I appreciate and enjoy each of the unique lands within Magic Kingdom Park and have a favorite location within each one, but when it comes to an overall favorite location with the park itself, Main Street U.S.A. takes the cake.
There is little to compare to the splendor and magic of entering Magic Kingdom Park. I get goosebumps simply typing the words! Walt Disney World has a knack for entrances - the "Welcome Home" greetings at the resort entrances, the one-on-one interaction with the cast members at the theme park turnstiles, the theming of the resort lobbies - and the entrance to Walt's Magic Kingdom Park is no exception. As guests pass underneath the Walt Disney Railroad Station they begin to glimpse the marvel that is Main Street U.S.A. Lined with souvenir shops, a real working barber shop, and restaurants, Main Street U.S.A is decorated in turn of the century, small-town America style. This grand entrance to Magic Kingdom Park is filled with Walt Disney history, which is the number one reason that this area of the park is my favorite. I am a sucker for Disney trivia, and this street is littered with it!
The symbolism along this American main street is great, as Main Street U.S.A. represents Magic Kingdom Park's opening credits. The names of key personnel and contributors to the park's opening are visible in the building's upper floors. Many of the storefront windows bear fictitious business names that represent a tribute to a significant individual who played a key role in the development of the park.
The buildings here use a technique called forced perspective, which allows the relatively short buildings, at only 189 feet tall, seem large scale. The second and third stories of the buildings decrease in height, leaving the buildings to appear to be larger and taller than the actually are.
It may seem strange to some that my favorite place in the entire park is a street with no thrill rides, or any rides at all for that matter! The truth is that I could plop myself along the curb and sit for hours. I get lost in the horse-drawn carts that burst forth with frolicking, singing and dancing cast members in their turn of the century garb, vendors wrangling seemingly hundreds of Mickey Mouse shaped balloons, PhotoPass photographers taking a family's first Disney World photo, the Main Street pianist tickling the ivories outside of Casey's Corner, the smell of Main Street Bakery's fresh cinnamon rolls, the Dapper Dans Barber Shop Quartet entertaining the crowds, characters meeting guests in front of the Town Square Theater, little ones getting their first haircuts at The Harmony Barber Shop, stroller wheels getting stuck in the train track along the street, and the breathtaking view of Cinderella Castle. There are tears in my eyes.
Without fail, I linger in this place a little longer each time I visit. The sheer exuberance on my children's faces as they take in the excitement of the hustle and bustle of Main Street U.S.A. is worth ten-fold the joy they get from riding Dumbo or seeing the fireworks. Main Street U.S.A, as the first glimpse of "The Most Magical Place on Earth," was designed to transport the guest into a place like no other. After a few steps into this enchanted place, I begin to hum along:
I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.
It's the heart of America.The heartbeat of a holiday.
The place was made with a magical plan
And just around the corner is a Fantasyland.
I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.
