Liberty Square

The colonial-era theme of Liberty Square

should make it a lot more exciting, but other than the hagiographic animatronics of The Hall of Presidents, there’s little to do here but take snapshots of your loved ones in the stockade and grab a turkey leg on the way to other areas of the park.

The Haunted Mansion, though technically part of Liberty Square, doesn’t fit in with the patriotic theme; still, as it is situated between Liberty Square and Fantasyland [1], one can only assume that the park’s planners though it unwise to put all the ghosts and ghouls alongside Winnie the Pooh and Snow White.

The mansion remains one of the Magic Kingdom [2]’s marquee attractions, and it’s easy to understand why. Two-person “doom buggies” take guests on an eight-minute tour of this spook-infested mansion, from the ground floor to the attic. The sights along this ride are among the most intricately detailed in all of Walt Disney World [3], and from the wallpaper to the inscriptions on the headstones, there’s always some new thing to notice.

While inherently something of a scary experience—those graves aren’t going to fill themselves—this ride has always managed to successfully balance thrills and humor, and while some of the gags are a little dark and others are a little corny, all but the most knock-kneed young one will be able to muster a laugh long enough to chase away their fears.