prospect of tasty premium chocolates, is the adjacent Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden.
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Ethel M Chocolates' breathtaking Botanical Cactus Garden is Nevada's largest and one of the world's largest collections of its kind. Based on the English landscape model of naturalistic design, the Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden features four acres of drought-tolerant ornamentals, cacti, and other succulents.
Wide pathways meander through the garden.
How many can you find?
Giant bee!
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The Botanical Cactus Gardens also include a "Living Machine", their name for a demonstration wastewater treatment facility. Using bacteria, algae, protozoa, snails and fish, the facility recycles 100 percent of the chocolate factory's wastewater without the use of any chemicals. The water is recycled for use in providing water for the gardens. The ponds from the wastewater facility attract many of the birds that inhabit the gardens.
The garden is just ten minutes from the strip, on the way to Hoover Dam, just off the main road, and is well worth a quick stop to take in the strikingly beautiful desert vegetation.
NeverNeverland and hubby YoYoFlamingo visited the wonderful Carter's Toy Museum in Zionsville, Indiana. All you Disney fans are going to find quite a lot to love in this report, which we are bringing to you in two weekly installments. Let's get started with Part I!
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YoYoFlamingo and I were out in Illinois for a couple of wedding showers. My parents are awesome and said that since we'd have time in kill in Indianapolis (where we flew in) we could go to any museum we wanted. Of course we chose Carter's Toy Museum in nearby Zionsville. It was a treasure trove of old toys and special Disney items.
Right inside the door are a few old Disney Stores figs. He had a lot all over the museum!!
Floor one had the antique shop, a few toys and a garage of old cars.
The first floor was filled with old ride on cars. It also had a few old shooting games and a few bumper cars!
There was also an old friend hanging around (and my parents)
The third floor had case after case of toys!! It also had a working carousel, an alive tree, a coke corner and an old time moving toy.
Here's Daffy Duck, Goofy and the old time moving toy (boy pedals bike).
They had newer toyd as well as old toys!
Not creepy at all!
Jungle Cruise boat!
Our tour concludes next week with dozens of vintage Disney items.
And that brings us to the end of another week. Our photographers have just enough time to reload their cameras before we see you all again next weekend. Thank you to all of our wonderful readers, and as always, a huge thank you to our amazing team of global photographers, spies, and gossips:
TDLFAN
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt (mousesteps.com)
SummerInFl (wdwfanpics.com)
sir clinksalot
MickeyMaxx
BigPigletFan
Abominable Snowman
"Postcard Junkie" darkfairycthulu (postcardjunkie.blogspot.com)
Fishbulb
PhotoMatt
Jack Hollywood 1939 Wixom
A very special thank you to to our wonderful guest photographers YoYoFlamingo and NeverNeverland for sharing their trip to the toy museum with us!
Your Editor - Rixter
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Total Comments 10
Comments
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Another great weekend update!Posted 05-01-2009 at 11:30 PM by DisneyPro
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The whole update is excellent. The Animal Kingdom Lodge Expansion looks great. I really enjoyed seeing the vintage toys as well.Posted 05-02-2009 at 12:12 AM by Dustysage -
I was crushingly disappointed with the Ethel M Chocolate "tour". It's a 50 foot long hallway ending in a gift shop. : /Posted 05-02-2009 at 06:16 AM by composerboy -
Great update!Posted 05-02-2009 at 10:27 AM by WheresMickey -
I love the toy museum pictures. Next time you want to see Cacti come to Phoenix, we have plenty of it.
Great update as always.Posted 05-02-2009 at 11:30 AM by pratt55 - Nice updatePosted 05-02-2009 at 02:26 PM by Emmanuel_4
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I completely forgot we sent those pics in! Thanks for including them!
Posted 05-02-2009 at 07:34 PM by yoyoflamingo -
GREAT Pictures!
I love see the TOY museum,
Also like to go Ethel M Chocolates' breathtaking Botanical Cactus Garden !( were in Nevada ? the garden is at)
Hope have you able get more old POSTCARD I miss them
this week!
Thank You for the weekend report!Posted 05-02-2009 at 07:42 PM by Eagleman -
The cactus garden is just 10 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip in Henderson, Nevada. You will find directions and more information here:
ethel's chocolatePosted 05-03-2009 at 12:26 PM by MickeyMaxx -
Great update. The Animal Kingdom Lodge looks super. I'm really impressed how realistic that giraffe looks in the 8th picture down!
Posted 05-04-2009 at 11:35 PM by kindagoofy
