6 Facts and Secrets About Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland

Frontierland is the area of the Magic Kingdom where you can experience the “wildest ride in the wilderness” and a lot of other rootin’ tootin’ fun!  The theme taken from the “wild west” is a lot of fun and is an experience that you won’t find in many other places.  Here are six really great facts and secrets about Frontierland:

6 – Frontierland was a concept of Mr. Walt Disney himself.

Walt was a major driving force behind the creation of Frontierland at Disneyland, the same theme and concept we also have in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World.  “Frontierland.  It is here that we experience the story of our country’s past.  The color, romance, and drama of frontier America as it developed from wilderness trails to roads, riverboats, railroads, and civilization.  A tribute to the faith, courage, and ingenuity of our hearty pioneers who blazed the trails and made this progress possible.”  Walt Disney (1955).  I don’t know about you, but I think I appreciate Frontierland even more than I already did!

5 – There are multiple Frontierlands around the world.

Frontierland is in many of the Disney theme parks.  We would definitely believe that this is likely because of the fun nature of the land and the influence that Walt had on its creation.  There is a Frontierland at Disneyland in California, which is the very first Frontierland.  Then we have the one at the Magic Kingdom in Florida.  There is also one at Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.  The attractions and experiences vary from park to park, but the theme for the lands is the same.  It was not a land that was included for the opening of Shanghai Disneyland, but we never know what the future will hold.

4 – Opening day Magic Kingdom Frontierland attractions.

Frontierland was one of the lands that were part of the Magic Kingdom for the opening in 1971.  When the park opened, Frontierland opened with three attractions.  The attractions were the Walt Disney Railroad (a station for guests to enter/exit the land and see more of the land from the train), Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, and Country Bear Jamboree.  Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes is no longer in existence and closed in 1994, but the other two attractions are still in operation at the Magic Kingdom today.

3 – New attractions were added over the years.

Editor’s Note: Tom Sawyer Island is set to close in the future to make way for an expanded Frontierland with two Cars-themed attractions. No closing date has been announced. 

Since the park and land first opened, there have only been a few attractions that have been added.  The first was Tom Sawyer Island, which first opened in 1973.  It took 17 more years before another attraction was added to the area.  Big Thunder Mountain Railroad finally debuted for guests to enjoy in 1980.  It took another 11 years before Frontierland would see another major attraction: the addition of Splash Mountain in 1992.  Splash Mountain closed in 2023 and was transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which opened in 2024!

2 – The Original Splash Mountain caused much more construction than just the ride.

When Splash Mountain was constructed, a TON of work had to be done to prepare the area for the new attraction.  The entire area where the attraction sits had to be demolished, including the Walt Disney World Railroad train station.  The area that was demolished was the entire western end of the land, except for the area where Big Thunder Mountain sits.  The attraction and a brand new two-story train station were built for guests to enjoy the Walt Disney World Railroad.  A new parade road was also built so that parade cars could enter and exit the land.  This parade route is still used for parades at the park today.

1 – Dining in Frontierland.

There are only a couple of dining locations in Frontierland that exist today.  Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café is a quick-service restaurant near the old Splash Mountain and soon-to-be Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. There is also the Diamond Horseshoe, a quick-service lunch location.  The Diamond Horseshoe used to be a dinner show that was a Western-style revue-type show that was part of the daily dinner service.  Over the years, the restaurant has converted to a seasonal location that offers quick service for lunch during peak seasons and will also open for a table-service dinner option, but without the Western dinner show.  There used to be a very popular restaurant on Tom Sawyer Island, but it has since closed.  It has also opened off and on seasonally, so we expect that it may return at some point in the future.