Want to live inside Walt Disney World? Here’s how
It’s likely millions of children have over the years, upon visiting Walt Disney World for the first time, turned to their parents and said “I wish I could live here.”
In fact, you can — for a price.
Golden Oak is a residential development consisting of eight neighborhoods, with a total of about 300 residential homes. It’s hidden away from the rest of the resort, but not far from the Fort Wilderness Resort. It’s about four miles from the Magic Kingdom, according to Florida Today.
Inside are homes which range in price from $9 million to $14.5 million and above, according to current listings on the Golden Oak Realty website.
In addition to the millions needed to purchase a Golden Oak home, residents are required to pay $19,000 annually for membership in the Golden Oak Club, the centerpiece of which is Summerhouse, a clubhouse located within the development.
Summerhouse includes a zero-entry swimming pool, lounge, two restaurants, coffee bar, gym facilities and meeting areas. It’s staffed by Disney Cast Members who provide concierge services, such as tickets to sporting events or dinner at Cinderella’s Castle.
Special events are hosted at Summerhouse, some of which include appearances by Disney characters.
The first three years of homeownership in Golden Oak comes with a free (after three years there’s a fee) Golden Oak Member Pass. The pass includes a Disney Platinum Plus Pass and five additional one-day theme park tickets with the park-hopper option.
Parking is included in the pass, but if a Golden Oak resident wants to visit one of the parks, they can call for complimentary transportation from their front door to the park of their choice.
The name Golden Oak was taken from Walt Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch in California, where segments of the Mickey Mouse Club were filmed in the 1950s. Disney Imagineering designed the 980-acre development, which welcomed its first residents in 2012. The largest home currently inside Golden Oak is more than 20,000 square feet.
Many of the eight neighborhoods carry names directly from Disney’s past:
- Carolwood — taken from Carolwood Drive, the street on which Walt and Lillian Disney’s home was located in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.
- Kimball Trace — named for legendary Disney animator Ward Kimball, one of Walt Disney’s famed “Nine Old Men.”
- Kingswell — taken from Kingswell Avenue in Hollywood, where the first Disney Studios office was located.
- Marceline — named for Walt Disney’s boyhood hometown of Marceline, Mo.
Other neighborhoods include Silverbrook, Symphony Grove and the Cottages at Symphony Grove, described as a “hamlet” within Symphony Grove, with the cottages ranging from 1,800 to 3,800+ square feet.
The eighth neighborhood is the Four Seasons Private Residences, located at the back of Golden Oak near the Four Seasons Resort. Homeowners within Four Seasons have access to all of the resort’s amenities, including the Tranquilo Golf Club, designed by renowned golf architect Tom Fazio.
So who lives in Golden Oak? That’s a well-kept secret, but Florida Today reports those believed to own homes there include athletes, a pro sports team owner and a well-known, longtime game show host.
Some of the homes are owned by business entities, while some owners have more than one home inside Golden Oak.
Disney told the newspaper about 85% of Golden Oak homeowners are from the U.S. and about half of the owners consider their Golden Oak property a vacation home.
Oh, and renting out a Golden Oak home is strictly prohibited.