Magic Kingdom in One Day – What You Must Experience

Entertainment

Throughout the day on the Castle Forecourt Stage, guests will be treated to a variety of entertainment options, but we prefer checking out one of the signature entertainment offerings at the Magic Kingdom — either the Festival of Fantasy Parade during the afternoon or the nightly fireworks spectacular, Happily Ever After.  Both are very popular, so you should try and stake out a viewing position in advance!

Meet a Character

Magic Kingdom is home to a bunch of characters with permanent meeting locations throughout the park, but you can also find characters roaming around and coming out for pictures, as well.  Some of our favorites at Magic Kingdom include Tinkerbell and Magician Mickey at Town Square Theater, as well as Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland.  Guests can also find princesses throughout Fantasyland, as well as greeting guests at Cinderella’s Royal Table.  One of our favorite pop-up interactions can be found in Frontierland when Chip ‘n Dale come out to say hi!

Souvenir

The Magic Kingdom is home to some great gift shops, so guests should take a few minutes to browse in each of them to find the perfect souvenir to remember their day by.  The Emporium is the popular choice on Main Street since every guest has to pass it, but we also find great souvenirs at the Briar Patch outside of Splash Mountain, as well as at the Frontierland Trading Post or Mickey’s Star Traders in Tomorrowland.  Regardless of where you shop, you are sure to find the perfect memento from your trip!

Food on the Go

With so many things to see and do, we recommend grabbing food on the go.  Magic Kingdom has some great counter service options that utilize Mobile Ordering through your My Disney Experience app to save even more time!  Casey’s Corner on Main Street, U.S.A., as well as Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cosmic Ray’s Starlite Café are crowd favorites, but don’t hesitate to try somewhere new and different either – you can find great flatbreads at Pinocchio’s Village Haus and unique seafood options at the Columbia Harbor House.  If the lines are too long, grab some popcorn and sample the snacks scattered throughout the park — no trip is complete without a classic Mickey pretzel or Mickey bar!

Trying to squeeze all of the fun of the Magic Kingdom into one day is impossible, but you are more than able to achieve what is on this list to have a memorable and amazing day!  What are your must dos when you visit the Magic Kingdom even for just one day?