Drawn to Wonderland Opens as Disney Maps Every Playground at Disney World
Disney has mapped every playground at Walt Disney World, from the Casey Jr. splash pad at Magic Kingdom to the new Drawn to Wonderland at Hollywood Studios. Epic Jr. Stunt Spectacular! is due in the coming months, a Tropical Americas play area is planned for Animal Kingdom, and 16 resort hotels have playgrounds of their own.
Walt Disney World has playgrounds in three of its four theme parks and at 16 resort hotels, and Disney has now published a guide to all of them. The newest, Drawn to Wonderland, is open now at Hollywood Studios, with an outdoor stunt-show play area there and a Tropical Americas playground at Animal Kingdom still to come.
Key Details
- Open now: Drawn to Wonderland, Hollywood Studios
- Coming in the next few months: Epic Jr. Stunt Spectacular!, Hollywood Studios
- Planned, no date: a play area in Tropical Americas, Animal Kingdom
- Resort hotel playgrounds: 16 hotels, for ages 2 to 12
Two Storybook Circus play spots at Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom's two play spaces sit side by side in Storybook Circus, the circus-themed corner of Fantasyland.
- Casey Jr. splash pad. Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station is an outdoor water play area themed to Dumbo, where the circus train lets off "steam" around the kids.
- Spraying circus animals. Monkeys, elephants and camels squirt water across the space, so expect children to come out soaked.
- Dumbo queue playground. The queue for Dumbo the Flying Elephant holds an indoor big-top playground with climbing structures, so kids can play right up until boarding.
- Seats for grown-ups. Seating inside the Dumbo play area lets adults rest while keeping an eye on the climbers.
The pairing makes Storybook Circus an easy reset in the middle of a Magic Kingdom day: an outdoor soak when the afternoon is hot, or an indoor climb under the big top, only a short walk apart.
Four places to play at EPCOT, indoors and out
EPCOT has two outdoor playgrounds and two indoor ones themed to its pavilions.
- Near Creations Shop. An outdoor playground sits between World Celebration and World Discovery, with seating, Connections Eatery and the World Discovery attractions close by.
- Seasonal festival playground. A second outdoor space on the walkway between World Nature and World Showcase changes its theme for select EPCOT festivals; theming and availability vary through the year.
- Bruce's Shark World. Inside SeaBase, the aquarium pavilion, this indoor area surrounds kids with oversized Finding Nemo characters, including Bruce the shark.
- Space Base. An indoor, space-themed playground at Mission: SPACE in World Discovery where kids climb and crawl through a spaceflight setting.
- Advanced Training Lab. The Mission: SPACE Advanced Training Lab around Space Base adds more interactive games and activities.
The two indoor spaces are the ones to remember on a hot afternoon, since both take kids out of the Florida sun without leaving the park.
Drawn to Wonderland is open now at Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios has a new indoor Alice in Wonderland playground open, with an outdoor stunt-themed one on the way.
- Animation building home. Drawn to Wonderland sits inside The Magic of Disney Animation, the building in the park's Animation Courtyard.
- Mary Blair inspiration. Its design draws on original concept art by Disney Legend Mary Blair, whose color styling shaped the 1951 Alice in Wonderland film.
- Tea party and roses. Kids can play at an interactive Mad Hatter tea party table and wander a Queen of Hearts rose garden, both built larger than life.
- Space for toddlers. A separate area is designed for the youngest children, with parent seating nearby.
- Stunt show playground. Epic Jr. Stunt Spectacular! will sit beside the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! show, with interactive elements and themed play structures.
Disney gives the stunt-show playground only a window of the coming months. Until it opens, Drawn to Wonderland is the Studios option, and being indoors makes it a useful midday break.
A Tropical Americas play area is planned for Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom's playground will come with Tropical Americas, the new land being built where DinoLand U.S.A. stood.
- Pueblo Esperanza setting. The play area will be woven into Pueblo Esperanza, the village within Tropical Americas.
- Timing not announced. Disney says opening timeframes and other details will be shared later.
- Rest of the land. Tropical Americas is also set to bring an Encanto attraction and a new Indiana Jones adventure.
Themed hotel playgrounds at Art of Animation and Coronado Springs
Most hotel playgrounds are classic swings and slides, but two resorts give theirs a theme.
- Common features. Hotel playgrounds vary, but can include swings, tunnels, slides and soft, textured surfaces.
- Righteous Reef. At Art of Animation Resort, this sea-themed playground in the Finding Nemo courtyard has play structures based on the film.
- Coronado Springs dig. Coronado Springs Resort has an archaeology-themed playground for climbing and sliding near the Dig Site, the resort's main pool and recreation area.
The full list of 16 resort hotels with playgrounds
Disney lists these hotels as having playgrounds, which helps when kids are part of the hotel choice.
- All-Star trio. All-Star Movies, All-Star Music and All-Star Sports resorts.
- Animal Kingdom Lodge. Animal Kingdom Lodge and Animal Kingdom Villas: Jambo House.
- BoardWalk pair. BoardWalk Inn and BoardWalk Villas.
- Port Orleans pair. Port Orleans Resort: French Quarter and Port Orleans Resort: Riverside.
- Value and moderate picks. Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs resorts.
- Villas and campground. Old Key West Resort, Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, and Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.
Our take. Families booking a value hotel like Pop Century or Art of Animation already get a playground at home base. On the hottest days, pair a resort afternoon with an indoor park stop such as Space Base, Bruce's Shark World or Drawn to Wonderland.