By Guest blogger, Melissa Maheu
Some of the most overlooked attractions at Walt Disney World have turned into a few of our family favorites over the years.
Of course, our children still get over-the-top excited for all of the big name rides, but over time, I have made a couple of observations that might surprise even the most fanatic of Disney goers, and I thought it would be fun to share some of them with you.
Hollywood Studios: The Magic of Disney Animation: The Magic of Disney Animation building houses one of the best kept secrets of Hollywood Studios — Animation Academy — which lets you participate in a drawing class with a Disney animator.
Our family LOVES this opportunity, and after participating, we feel like a bit of our inner artist has been hiding for some time. You will be amazed what you are capable of doing!
Magic Kingdom: The Carousel of Progress: My girls would not think a trip to Walt Disney World was complete without seeing this show, and I love that they are smart enough to recognize the creativity that went into building this attraction.
I do hope Disney gives this attraction the care and attention it needs to remain open for a long time. After all, “there’s a great big beautiful tomorrow . . . just a dream away!”
EPCOT: Germany Miniature Train Village: OK, if you have a young child — particularly a boy — this is not to be missed. You can easily walk past this display if you aren’t paying attention, but nestled in the heart of EPCOT’s Germany pavilion is a very endearing train display.
My son could spend hours just watching the train pass through the exquisite village (actually, so could I.) At the very least, slow down while you are walking past and take a small detour. It will be worth it.
Animal Kingdom: The Oasis: You have to pass through the Oasis to get to the center of Animal Kingdom, but if you take a moment to stop and look around, you will find some incredible exhibits.
It amazes me that some folks don’t even realize that there are things to see here.
The tropical backdrop is beautiful enough, but if you step closer and look around, you may find yourself face to face with an exotic bird or a funny-looking anteater. It’s fun to observe and discover, so I beg you to do some spotting of your own next time!
As you can tell, some of our family favorites are actually pretty low-key attractions. Many of these we just stumbled upon — and since Walt himself was such a fan of adventure, I challenge you to stumble upon something you may have overlooked in the past.
Don’t forget that sometimes it’s the little things that create the biggest memories!
Here are two related posts:
Top 10 Most Under-Appreciated Walt Disney World Attractions
Top 10 Most Often-Missed and Overlooked Disney Experiences
Melissa Maheu is the creator of CafeMouse.com. She is a creative and crafty mom to three beautiful children (ages 8, 6, and 2) and a wife to a very loving husband who supports her love of all things Disney. She lives in Ellicott City, MD with her family, and enjoys traveling to Walt Disney World every year (sometimes being lucky enough to go 2 times a year!). She just started her Disney blog this past March, and is passionate about helping people with their trips.
