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Country Bear Jamboree

Map location 6

Younger kids usually enjoy the furry, funny, Audio-Animatronics critters featured in this 15-minute show. From the coy Trixie, who enters via a ceiling swing, to the wincingly off-key Big Al, each face is distinctive and lovable.

The Jamboree seats large numbers of guests for each show, and it’s a good choice for the afternoon when you’ll want to sit and rest. Kids 10 and up often think the bears are hokey, so parents can take younger kids to the Jamboree while their older siblings visit Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. A clock outside the Country Bear Jamboree tells you how long you have until the next show. Don’t enter the waiting area until the countdown is 10 minutes or less.

Tom Sawyer Island

Map location 9

A getaway playground full of caves, bridges, forts, and windmills, Tom Sawyer Island is the perfect destination for kids full of pent-up energy who just need to run wild for a while. You’ll want to accompany them through the Mystery Cave and Injun Joe’s Cave, however; both can be dark, confusing, and a little scary. Across the bouncy suspension bridge is Fort Sam Clemens, the perfect spot to play cowboy.

The big drawback is that the island is accessible only by raft, so you often have to wait to get there and back. If your kids are under 5, don’t bother. The terrain is too wild and widespread for preschoolers without careful supervision. Likewise, there’s little on the island for teenagers and adults. But for kids 5 to 12, a trip to Tom Sawyer Island is the ideal afternoon break. “Tom Sawyer Island was my 6-year-old’s favorite place in the Magic Kingdom,” wrote a mom from Texas. “It’s so detailed with a lot for a boy his age to do. We definitely thought it was worth the wait to catch the raft.”

Liberty Square

As you walk between Frontierland and Fantasyland, you find yourself transported back in time to colonial America, strolling the cobblestone streets of Liberty Square.

Liberty Square Attractions

Haunted Mansion

Map location 12

More apt to amuse than to frighten, the recently revamped mansion is full of clever special effects—there’s a fascinating ballroom scene where spirits waltz, and, at one point, a ghost hitchhikes along in your doom buggy. The cast members have great costumes (including the bat-in-a-hat that ladies wear), and they add to the fun with their mortician-like behavior and such instructions as, “Drag your wretched bodies to the dead center of the room.” The mansion is full of clever insider jokes. For example, the tombstones outside feature the names of Imagineers who designed the ride and Madame Leota’s face on her recently added tombstone; keep watching it for a while and you may be surprised. And be sure to take a glance at the pet cemetery when you leave.

The mansion draws long lines in the afternoons, especially just before and after the parade. Try to see it mid-morning, or—if you have the courage—after dark.

The Scare Factor

Many kids 7 to 11 list the Haunted Mansion as a favorite attraction. While some kids in this age group are frightened by the opening story, the setting, and the darkness, once they get going, they’re usually okay. The attraction is richly atmospheric, but the spooks are mostly for laughs. In contrast, many toddlers are intimidated. One mother said that her daughter, age 3, referred to “that ugly house with the bad people” for weeks after their Disney visit.

Hidden Mickey

Look at the arrangement of dishes on the table in the Haunted Mansion banquet scene. Do any of the place settings look like you-know-who?

Liberty Square Riverboat

Map location 10

The second tier of this paddle-wheel riverboat offers nice views of the Rivers of America, but the 15-minute cruise is a bit of a snooze for kids. It would be fine if they could really nap, but there are few seats on the boat, so most riders stand. Board only if you have time to kill and the boat is at the dock.

Note: The riverboat is sometimes used for special shows, such