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When Walt Disney was creating Disneyland, and even planning the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, he had the idea, that as you enter the park he would give you a focal point to move toward. The name he gave this focal point was the “Weenie”. All the Walt Disney World Parks still follow this philosophy and have a “Weenie”. This makes all the Park entrances in Walt Disney world the same, even though they are very unique. In Yesterday’s post, I mentioned “The entrances to the parks are different, but still the same. The Entrances themselves can be very magical and very exciting,” With that in mind today’s Unknown Magic is the Animal Kingdom Park Entrance.

After disembarking from the tram car or from the buses, there is a very wide, area for you to walk toward the park. As you walk forward, off to your left is one of the two Rainforest Cafés that are located in the Walt Disney World Complex (The other is in Downtown Disney). If you have never been to one, the Rainforest Café is a neat restaurant that bills itself as “A Wild Place to Eat”. For kids, this can be a very exciting place to get a bite before you go into the park or as you are coming out.
Off to the left of this walk-in area, there are usually characters waiting for you to stop and say hello. We always seem to run into Chip and Dale here. This walk-in area is also the place where you might run into a Wes Palm, the talking Palm Tree. Like Pipa, the talking Recycle bin in Rafiki’s Planet Watch, (also in Animal Kingdom) the Wes Palm interacts with people passing by and can make Magical Experiences for your family as the little ones will be enthralled with a talking, moving tree. Right in the middle of this large walk-in area, there is a great spot to get a family picture, with the Tree of Life in the background. Of course the Disney PhotoPass people will be available to help you get the perfect picture. In this area you can also find Garden Gate Gifts and the Outpost, two small shopping places that can provide you with camera equipment, snacks, hats and other assorted items.

As stated above, every park has a “Weenie” for you to go toward. In the Animal Kingdom it is the Tree of Life. The Tree of life can be seen from the Park Entrance and after you pass the actual entrance gates (the Turnstiles and security checks) you have to walk through the Oasis and across a bridge to get to it. This is another one of the things that makes the Entrance to the Animal Kingdom an Unknown Magic that can lead to a Magical Experience. The Oasis itself is a Unknown Magical Experience, because of the beauty and peacefulness that surrounds you. Many guests just walk right through the Oasis to get to the attractions on the other side. If you take the time and look at your surroundings, you may discover some very interesting things. Look to the treetops and look at the ground. You will see different species of birds and animals that you might have missed if you just rush through. Another neat thing is that there is not just one path leading through the Oasis. There are many. Some of these paths have exhibits that present different animals and species that you may never have seen, things like: Parma wallaby, tree-kangaroo, and the giant anteater. There are also many Species of exotic birds that call this area home.

At this point, although you are already in the Animal Kingdom Park, and may have enjoyed a Magical Experience, you still haven’t even gotten to what many people would consider the actual park. To get to Discovery Island which is basically the hub of the park, you still have to walk across a small foot bridge. Form this bridge you can see many things, Expedition Everest, parts of DinoLand U.S.A., and some of Camp Minnie Mickey, and from the Bridge you can also get some  very good pictures of the Tree of Life.

From this bridge one year, we had a Magical Experience, that is only usually only available to Florida Residents, but we were lucky enough to be able to see. We actually got to see the Space Shuttle take off. It was the first one after they had the second accident where the shuttle exploded over Texas. So, it was a very exciting, not just because it was a shuttle launch, but because it was the first one again. You could see it all very clearly and for quite a bit of time. It was a very exciting Magical Experience that we are very lucky to have had.

After this bridge you are no longer in the “entrance“ of the Animal Kingdom, but this entrance is an Unknown Magic that can help you have a Magical Experience, as long as you take your time to explore.

So, now you Know, Slow Down on your way into the Animal Kingdom, talk to a tree, say hello to a character or get a bite to eat then enjoy the Oasis. Create a Magical Experience by not rushing to the “Weenie”.