In Florida, Frontierland has six very distinct shops (Big Al’s, Briar Patch, Frontier Mercantile, Frontier Trading Post, Prairie Outpost & Supply and Splashdown Photos) whereas there is really only one store in the Frontierland of Disneyland Paris. This is the Thunder Mesa Mercantile Building, although it is split into three separate parts: Bonanza Outfitters, Eureka Mining Supplies and Tobias Norton & Sons. To the untrained eye (e.g. mine) the three sections seem interchangeable, except for having different entrances, but perhaps the differentiation is to help out those who work in the park’s sales department…or maybe it is a cynical ploy to get more potential customers to visit/revisit the store.
Arguably there is another sales point of sorts in DLP’s Frontierland: Big Thunder Photographer. As well as this being where one can purchase the on-ride snaps from Big Thunder Mountain, it also sells T-shirts, bottled beverages and plush toys, albeit currently only of Woody and Jessie.
In terms of restaurants, Disneyland Paris hasn’t got anything too similar to any of the three eateries currently in WDW’s Frontierland: Golden Oak Outpost, Pecos Bills Tall Tale Inn and Westward Ho.
What Disneyland Paris does have however is the Silver Spur Steakhouse, a restaurant which once featured various watercolors, etchings and oil paintings by the likes of Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), Edward Borein (1872-1945) and Charles Russell (1864-1926) so as to set the scene of “lavish Victorian ambience…accentuated with masterpieces of western art”. In 1994 however, these were removed and replaced with printed copies.
Whilst the Silver Spur Steakhouse is a table service restaurant, the other eateries in the Land are all generally considered to be “Quick Meal” experiences: Cowboy Cookout Barbecue (“Western style” food, and frequent live music and/or characters), Fuente del Oro Restaurante (Mexican food), Last Chance Café (Tex-Mex) and The Lucky Nugget Saloon.
The Lucky Nugget Saloon is (in many ways) France’s answer to WDW’s The Diamond Horseshoe, although it is perhaps closer in design and atmosphere to Anaheim’s The Golden Horseshoe.
When I visited The Lucky Nugget last month, it was featuring shows by The Sun Flower Spooky Trio and The Thunder Mesa Band, with nearby performances by The Riverboat Halloween Band. Other shows at The Lucky Nugget over the years have included Lilly’s Follies, The Lucky Nugget Christmas Trio, The Lucky Nugget Revue and Rosie & The Rebels.
Now that WDW considers The Diamond Horseshoe as being in Liberty Square, Frontierland has no theatres aside from Country Bear Hall. Conversely, France’s Frontierland has a 1,350-seater called The Chaparral Theater, which opened in 1995.
The Chaparral is currently showless, although extravaganzas which have appeared at this open-air theatre over the years include Goofy’s Summer Camp, Hill Billy Hoedown, Mickey’s Winter Wonderland, Pocahontas: Le Spectacle and The Tarzan Encounter.
All photos courtesy of Hugh Allison. Please do not use without permission.