Secrets from Each Land of Disney’s Magic Kingdom

Disney World is a Magical Kingdom by name. From the moment you step into the park, there is enchantment in the air. Literally! As you stroll down Main Street, the smell of fresh baked cookies is piped in through vents. You may have already known that thanks to our article 10 Disney Park Secrets. But, this post will break down Secrets from Each Land of Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

Main Street U.S.A.

Next time you are in Disney World, fight the pull of Cinderella’s Castle and linger in Town Square. The area sets the stage for adventure to come. The Hometown America aspect is designed to transition you into the magic.

*Notice the entire length of Main Street is bordered by red pavement. The particular shade of red was picked to enhance guests’ photographs and feel like a red carpet.

*Fire Station 71 is a nod to the park’s opening in 1971.

*There are many flags flying down Main Street, but only one is “real” and lowered every night. You can find it on the main pole in Town Square. The others are missing a star or stripe to avoid having to lower each flag per United States custom.

*The streetlamps evolve down Main Street. At the beginning of the park, they are gas and them progress to electric lamps as you move closer to the castle.

*The second story windows appear as ads, but they are really names of the people and companies who brought the Magical Kingdom to life.

*If you turn right off of Main Street and head to the cafe area near Main Street Cinema, you will hear singing lessons near the Art Festival sign. Stay long enough and tap dancing will follow along with piano lessons.

*Visit the wall-mounted telephone in the General Store on Main Street by the cash register near the front to hear a conversation between a mother and daughter. Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one listening in. A nosy neighbor throws in her thoughts on the conversation, too.

Cinderella Castle

Notice the actual name doesn’t have a possessive “s”? To be 100% correct, it’s Cinderella Castle. This is a great transitional area that brings you out of the hometown feel. It’s not technically a land, but it has enough magic to make its own category.

*When you stand in front of Cinderella Castle, you are now on a second story level. If you had x-ray vision, you’d find tunnels, offices, and facilities of the park located underneath your feet.

*Cinderella Castle is actually only 189 feet. To avoid having airplane beacons on the castle, Imagineers used forced perspective to make it appear larger than it is.

*Look for Jaq and Gus (Cinderella’s mouse-friends) in the rafters of the lobby.

*In 1997, the restaurant located in castle was renamed from King Stefan’s Banquet Hall to Cinderella’s Royal Table after some thought it was a bit odd for Sleeping Beauty’s dad to have a room in Cinderella’s castle.

*If you want to enjoy the beauty of Cinderella’s Royal Table restaurant, but don’t want to eat there, visit at 3 P.M. and ask to look around.

*Find the fountain behind Cinderella’s Castle, next to Tinkerbell’s Treasures. Cinderella is a maiden holding a bird, but if you stand directly in front of Cinderella and bow to her, the crown behind her painted onto the wall move onto her head.

 

Fantasyland

Fantasyland has the feel of a kingdom circa medieval Europe. It was actually a coincidence that fit with the castle. Upon the arrival of opening day, the land wasn’t quite ready and decorative tents and banners were used to quickly cover unfinished facades.

*The first guest who walks into Tinker Bell’s Treasures gets to wake up the pixie. The lucky visitor will open the wooden box on a shelf behind the register. Also, look for a trail of pixie dust throughout the day.

*Look into the keyhole in the sewing drawer next to the front door to get a peek at Tinker Bell.

*Cinderella has her own horse on Cinderella’s Golden Carousel. In the second room in, look for a horse with a golden ribbon around its tail.

*During Mickey’s PhilharMagic show, the smells of jasmine and apple pie are piped in.

*To the right of Ariel’s Grotto, look for the centerpiece tree in Pooh’s Playful Spot. You will find a picture of a submarine over the inside of the tree’s front door. It’s a nod to the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride that formerly occupied the spot.

*On the Many Adventures of Winnie the Poo, turn around in your car and look behind you as soon as the vehicle enters Owl’s house. You will see a picture of Mr. Toad handing over the deed to his house to Owl. On the floor to the left, another image of Winnie with Mole from ‘Wind in the Willows.’ These are nosd to Pooh taking over the location of Mr. Toad’s wild ride.

*On Peter Pan’s Flight, look for blocks in the nursery that spell out “P Pan” and “Disney”.

Liberty Square

*There are 4 themes represented in Liberty Square: New England, colonial Williamsburg, Dutch New Amsterdam and Hudson River Valley.

*Hunt for a section of ghost ships and ships lost at sea in Columbia Harbour House. It just happens to be facing the Haunted Mansion.

*When you order at the restaurant, look above you to see fishing spears hanging from the beams. Note the Sea Captain holding the same spear in the portrait exiting the stretch room.

*All the doors have a 2-digit number on them. Put an 18 in front of that door number and you will have the year that style of house was built.

*There are no restrooms in Liberty Square except for those located in the full-service restaurants. Why? Indoor toilets weren’t commonplace in colonial times. You will find restrooms directly beside Columbia Harbour House thanks to its technical location in Fantasyland.

*Each lantern hanging from the Liberty Square Tree represents one of the 13 colonies.

*Find the window in the house located next to the door with the number 26 on it. You will see two lanterns that represent Paul Revere’s warning the British were arriving by sea.

