With a name that includes “magic”, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom automatically seems to set up its visitors for a pleasant and whimsical experience within the park. After several visits—and several magical memories—it seems safe to say that the Magic Kingdom lives up to its name! However, Disney visitors often forget things when recounting the highlights of their vacations, so here are nine particularly noteworthy attributes of the Magic Kingdom that may have gone unmentioned.
9) It has a lot of places to shop. This might become fairly obvious as soon as you enter the Magic Kingdom and start to walk down a certain central area known as Main Street, but it can be hard to stop at all of them. These shops will get more crowded when the park is closing for the night and people are leaving, so try to plan ahead and make some time for them during the day!
8) It does have some roller coasters. The Magic Kingdom might be associated with traditional rides and children’s attractions, but this park actually also features some rides of the more thrilling variety. Yes, you can ride a carousel and visit Gaston—but you can also speed through bat-riddled caves on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and experience a watery plummet on Splash Mountain!
7) Its classics are worthy of a visit. Anything defined as a “classic” has usually proven itself as an attraction, and this is particularly accurate at the Magic Kingdom, where rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress are still around for visitors to enjoy decades after their beginnings. These rides are also usually pretty relaxing—and indoors—so sit back and enjoy the break!
6) Cinderella’s Castle is worthy of an extra stop—and some different viewpoints. Because this castle is often considered to be the focal point of Disney’s Magic Kingdom, it is always pretty easy to find, and it’s always there to demonstrate Disney’s impressive architectural and aesthetic scope. Even if you’re not feeling particularly princess-y, take a minute to enter the castle and enjoy the temporary royal sensations. Keep in mind that the castle also looks different from many angles besides front and center—so experiment! (Hint: The small veranda next to Sleepy Hollow is a great spot for a relatively close-up view.)
5) Children’s rides can be just as fun as other Disney rides. This might not necessarily be true in every amusement park in the world, but it is in the Walt Disney World parks: don’t assume that any ride will be boring for you. You might be an adult, but The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and The Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor can be surprisingly enjoyable for visitors of every age! Lots of these rides are indoors, too, which is always a bonus when weather interferes.
4) The food is excellent. If you have any experience at all with anything Disney, you probably already expected this to be a reality in the parks—and it most certainly is. However, in a park that has so many attractions, lots of restaurants and on-the-go snacks might be overlooked as you go about your Disney day at the Magic Kingdom. Try not to let this happen, especially when it comes to the Sleepy Hollow funnel cakes and the lasagna at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. With just a little bit of scheduling, you can definitely pack in more than enough food and fun (all that’s really needed for a vacation)!
3) There is a lot of detail in Main Street, U.S.A. Most visitors tend to breeze through Main Street at the start of their day in an effort to get onto their favorite attractions and rides, but this central avenue has a whole lot to offer Disney visitors. Take some time to pose with the longstanding Goofy statue and admire the initial plaza (where Tony’s Town Square Restaurant is located) before you keep going—and say hi to the Cast Members!
Bonus Tip!
BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Disney travel deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius! Discover More >
2) This kingdom has a lot of attractions. Most Disney visitors have a favorite park, and most also have a favorite ride. Sometimes these favorites coincide with one another, but oftentimes you might pause to realize that, even if your favorite park is the Animal Kingdom, your favorite ride is actually in the Magic Kingdom! This park holds a huge amount of Disney signatures, visitor favorites, and, above all, diversity.
1) It is completely different at night. Cinderella’s Castle is lit at night in a variety of hues, but the castle is not the only part of the Magic Kingdom that experiences some changes after sunset. Each of the Disney parks seems to adopt a different ambiance at night, but the evening Magic Kingdom experience is really something special. With streetlights, shops, rides, fireworks, and music, the Magic Kingdom somehow manages to evoke feelings of a busy amusement park, a whimsical city, and a magical legacy in its visitors, all at once!
Now that you have nine more enticing reasons to head for the Magic Kingdom, go right ahead and plan your next Disney vacation—and be sure to add at least one full day at this fun-packed park!
BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Walt Disney World deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius!
Photo courtesy of Disney Photo Snapper