>In Yesterday’s Article I mentioned the “Elephant on the Side of the Road,” at Walt Disney World, that I remembered from when I was a kid. There are a few other things that I remember from those early trips to Walt Disney World taken with my parents. But like Walt Disney himself said:

In other words, Walt Disney World will always be changing. If you go to the Magic Kingdom today, they are in the middle of a huge renovation project in Fantasyland. Over in Epcot this past summer they rebuilt two of the restaurants and just reopened them recently. But sometimes they closed attractions or changed something somewhere around the Resort and they left remnants behind. Today I present to you, the Unknown Magic of Memories Left Behind.



The Swan Boats used to
“swim” in the water around the castle.

 The most obvious Memory of something Left Behind is the boat dock in The Magic Kingdom. Everyone has noticed this pavilion looking building at the water’s edge to the right of Cinderella Castle, but most people don’t know that it was a boat dock for Plaza Swan Boats. This attraction was a boat ride around the castle and was in operations from 1973 until 1983 and now all that is left is the loading dock.



The Skyway Station from the air, in 1979.

 Another area in the Magic Kingdom that is left over from days gone by, is what looks like an entrance on a little incline, that is now used as a stroller parking area, near the exit to It’s A Small World. This area was in use until 1999 as the Fantasyland Station for the Skyway that you could take one way from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland or from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland. This was an attraction that I remember enjoying as a kid, because you could look down upon Fantasyland, which as a kid, I thought was just so cool!

Another place that is still able to be seen, but is not used as it was, is the island that is in the middle of Bay Lake that used to be called Discovery Island. Discovery Island was a “water-bound wonderland of exotic wildlife and tropical foliage.” To get to the island, you would take a boat from the Contemporary Resort or Fort Wilderness Campground. Once there you could walk through paths on the island and see different animals and plants and actually go on a treasure hunt. Going through the paths here could lead to Magical Experiences for many people; I remember some from when I was a kid. Disney closed this island down in the late 1990’s. The concept of Discovery Island has since been moved to the Animal Kingdom and is now the area that surrounds the Tree of Life.

Something else that has been left behind in the Walt Disney World Resort that has a really neat history can be found in Downtown Disney. Way back in the mid-1970’s Disney had a boat-shaped building built to house three restaurants for what is now the Downtown Disney area of the Walt Disney World Resort. This “boat” was called the Empress Lilly after Lillian Disney, Walt’s wife. The “boat” itself was a very good replica of an old paddle steamer riverboat. It had smoke stacks and a huge paddle wheel that was continually turning, although the “boat” never moved. In 1995 the Empress Lilly was closed down and converted into what is now Fulton’s Crab House.

Of course if you take the Back lot tour in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you will be able to see things like Herbie the Love Bug and other such props and buildings that have been left behind from other attractions or Disney movies.

In the Magic Kingdom, you can still have a Magical Experience in a part of one of the attractions that has been gone for many years now. Mr. Toads Wild Ride has been shut down since 1998. When it was replaced by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, they moved one of the ride vehicles into Exposition Hall on Main Street USA. You can still go and have your picture taken in this vehicle.

So, now you know, sometimes the things you see at the Walt Disney World Resort that look like they may have been used before might have been. There are areas and buildings and even an island that was used in the past, but is no longer. So, next time you see something that looks like it was used in the past, ask a Cast Member, it was probably was just left behind.