I’ve been back to the Magic Kingdom several times over the last 20 or so years. I enjoyed many of the attractions both as a child, a teenager, a young single adult, a newly married wife and on our last trip, a mother of a very eager and excited 4 year old. Over those many visits, I’ve put together a list of ten must see attractions at the Magic Kingdom, which ranks as my favorite of the different theme parks available for visiting during our periodic sojourns to Orlando, Florida.
In no particular order, here are my favorite attractions at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom:
- Pirates of the Caribbean – Long before Johnny Depp made his debut as Captain Jack Sparrow in the billion dollar film franchise, the Pirates of the Caribbean was a favorite ride for it’s cool interiors, vibrant and realistic animatronics and the feeling of being transported back in time to Port Royal and other destinations in the old world Caribbean
- Stitch’s Great Escape – I first saw this when it was about a crazy alien experiment. When Lilo & Stitch became so popular, the ride was reinvented. It’s a bit scary for the little ones, especially when the room is plunged into darkness and water squirted at you as Stitch ‘escapes’. But it’s still amusing if you are a fan of the show
- Space Mountain – A wild, thrilling ride that takes you for a journey through the space – while I have never been a huge fan of roller coasters, there’s something about this ride done in pitch darkness that whirls and twirls you through a landscape of stars, comets and more that is a real thrill
- Splash Mountain – This my daughter’s personal favorite now – the cool log ride through the Song of the South as you follow the adventures of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear only to tumble over the falls to find your laughing place – yes, this is a great ride!
- The Haunted Mansion – From the elegance of the dancing ghosts to the special effects of ghosts flitting through the air and paintings coming to life – what’s not to love?
- Tea Cups – I’d forgotten how much fun these were until my daughter wanted to go for a visit to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – we spun round and round and never stopped laughing
- Thunder Mountain Railroad – This is a fun roller coaster and doesn’t have near the many heights and drops of others, but it does race around and there are more than few jerks here and there – this ranked only second to Splash Mountain on the 4 year old’s scale of fun in the parks
- It’s a Small World – It’s a classic ride for a reason and even if you get tired of the tune, there’s just so much to see
- Peter Pan’s Flight – I’d never gone on this ride before my daughter went with us, but it’s an enchanting ride in a sailing ship through the night sky following Peter, Wendy, Michael and John to Never Never Land
- Mickey’s Philarmagic – This is one of those attractions that you have to go in and experience – much like Phantasmic and other performance attractions – writing about them hardly does them justice
What are your favorite attractions at the Magic Kingdom?
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