My first visit to Tom Sawyer Island was in 2011, prior to that I was not intrigued to explore this uncharted territory. During my Disney vacation planning that year I decided we should try something new and venture onto the island. Rebekah was 5 ½ years old and had been to WDW three times prior and I thought this would be a great new exploration for her as well.
One late Magic Kingdom morning after conquering Frontierland’s two mountains, we stopped for a little snack on the way to find Tom Saywer Island. We found the entrance and ventured down a ramp and onto a dock to wait for Tom to send a raft over that would bring us to his island, (can you guess what snack Rebekah chose?)
As we boarded, I noticed he named this particular raft Becky Thatcher after the girl who captured his heart. As “Becky” floated us over to the island we turned to wave goodbye to Frontierland, ready to scout out new adventures.
When we arrived, the raft docked and we scurried off quickly. We first discovered a map of the island with a brief history of Mark Twain’s childhood adventures. We then began to meander, not really knowing which way to go first. Before long we found one discovery after another!
What had taken me so long to visit Tom, Huck and the others who inhabited this island? Rebekah was not the only one enjoying every nook and cranny…. …. I too was having a great time exploring and viewing the park from across the Rivers of America. It was a whole different perspective- it’s pretty neat to be able to look at the park from angles that you ordinarily don’t see.
Our exploration led us to dark tunnels where we heard bats flapping their wings above us and water that seemed to run up hill! My husband would walk ahead of us and jump out from behind the cave crevices – startling both me and Rebekah.
Look at the beautiful gems we found in the mine! I wonder if the Seven Dwarfs know about this?
Then we ventured into another cave and seen something really spooky!
During our travels we came upon a suspension barrel bridge that was great fun! This brought us to Fort Langhorn where we protected the fort from “bad guys” on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!
If the “bad guys” or Injun Joe make it past the guard on duty, there is a secret tunnel to escape through!
Don’t forget to take care of the horses and make sure they are fed before heading on out.
We found Aunt Polly’s Landing, (Tom’s aunt) a lovely place to rest your weary feet ~
Up a hill we found a fun play area and pretended to sail down the Rivers of America ~
We climbed to the top of the stairs in Potter’s Mill, what a great view.
Inside Harper’s Mill we found a little feathered friend who decided to make it’s home inside the mills turning gears.
Once we were sure we explored the whole island, we sought our way back to the dock’s to catch a raft back to mainland.
This is a great place to bring the mouseketeers when they need some time to just run free. There is something exciting waiting be explored around each bend; sprinkle in a little Disney Magic and a touch of imagination and your adventures with Tom and Huck will create lasting memories. I myself, can’t wait to go back 🙂
Have you been to Tom Sawyer’s Island? What was your favorite adventure?
~Maureen
