It’s that bittersweet moment we’ve all been waiting for. Disney has just announced the permanent closure date for the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat.
The last day to experience these Magic Kingdom attractions is July 6th, as they officially close on July 7th, 2025.
The construction walls won’t go up immediately, so you’ll probably be able to get a peek at the relaxing waters for a couple of weeks before it’s blocked off.
Disney is still figuring out how the queue for Haunted Mansion will work since it currently overlooks the Rivers of America. It’s likely we’ll see either a re-routed queue or walls over in that area as well…but that hasn’t been confirmed. Only time will tell!
Don’t worry — this construction won’t disrupt the regular path for Disney parades. On July 20th, Disney Starlight, the new nighttime parade in Magic Kingdom, will begin. As you may or may not know, the parade route starts in Frontierland, travels through Liberty Square, and down Main Street, U.S.A. The new parade will proceed as normal!
Also, many fans were worried about the Walt Disney World Railroad and whether it would close during construction. While this was the case for TRON Lightcycle / Run, we’re happy to announce that the Railroad WILL remain open!
There’s just one catch — it will not be the same ride that you can experience now. The Frontierland stop will be closed, so the Railroad will act as a “shuttle” between the Main Street station and the Fantasyland station. The cool thing about this, though, is that Disney is turning some of the benches onboard so that no matter which direction it is going, you’ll have the chance to sit forward or backward!
Now, we know Disney doesn’t close beloved attractions for no reason. This closure is to make way for the brand-new Cars-inspired area of Frontierland! It will feature two new rides and some food and beverage options (which we’re anxiously waiting to hear more about).
Disney also just revealed that the area will be known as Piston Peak (yes, named after the one in Planes) and takes inspiration from Rocky Mountain National Park. Frontierland covers so many places around the American wilderness, so Disney is excited to expand on those ideas here. It will be filled with waterfalls and immerse you in this original world. Yes, it’s based on the Cars movies, but Disney isn’t building Radiator Springs — it’s something completely new!
Tom Sawyer Island officially opened in Magic Kingdom on May 20th, 1973, just a couple of years after the park’s opening day. Visitors can access the island by raft and explore Fort Langhorne while enjoying some quiet time away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the park.
Rivers of America features the iconic Liberty Square Riverboat, the Liberty Belle, which will also close in July. This relaxing attraction gives incredible views of Tom Sawyer Island, Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — where riders have been able to see a sneak peek at some of the construction!
We’ll keep you posted on all the latest updates!
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What do you think of these closures? Let us know in the comments.
All bitter. No sweet. Disney is killing all Americana everywhere they can add fast as they can. And my family and I HATE it.