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Today, April 22, 2018, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating their 20th birthday! Now, we aren’t in Orlando yet, but we’ve been enjoying all of the excitement being posted on Social Media and living vicariously through everyone visiting today!
But we want to celebrate too! So today we’re bringing you a list of some of our favorite things about Animal Kingdom. Most of these are things we do on EVERY VISIT. Some are things we’ve known and loved for a while and some are things we’ve only just discovered! Regardless, read our list, take note and leave comments if you have anything you want to add!
#1 Flame Tree BBQ
Guys, if you’ve ever asked us about places to eat in Disney World, you’ve heard us RAVE about Flame Tree BBQ. They have Chicken, Ribs, Pork…a BBQ dream really. And their platters are big enough that usually we just share. If you’re feeling like variety, you can get a combo plate with 2 or 3 items. If you just want to eat ALL of one kind of meat, then you can order a big platter of one of them. All of the plates have enough to split between 2 (or even 3) people. Besides, if you share, you can get a dessert. The pulled pork cheese fries are also a must.
#2 Pandora
This is the newest part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If you’ve seen the movie Avatar, you’ll feel transported and stand in awe of what the Imagineers have done! If you haven’t seen the movie, you’re going to think this weird little place is just so visually stunning. And indeed it is.
Here we are standing in front of one of the many waterfalls in Pandora
Pandora is home to two rides: Na’vi River Ride and Avatar Flight of Passage. For reals you guys. The river ride is great for even the littlest visitors. Nice and relaxing for the whole family. And it’s a beautiful ride through the forrest of Pandora.
But Flight of Passage is EPIC! I don’t want to spill the beans on the INCREDIBLE technology involved. But I will tell you…you wear 3D glasses! And you will be stunned.
#3 Expedition Everest
Expedition Everest is the big rollercoaster in Animal Kingdom. You ride a train through Yeti territory. And….things happen. If you haven’t ridden on it, I don’t want to spoil it for you. But it’s very thrilling.
And of course, it is nothing short of picturesque!
The sun is coming up over Expedition Everest
#4 Mango Pie
This is one of our newly discovered favorites. Graham Cracker crusted goodness. They store them in a really cold fridge or even freezer so sometimes the middle is a little frozen. However, it thaws pretty quickly. If you can wait until it thaws, you’ll taste a creamy filling with subtle mango. Adam LOVES all things mango. I am a little pickier. But I really like this little pie. It’s not in anyway overwhelming. And that graham cracker crust is LIFE CHANGING. But I must admit, I’m a sucker for a good graham cracker crust. You can buy this at the quick service counter, just to the side of the Yak & Yeti restaurant.
This is definitely one we will be making a MUST for every trip.
Look at how thick that crust is!
#5 Kilimanjaro Safari
I don’t know about you, but it seems unlikely that I’ll make it to the actual continent of Africa any time soon. But when I go on the Kilimanjaro Safari, I feel like I’m on an actual African Safari. And thanks to the magic of Disney, I’ve seen a tower of Giraffes, a bloat of Hippos, and a flamboyance of Flamingos. I’ve even seen a lion roar on Pride Rock.
Say hi to Simba! (I mean, that’s what I call him in my head. I don’t know his actual name.)
No kidding, guys. It was amazing. And the park has evening hours now. Depending on the time of day your ride, you’ll see different animals out and about. We have had some of the best rides at roughly 6:00 or 7:00pm. Every Safari ride is different! I love it!
A lone ostrich next to the safari vehicle. Those birds are not to be messed with!
#6 Finding Nemo: The Musical
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to follow Nemo, Dory, and friends through their journey on stage? Now you can! This is a 40 minute production with fun puppets, neat effects, and new original music by Robert Lopez, who wrote the music for Frozen. And it comes without having to pay a Broadway ticket price! This is a must see and is a blast for the whole family. It’s a lifelong dream of Adam’s to play Crush in this show. Also, get ready for lots of bubbles!
The Moral of the Story is…
There’s something for everyone at Animal Kingdom! We’ve only scratched the surface of all of the amazing things at this park, but these are just a few we couldn’t go without talking about. What have been some of your favorite experiences at Animal Kingdom? Be sure to let us know!