
Disney Fanatics love Disney and the Disney Parks deeply. It comes with the territory of the identity. However, the Walt Disney Company caters to a variety of clientele; translation: not all Disney experiences are for all Disney Fanatics. However, one of the lesser-talked-about Disney experiences is the opportunity to live on Walt Disney World property. There’s only one small hiccup. (Don’t worry, it’s a minor one.)
You might have to have a few million dollars gathering dust.
Golden Oak Residences, Walt Disney World
Disney’s Golden Oak offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to live in a luxury community within the magical ambiance of Walt Disney World Resort. It combines the prestige of an exclusive neighborhood with the enchantment of Disney. Some of the nation’s wealthiest have found homes in its neighborhoods. Residents can choose to live in neighborhoods like Marceline, Carolwood, Silverbrook, Kimball Trace, and Kingswell; each offers a distinctive ambiance and architectural theme like Tuscan, Spanish Revival, Italianate, and Caribbean-inspired designs. The homes were also designed by our favorites, Disney Imagineers from the one and only Walt Disney Imagineering.
To become a resident of Golden Oak, buyers must go through an application process. Membership for the Golden Oak community is exclusive and limited, to say the least. The property is popular enough that a pastor even embezzled millions to try and buy a home there.
Recently, the Wall Street Journal did a stunning photo story on some of the houses and residents at Golden Oak. The first homes in the community sold in 2011, and their prices range anywhere from the low millions to the current highest of $19 million. The residences are just a stone’s throw from Disney, with some being five minutes from EPCOT and others close enough to Magic Kingdom to be able to view the nightly Magic Kingdom fireworks from the privacy of their own homes.
Some famous names who own property in Golden Oak include Hilda Bacardi, 54, whose family founded the Bacardi Liquor company. She added that her family grew up on Disney, and living in Golden Oak allowed her family to be closer to their happy place. Bacardi’s home in Golden Oak was $6.989 million when she bought it in 2018. It’s currently listed as worth $19 million.
Local real-estate agent Matt McKee shared some insight into the popularity of Golden Oak: “I don’t want to say it’s like delayed adulthood, but it’s like another version of the fountain of youth.”
You can see inside some of the beautiful homes at Golden Oak here!