Today is the last call for one of Disney’s most beloved playgrounds. As of 6:00 PM, The Boneyard at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will close permanently, making way for the resort’s ambitious plans to transform DinoLand U.S.A. into the brand-new Tropical Americas.
This is not just a small update or seasonal refurbishment—this is the definitive end for one of the park’s most recognizable family attractions.
A Quiet Favorite Says Goodbye
Nestled in the heart of DinoLand U.S.A. since the park’s opening in 1998, The Boneyard has long offered young visitors a chance to burn off energy in a highly themed, open-air dig site. It featured fossil excavation pits, interactive climbing structures, and shaded bridges—designed to look like a paleontologist’s dream come true.
While never a headline-grabber like Expedition Everest or Flight of Passage, The Boneyard was a staple for families with toddlers and early-elementary kids. It offered a low-key escape from the crowds and heat—something that’s increasingly rare at Walt Disney World.
From Dig Site to Rainforest: What’s Next?
Disney has announced that The Boneyard will be replaced as part of a major overhaul of the entire DinoLand U.S.A. area. In its place, the company is developing Tropical Americas, an immersive 11-acre expansion inspired by the vibrant cultures, landscapes, and wildlife of Central and South America.
A new children’s play area will be included in the Tropical Americas when the land debuts in 2027, though Disney has not yet provided details about what that will look like or how it will function.
Tropical Americas will feature at least two major new attractions tied to popular intellectual properties:
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A ride-through adventure based on Encanto, the award-winning animated film set in Colombia.
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A reimagined version of the existing Dinosaur ride, rumored to be themed around Indiana Jones, using the same track system as its Disneyland counterpart.
A Land Already in Transition
The Boneyard isn’t the first part of DinoLand to fall to the bulldozers. It follows the recent closures of:
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TriceraTop Spin – the kid-friendly spinner ride
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Fossil Fun Games – a carnival-style area with upcharge games
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Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures – the kitschy gift shop
These closures have steadily reduced the footprint of DinoLand, leaving only a few elements still operating:
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DINOSAUR, the intense dark ride likely facing re-theming
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Restaurantosaurus, still serving up burgers and salads
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Dino-Bite Snacks and Trilo-Bites, offering ice cream and refreshments
As of today, The Boneyard’s closure leaves the land largely gutted and primed for construction.
Why This Is Happening Now
While Disney hasn’t made an official statement about why DinoLand was chosen for redevelopment, the reasoning is easy to infer. Despite the creative success of Pandora – The World of Avatar, Animal Kingdom has struggled to retain guests past mid-afternoon. The park routinely posts the lowest average attendance and shortest wait times across the resort—factors that make it less attractive for guests looking to maximize their vacation dollars.
Animal Kingdom’s reputation as a “half-day park” has been difficult to shake, especially as the park has scaled back evening entertainment. Gone are shows like Rivers of Light, and It’s Tough to Be a Bug is also expected to close soon to make room for a new Zootopia-inspired experience inside the Tree of Life theater.
By targeting Animal Kingdom for new development—especially with crowd-pleasing franchises like Encanto and Indiana Jones—Disney is clearly aiming to correct that imbalance and increase the park’s value proposition.
The Bigger Picture
The Boneyard’s closure also comes at a critical moment for Walt Disney World as a whole. Universal’s Epic Universe is officially open just a short drive away, and it’s expected to bring major competition. For Disney, the stakes are high: they need new, headline-worthy attractions that excite fans and keep guests on property for longer stretches.
The Tropical Americas is part of Disney’s broader strategy to do just that. The new land was previewed during the “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” presentation at Destination D23. While most of the details remain vague, the presentation included sweeping concept art and commentary from Disney leadership, suggesting this project is moving forward in earnest.
If all goes to plan, the area will not only give Animal Kingdom much-needed new capacity but could also transform its cultural and thematic footprint.
Sentimental Loss or Smart Move?
Theme park closures always stir emotion, and The Boneyard is no exception. For many families, it represented a rite of passage—the first “ride” their toddlers ever experienced. Its sand pits, hidden slides, and dino bones were simple joys in an increasingly high-tech theme park world.
However, for all its charm, The Boneyard never held much drawing power. As park demographics shift and visitor expectations rise, nostalgic offerings like this often fall by the wayside in favor of broader, more scalable investments.
Disney has promised that a new children’s play area is coming as part of Tropical Americas, and if it matches the quality of the Moana-inspired Journey of Water at EPCOT or the expanded Avengers Campus at Disneyland, it could offer a next-generation experience that blends exploration with IP-driven storytelling.
One Last Dig
If you’re visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom today, you’ve got just a few hours left to let your kids enjoy The Boneyard one final time. The gates close for good at 6:00 PM, after which this dino-dig will join the ranks of extinct attractions in Walt Disney World history.
As Animal Kingdom sheds its prehistoric skin and steps into a lush new future, one thing is clear: the park is changing—and fast. Whether that’s a good thing or not depends on what Disney delivers in 2027.
But one thing’s for sure: it’s goodbye, Boneyard. Thanks for the memories.
