Must Sees at Disney World: Animal Kingdom

I have to admit that Animal Kingdom presents a problem for me to discuss “must-sees”….simply because we don’t really visit Animal Kingdom on every visit. In fact, we probably don’t visit it more than half the time we vacation at Walt Disney World.

It’s just not our favorite park. Not that there is anything wrong with that. 🙂

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great park and has some really interesting attractions. And no, in case you are wondering, we don’t hate animals. We actually love animals!

I think that there are just so many things elsewhere that we love more, that Animal Kingdom is usually at the bottom of the list in priorities for us.

And we have also learned….the HARD way….that this is NOT the park to visit if it is hot out. At all. It is enormous, more walking than any other park (the park layout is not conducive to getting anywhere efficiently in my opinion), and not nearly enough shade…although in the 12 years since it opened, this is improving, as vegetation does what it is supposed to do….grow thank heavens. 🙂

So. Having said all that, I will share a few of our favorites for when we DO visit this park, because there are some pretty cool attractions here. I promise!

Simba Rocks. And So Do His Friends.

The Festival of the Lion King is an awesome show, and one that we really try to never miss when we visit Animal Kingdom. Based on the movie this live-action show has all of your favorite characters performing to songs from the Lion King…and the performances, costumes, dancing, singing, and props are amazing. The audience sits on all four sides with the action taking place in the center, and there really is not a bad seat in the house. And you should note that audience participation is STRONGLY encouraged so be prepared to shout out your best animal sounds. 🙂 Just letting you know to be prepared. 🙂

It Seems Like It’s Fun To Be A Bug

Really it does! And after seeing It’s Tough to be a Bug, you may agree with me. Despite all the evidence presented in this show about all the terrible things that happen to bugs (your little ones may never let you squish an ant again, I am warning you now…) this is a fun show. It’s another one of Disney’s 3-D attractions and even though we have been a number of times, I still get surprised at certain…um…things that happen.

And one of the coolest things about this attraction is the way you get into it, as it is held below the Tree of Life…so you will really get to see how amazing this tree is, up close and personal. Which actually brings me to my favorite thing to do in the Animal Kingdom…..

I Would Love To Have This Tree In My Yard

If (no, actually when) you visit Animal Kingdom, take the time to really look closely at the Tree of Life. Everyone take the obligatory picture with the Tree in the background, and you will want to do this too. But get up close and reaaallly look at all of the amazing carvings of all different kinds of animals on this thing. We always find new ones on each visit. The workmanship is unbelievable and the detail is not-to-be-believed.

I am an admitted design/art geek, as you probably know if you read last week’s blog post about my favorite thing at Hollywood Studios. But even for those of you who are not as turned on by great art the way I am, you will still truly appreciate the skill and craftsmanship that went into creating the Tree of Life.

And your kids will love seeing how many animals they can identify!

OK, not the “typical” list of Animal Kingdom favorites I know, and we do enjoy LOTS of other attractions here (yes the animals are all WAY cool 🙂 ) but these are 3 things that we always enjoy at Animal Kingdom.

Now I would love to know: What are your favorites? And where does this park rank for your family compared to the other three?

Have a magical day!