Inside Riverside Mill At Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort: the Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van August 18, 2009
It's a shame that this is a still picture and not a video. In real life there are a lot of very big things that are moving here...so I'm afraid you are just going to have to use your imagination.
This is Riverside Mill, the food court at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort. And it does a very good job of making you feel like you are inside of a working mill. That huge waterwheel that you can barely see through the window is on the Sassagoula River and is constantly turning to power the mechanism you see inside.
As the waterwheel turns, the small wheel inside near the bottom with teeth turns; that wheel meshes with the barrel shaped gear changing the turning motion so that it is now vertical. Up above, another barrel shaped gear meshes with a larger wheel with teeth. It changes the turning motion so that it is now horizontal again. That huge wooden axle is now rotating the length of the room to "run" the mill.
Forgive my non-technical explanation but I just don't think a still picture does this place justice.
Yet again, Disney has gone to incredible lengths with its theming.
To get top Riverside Mill, take a left at the rear of the lobby of Port Orleans Riverside and walk down a long hallway.
And if you have time, go outside to see the waterwheel. It's pretty neat--particularly at night.
john
click here for a high resolution version of this photo.
j
Comments
I love that food court! It's always been one of my favorites; thanks for the photo!
Posted by: AJ | August 18, 2009 6:24 PM