*The Haunted Mansion has 999 ghosts…that is until you become the 1,000th.

*Madame Leota’s Ring – This has become a an arguable legend. Ask a Cast Member about it and you might get a story or a short, “No such ring exists here.” Here is what happened – When the Mansion was created, a piece of trimmed off metal imbedded into the cement. While workers tried to remove it, a bit of metal broke off and created a diamond-like appearance. Soon, imagination took over and a story was created.

*The story of Leota became so popular it was infused into the area. According to legend, if you stand in the center of the “Fairy Ring” made of colored cobblestones near the well at night and say her name 3 times, she will briefly appear in the window with her candle.

*Just before entering the Mansion, look for Madame Leota’s headstone in the graveyard. Stare at it long enough, and it might come to life.

*If you are quiet enough, you can here the gargoyles talking in the waiting area. You can hear them instruct you to, “Stay together!”

*The voice in the Doom Buggy isn’t Orson Wells. It is actually Paul Frees who lends his voice to the Pillsbury Doughboy.

*The hands on the 13-hour clock aren’t hands…they are fingers.

*This one isn’t confirmed, but it is said the Caretaker’s Dog, the pooch in the Carousel of Progress and the K9 with they keys at the end of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride are the same pup modeled after Walt Disney’s dog, Rover.

*You will find a statue of Mr. Toad from ‘The Wind in the Willows’ located in the far-left corner of the cemetery as you exit.

*Once the sun sets, look at the top-story window. You might catch a glimpse of a ghost passing by.

Frontierland

*On Tom Sawyer’s island, if you find Tom’s paintbrush he carelessly abandoned to run off on an adventure, turn it in to a Cast Member. You will get a reward! It is usually a FastPass to a Frontierland ride. Do this early!

*Observe the floor in the lobby of the Country Bear Jamboree, and you will find claw marks.

*Listen for Morse Code at the train station. It’s tapping out Walt Disney’s opening day speech at Disneyland in California.

*Look on the shelf above the Lost and Found window at the waiting room in the station. You will find a wooden leg that represents the joke in Mary Poppins in which Bert states, “I know a man with a wooden leg named Smith.” Uncle Albert replies, “What’s the name of his other leg?”

*Splash Mountain’s real name Chick-a-pin Hill.

*Just as you are about to go over the hill on Splash Mountain, look for the gopher on the ceiling who pops his head and yells, “F.S.U!” The Imagineer who created him was a Florida State University Fan.

*If you ride Big Thunder Mountain at night, look at the second-floor window of the saloon as your train rides past. You will see a party going on that isn’t’ happening during daytime rides.

Adventureland

Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Polynesia and the Middle East, collide into one area that is mixed with fun and movie secrets. This area has had a few updates, but remains full of classic attractions that have been entertaining crowds for decades.

*Just before boarding your boat for the Pirates ride, listen at the tunnel to the right hand side. You will hear pirates trying to dig their way to freedom.

*The pirate sitting on the bridge above you after going through the auction scene is has real hair and dirt on his leg. He is one of the very few pirates who gets close to guests and Imagineers wanted to ensure he appeared realistic. He also has a gap between his toes. A red hanky used to be there, but guests kept trying to stand up and grab it, so it was removed.

*When you get in line for Pirates of the Caribbean ride, go to the right-hand side after the turnstiles. When you come to the window with bars in it, look down and you will see two skeletons playing chess. They have been in a stalemate for decades thanks to an Imagineer who loved chess.

*As you exit Pirates of the Caribbean look for the footprints (and pegprints) of peg leg Davy Jones.

*The Enchanted Tiki Room began as a dinner show, but was too complicated was simplified into a Audio-Animatronics show.

*After passing by the Jungle Cruise turnstiles,  locate the tarantula in a cage on the right hand side. Inspect it and ask a Cast Member about it for a surprise. There is a button hidden on the turnstile facing the dock that will bring the hairy spider to life.

*The front portion of the crashed Lockheed airplane from the Jungle Cruise can be found at Disney Hollywood Studios’ Great Movie Ride. You’ll see it on the ‘Casablanca’ scene.

*The native at the end of the Jungle Cruise on your left-hand side informs you, “I love disco!”

Tomorrowland

The area was intended to be a “working city” and headquarters for the League of Planets. Robots, futuristic transportation, aliens, and rides make this a mixture of space and time.

*On Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, look for Stitch at the end of the ride on a mural to the right, facing the photo area.

*The streetlamps in Tomorrowland cast a shadow that is shaped like Mickey when the light shines just right.

*There is another phone booth located in the area. Go ahead and listen in again and see what kind of conversation you hear.

*The only place you can see the inside of Space Mountain from the outside, is on the The Tomorrowland Transit Authority (aka The Peoplemover) and the transit operates via magnets and no onboard moving parts.

*The area between the Indy Speedway and the Mad Tea Party is the only space in which music was not piped in.

Fantasyland

*To make the line a bit more fun, listen to the chicken crates to hear their reaction as a plane buzzes by.

*Minnie’s Country House is interactive. Don’t be afraid to peek at her artwork, peek at her baking cake and listen to messages on her answering machine.

* At Sir Mickey’s Shop, look to the area where the ceiling meets the roof. You will see Willie the Giant from Mickey and the Beanstalk peeking into the shop.