Birt Family Focus

The Diamond Horseshoe Revue and the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade -- 10/30/01
Photo by Carol Vandiver

Howdy Ya'll!!

Today we finish up our virtual tour of Frontierland by looking at the last two attractions there, The Diamond Horseshoe Revue and the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade.

The Diamond Horseshoe has under gone several incarnations since the park first opened. I can remember running to the podium at rope drop to get my name on the reservation list for a show. These days, one just walks in, any time. There is food available here and that has changed over the years as well, for the better IMO. It was once sponsored by Oscar Mayer so the fare was hot-dogs and chips. Now one can get sandwiches of all sorts, salads, and ice cream- a vast improvement. There is no wait staff, though, you have to order at the bar and carry it to your table yourself.

Though the entertainment varies, the show generally consists of an individual singer- generally of the cowboy type and always a comedy act, a magician, and a finale of dance hall girls singing and dancing a can-can number. There is lots of audience participation, so if you enjoy that, sit in the main audience on the ground floor. If you prefer just to watch, check out the view from the gallery seats on the second floor. It's lots of fun either way and a great place to get lunch. No ressies required, just walk on in and enjoy yourself. An added plus, you can linger over your food and stay as long as you want, no one will tell you to "move all the way to the end of the row" or shoo you out when the show is over. In about 5 minutes it will start again, so if you missed any by walking in during the show, you can catch it with no problem. The show lasts about 30 minutes. This is one of our very favorite places for lunch in the MK.

Right next door, is the Frontierland Shootin' Gallery. I must confess, I haven't played with this since my son was little (probably 15 years ago) so I can't even tell you for sure that it is still there. I did go the the wdw official website and say that is still listed as an attraction, so I will assume it is still there. When I last played here, one put quarters in to get the infrared rifles to work. Any hits will generate all sorts of cute sight gags and sound effects. The rifles are all genuine Hawkins 54 calibre buffalo rifles refitted. The arcade is designed to look like a town in the southwest territory, circa 1850. I don't know if this one still takes quarters, but the little boats over in Adventureland do, so I assume these do as well.