15 little-known secrets you probably didn't know about Magic Kingdom

09.06.2024 - 18:05 / insider.com

Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park at Disney World. But its accolades don't stop there.

The park holds the current record for highest annual attendance at any theme park worldwide, with over 17 million visitors in 2022.

Here are some little-known secrets even the biggest Disney fans might not know about Magic Kingdom.

Magic Kingdom's guest-facing areas are not on ground level.

The park was built over a tunnel system known internally as the utilidors. Since basements aren't really a thing in Florida's wetlands, they just built up instead.

Employees use the tunnels to move around the park. Traveling via the utilidors means guests don't see any futuristic-looking staff members in Frotierland.

If you step inside the Town Square Theater at the front of the park, there's a large mosaic displaying the year 1901 on the ground.

That's the year Walt was born.

Guests looking for a haircut or beard trim while on vacation can head to Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street, USA, at the front of the park.

The shop employs state-licensed cosmetologists and offers services ranging from $8 to $28.

Although Magic Kingdom's central park icon, Cinderella Castle, looks like it's built out of large stones, it's actually made from a combination of fiberglass, cement, steel, concrete, and plaster.

Magic Kingdom's newest coaster, Tron Lightcycle / Run, is the fastest in the park.

The Tomorrowland attraction only lasts 60 seconds, but it reaches up to 59 miles an hour.

Gaston's Tavern in New Fantasyland serves a cupcake topped with the "grey stuff."

The treat is famously mentioned in "Beauty and the Beast" in the "Be Our Guest" lyric, "Try the grey stuff, it's delicious. Don't believe me? Ask the dishes."

It's sold all day (while supplies last) and costs $5.79.

If you're watching the nightly fireworks at Magic Kingdom, you'll see Tinkerbell fly 750 feet from the top of the castle (as long as the weather conditions are safe).

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During her approximately 34-second flight, she glides at about 15 miles an hour and lands near Tomorrowland.

Although Space Mountain is an iconic attraction that has become synonymous with the park, it was not an opening-day attraction at Magic Kingdom in 1971.

The popular space-themed roller coaster opened a few years later, on January 15, 1975.

But it is the original version of the ride — the Disneyland Space Moutain didn't open until 1977.

Pinocchio's Village House is a quick-service dining location in New Fantasyland (just behind the carousel).

The restaurants has a couple of tables behind a glass partition from which guests can look out over the loading zone for It's a Small World next door.

It's easy to miss all the little details when you head into Town Square Theater to meet