After months and months of planning, excitement, and anticipation, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Disney parks. You might feel like you have to do every attraction, see all the shows, and eat all the cuisine, but sometimes it’s best to just take slow down and take a break. There are so many little details in the parks that people pass because they want to cram every experience into just a few short days, but they fail to realize that the little things can make bigger memories. Here are some of my favorite Disney details that my family and I have found in the Magic Kingdom throughout the years.
1. “One if by land, two if by sea.” These famous words were first found in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride” in 1860, but they tell the story of a night in 1775 when Paul Revere warned other Patriots that the British were coming. You can find the signal from Paul in Liberty Square across from the entrance to the Haunted Mansion.
2. You might think that the windows of the buildings on Main Street are just there to add to the park’s themeing, but they also hold a secret. Most of the names you see on the windows are either members of the Disney family or Imagineers that had some part in the making of the Magic Kingdom. Others, like “M. T. Lott,” are references to fake names used by the Disney company or a play on words.
3. This “secret” requires a child’s perspective. If you go to the back of Cinderella Castle, you’ll find a fountain with a statue of Cinderella. Behind her is a painting with a crown. Pretty usual-looking, right? However, if you bend down to take a sip of water or curtsy to the princess, you’ll see that the crown is perfectly positioned on Cinderella’s head.
4. Our last detail comes from Liberty Square again. It’s not easy to miss the huge tree standing in the middle of the land, but you might not realize that there are exactly thirteen lanterns hanging from its branches. The “unlucky” number of lights is actually a nod to the thirteen original colonies of the United States of America.
These few details are just a small part of the grand scheme of the Disney parks, but that’s what makes the parks so much fun – there’s always something new to discover. Remember to slow down and keep your eyes open the next time you visit Disney, and you might just see something that you’ve never noticed before. (Liberty Tree photo credit goes to Gene Duncan)
