>Most of the time when you visit a city or town, you’re not used to, you stay on the main drag. You don’t stray from the main thorough fair and you don’t go where there aren’t people. If you do this in Walt Disney World, you will miss some Magic that many people don’t realize is there. This Unknown Magic is right where you can see it, but most people walk right by them, they are the Side Streets and Back Alleys of the Walt Disney World Resort.

When you walk up Main Street USA, right before you get to the Castle, you get to the Hub. The Hub connects all of the walk-ways that connect Main Street USA and each of the Lands. The one walk-way goes right up and through Cinderella Castle and into Fantasyland. There is another way to get to Fantasyland though that is a nice, little used path. This same path can be used to get to Liberty Square/ Frontierland. To get to this pathway, as you are looking at the Castle, you take the last spoke of the hub on the left, before the castle. Many people never take this walk-way, because most people walk around the magic Kingdom in a circle. They start with either Adventureland or Tomorrowland and make their way around to all the other lands. Because of this, this walk-way is rarely busy. The Unknown Magic of this area is that once you get across the small wooden bridge and you turn right and start walking toward Fantasyland, there are some great spots to take pictures of Cinderella Castle. Another neat area is right off Main Street. The street is called Center St. It is in the middle of Main Street USA. If you turn right as you are facing the Castle, and look up, there is a Dance Studio and a Singing Lesson business on the second floor of this building. If you stand there and listen, you can hear people taking lessons.

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, one of the best areas is a little Back Alley, off the Streets of America, back toward Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. Also on this little side street is a great little shop, which you would miss if you didn’t take the path less travelled. Another Magical Experience happens after dark, later in the evening a little while before the park is scheduled to close. Most other guests are trying to get one last ride on Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock n Roller Coaster or Tower of terror, While they are doing that take a walk over to the Streets of America. There might be a handful of people with you there, but it is a really neat thing. You can stroll the streets and the side streets as if it is your neighborhood. You can sit on the stoops of the row houses and listen to the city. It is a Magical Experience that my family discovered our last trip down.

All of Animal Kingdom is basically a back-road. After you pass the Oasis and approach the Tree of Life, the main paths veer off into different directions to get you to DinoLand U.S.A. , Asia, Africa and Camp Minnie Mickey. As you get closer to these areas, there are tiny paths and passages that are great to explore, because you never know what you may find. In Epcot, as you get off the main walk-ways of World Showcase and even in Future World, you will find hidden treasures from the Different countries, and quiet areas to enjoy a small break.

For those of you that don’t know, Down Town Disney is divided into three sections, The Market Place, Pleasure Island, and The West Side. The Marketplace is the Shopping end, Pleasure Island in the Middle is the nightclub section and the Westside is home to Cirque Du Soleil, the AMC Theatre, Disney Quest, a few shops and Restaurants. One of these restaurants is the House of Blues. Behind the House of Blues is where you will find my favorite alley in all of Walt Disney World. This walk-way winds its way along the banks of Village Lake all the way down to Pleasure Island. There are benches to sit on and enjoy the view of the Saratoga Springs Resort, but the best part of this walk-way is the fact that no one seems to know this path is there. It is a really nice place to walk with your family and enjoy each other’s company and Watch the boats go by.
So, now you know, there are Side Streets and Back Alleys in Walt Disney World that you can take to find some hidden treasures, and maybe enjoy a Magical Experience while just walking about!