This month we visited Frontierland and Liberty Square at Disney's Magic Kingdom. These areas occupy the Magic Kingdom to the northwest of the Hub, or left from the Hub after making your way down Main Street. These lands together contain some of the most iconic rides available at Disney, and are host to some of the longest running attractions at any of the parks.
Liberty Square
At first glance, Liberty Square looks like a very small "land" at the Magic Kingdom. In fact, it almost looks like an afterthought on the official Magic Kingdom map. And it may have been. But the truth is that Liberty Square is packed full of fun things to do. With the Haunted Mansion, the Hall of Presidents, and the cruise around the Rivers of America aboard the Liberty Belle, you need to set aside some time if you're going to take it all in. Meals are in great supply here too. With the Columbia Harbour House near the Haunted Mansion, and Liberty Tree Tavern and the Diamond Horseshoe at the other end near Frontierland, there's no shortage of great places to eat.
Getting to Liberty Square is easy too. Just walk down Main Street until you come to the Hub near the Castle, and turn left. It's across the bridge.
Not long ago, Tom Richards posted an article describing Liberty Square, and how he was able to use it as a stepping off point to visiting other sites in Colonial America. It's a good read and you can see it here.
At the time of this writing, Disney Imagineers are testing a new interactive feature to the Haunted Mansion. During the part of the ride where, "A ghost will follow you home," guests with Magic Bands may see an alternative ending. They may be shown a tombstone with their name on it, or they may see a ghost holding a sign with their home state. Disney is in the beginning stages of making several of their rides more interactive, and this appears to be just the beginning.
Brian Bennett posted a great article about the Haunted Mansion. You can read it here if you want to know more about this great ride.
Liberty Tree Tavern is a full service restaurant that's one of our "go to" restaurants for the holidays. Reservations are available 180 days in advance, and we're usually on the web site making our choices for either Thanksgiving or Christmas at the earliest possible opportunity. This is serious stuff for us, and believe it or not, it gets competitive.
The food is served family style at dinner, meaning that when you're seated, the wait staff brings your meal to you and you enjoy. They do give you a menu, but it's only to let you know what you're having. At lunch they serve from a regular menu. The food is American cuisine, with roast turkey, ham, and roast beef being prominent on the menu. We recommend this restaurant at any time you can get reservations and especially during the holidays—and we can't stress the importance of reservations for this restaurant. It's extremely popular, and it's not uncommon for walk-ups to be turned away.
Frontierland opened in 1971 with the opening of the Magic Kingdom, but it was probably a bleak place. It had only three attractions, which were the Disney Railroad Station, Country Bear Jamboree, and Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, which closed in 1994. After that, Tom Sawyer Island opened in 1973 and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad opened in 1980. Construction for Splash Mountain began in 1991.
Today there is plenty to do in Frontierland. From Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain to a quick serve Mexican meal at Pecos Bill's before heading over to Tom Sawyer Island, there's enough to occupy an afternoon. Don't forget to take in a performance of the Country Bear Jamboree too.
We never get tired of the Country Bear Jamboree. Apparently, other folks agree. It's been playing in various forms since the Opening of the Magic Kingdom in 1971. The bears in the band are Zeke on Banjo, Zeb, with a red bandanna on Fiddle, Ted in the back on Jug, Fred, the big guy in the back on Mouth harp, and finally on the left is Tennessee, on Thang. Not sure what Thang is, but it only has one string. Photo by Bonnie Fink. Video by Donald Fink.
As with all our Photo Tours, we think we're just beginning to scratch the surface with all there is to do and see in Liberty Square and Frontierland. To cover it all, we would be here awhile, and you would certainly get tired of looking at the pictures. Instead, we think you should plan some time in these two lands next time you visit the Magic Kingdom. You won't be disappointed.
Definitely my favorite areas of the MK. Of course, I grew up with dad watching old B Westerns and B&W shows based on the early American days. It's very nostalgic. Love it.
By deedee73
That was an awesome summary of one of my favorite areas of MK. Between the pics & commentary I felt like I was there this morning and I really needed that. Thanks for another great article.
By danyoung
As usual (for me), I have a couple of small corrections. The DL version of the Haunted Mansion opened in 1969, not 1967. Oh, and the raccoon is Sammy.
By donfink
Originally Posted by danyoung
As usual (for me), I have a couple of small corrections. The DL version of the Haunted Mansion opened in 1969, not 1967. Oh, and the raccoon is Sammy.
We usually try to corroborate our "facts" with a couple of sources, so I don't know how I missed this one. It took about 30 seconds to confirm what you're saying about the Haunted Mansion and its opening in 1969. Thanks.
By donfink
Hi DisneyGator, I couldn't help reaching out with a quick note. I was born in Modesto. Went to high school in Ceres. When my Father was a building contractor in the 60s, he put up several small homes in Waterford. Glad to see that someone else from the San Joaquin Valley enjoys WDW.
Comments
Definitely my favorite areas of the MK. Of course, I grew up with dad watching old B Westerns and B&W shows based on the early American days. It's very nostalgic. Love it.
That was an awesome summary of one of my favorite areas of MK. Between the pics & commentary I felt like I was there this morning and I really needed that. Thanks for another great article.
As usual (for me), I have a couple of small corrections. The DL version of the Haunted Mansion opened in 1969, not 1967. Oh, and the raccoon is Sammy.
We usually try to corroborate our "facts" with a couple of sources, so I don't know how I missed this one. It took about 30 seconds to confirm what you're saying about the Haunted Mansion and its opening in 1969. Thanks.
Hi DisneyGator, I couldn't help reaching out with a quick note. I was born in Modesto. Went to high school in Ceres. When my Father was a building contractor in the 60s, he put up several small homes in Waterford. Glad to see that someone else from the San Joaquin Valley enjoys WDW.