Part of Disney’s New Tiana Attraction Now Open at Magic Kingdom

Certain areas of Disney’s new Tiana attraction are now open at the Magic Kingdom.

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If you’ve spent any time within the Disney theme park community in the last few years, then you certainly know about the permanent closure of Splash Mountain. Disney first revealed its plans in 2020, with then-CEO Bob Chapek announcing that Walt Disney Imagineering was working hard to bring an exciting new experience to both the Magic Kingdom and the original Disneyland Resort based on Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (2009) film.

This new ride would be called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and while technically a totally new experience, the attraction would actually take over the space once occupied by Splash Mountain, one of Disney’s most popular and beloved theme park rides of all time. This decision, of course, was met with lots of controversy, leaving many Disney fans feeling angry or sad (or both) over the loss of such an iconic piece of Disney history. Nevertheless, Splash Mountain closed permanently at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland in 2023, with construction crews working quickly to create Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Magic Kingdom’s version of the legendary log flume ride closed in early 2023, giving Disney far more time to work with than Disneyland’s version. As a result, sections of the new Tiana attraction are now open and accessible to guests. Wdwmagic compiled some excellent photos in a new update regarding the attraction, revealing that guests can now take a closer look at this exciting new project.

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The new areas that are accessible to guests are the walkways and paths at the back of the attraction’s entrance. These areas fall right under the path of the Walt Disney World Railroad and look stunning. There is a plethora of new stone and rockwork lining the new entryway, as well as some new elegant railings.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open sometime in 2024 at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and while we don’t have a definitive opening date, it’s likely this attraction will open around September 2024.

Splash Mountain as an attraction was present at three Disney resorts: Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland. While the two versions found in North America have closed forever, the version at Tokyo Disneyland remains open for the foreseeable future.

The decision to close this ride came after decades of backlash regarding the ride’s theming and subject matter, all of which originated from Disney’s highly controversial and problematic film Song of the South (1946). This decision sent shockwaves throughout the Disney theme park community, with many loving the idea and many guests hating it. Some guests hated this idea so much that a petition was started to “Save Splash Mountain,” although you can probably guess how well that went. Inside the Magic is incredibly excited about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and can’t wait to finally ride it.

Are you excited about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Will you be there on opening day?  

This post is originally appeared on Inside the Magic.