The Magic Kingdom is the most iconic and beloved of all Disney parks, with a mix of exciting rides, memorable characters, incredible shows, unique attractions, and so much more.
Plan your day using this guide to the best Magic Kingdom rides and attractions that you don’t want to miss during your trip.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
This roller coaster takes riders through a haunted gold mine with lots of twists, turns, and hills.
The only thing this roller coaster is missing is a ride photo to capture everyone’s smiling faces!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is also available at Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland.
To learn more about this ride, check out my Big Thunder Mountain Railroad riders guide.
- Location: Frontierland
- Height requirement: Riders must be 40 inches or taller to ride.
- Genie+: Yes, this ride is included as an option for Genie+.
- Duration: 3 minutes
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin takes you through several rooms where you use your astro blaster to score points by hitting targets.
It’s one of my favorite rides at Magic Kingdom because it’s like a game and a ride all-in-one!
If you love a little competition, you’ll love this ride as much as I do!
Similar versions of this ride are available at Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland.
It also used to be available at Hong Kong Disneyland, but closed in 2017. It was replaced by a Marvel-themed ride, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle.
- Location: Tomorrowland
- Height requirement: All heights welcome
- Genie+: Yes, this ride is included in Genie+.
- Ride photo: Yes, there is a ride photo (as featured above).
- Duration: About 5 minutes
Enchanted Tales with Belle
This attraction is actually a show, but since it’s available multiple times throughout the day, I’ve included it in this list of the best Magic Kingdom attractions and rides.
In this show, the story of Beauty & the Beast is retold with select audience members chosen to play characters alongside Belle.
It’s creative and fun, and bound to be a long-lasting memory for anyone who volunteers to play a part in the show. I highly recommend seeing it at least once!
- Location: Fantasyland
- Genie+: No, this show is not available as an option for Genie+.
- Ride photo: Yes – photos are taken at this show, both of the show itself. You can usually have your photo taken with Belle, as well.
- Duration: Roughly 20 minutes
Festival of Fantasy parade
The Disney Festival of Fantasy parade is one of the coolest shows across the parks at Disney World.
Tons of our favorite characters are included, like Ariel, Anna & Elsa, Peter Pan, Flynn Rider and Rapunzel, Mickey and Minnie, and many, many more.
The floats are insanely detailed, colorful, and tons of fun. There’s even a fire-breathing dragon. I swear I spot something new every time I watch this parade!
- Location: Frontierland > Liberty Square > Main Street USA
- Genie+: Yes – gets you access to a reserved seating area.
- Duration: 12 minutes
Happily Ever After
This beloved fireworks show is not to be missed. It’s a lovely way to close out a day at the park.
The projections of Disney characters, the classic Disney tunes, the massive fireworks – it’s quite the spectacle!
My favorite part of the show is when Tinkerbell flies overhead (if you couldn’t tell from this blog’s name, she’s my fave character!).
Another good thing about this show is that most people leave afterward and the park is usually open for another hour or so, depending on the time of the year. All this brings shorter lines – even at the most popular attractions!
- Location: Main Street USA
- Duration: 18 minutes
Haunted Mansion
This cult-favorite ride makes the list thanks to its spectacular theming.
The ride itself is pretty simple and similar to other ride-throughs, like Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid. But the special attention to detail on this ride is just top-notch.
From the attraction line all the way through to the end, you’ll feel fully immersed in a spooky, haunted mansion.
And as one might expect, it’s even more fun during Halloween time as there is usually a special PhotoPass opportunity outside the ride’s exit.
Haunted Mansion is also available at Disneyland (the original, slightly shorter ride), Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland.
- Location: Liberty Square
- Height requirement: All heights welcome
- Genie+: Yes, this ride is available as an option for Genie+.
- Ride photo: Yes, there is a ride photo and it features hitchhiking ghosts!
Mad Tea Party
This is a simple, but classic attraction at Magic Kingdom. Mad Tea Party features swirling saucers that guests can control the spinning speed, while the ride itself spins in a circle.
I might be a bit biased on this one, as I have a lot of good memories riding it with my niece.
The first time she rode it, all she could talk about was seeing a spinning ride like this on Spongebob Squarepants. How un-Disney of her!
This Alice in Wonderland-themed attraction is also available at Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland.
- Location: Fantasyland
- Height requirement: All heights welcome
- Genie+: Yes, this ride is available as an option for Genie+.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Last but not least is Mickey’s PhilharMagic, a fun 4D film starring Donald Duck in Mickey’s iconic Fantasia role.
Throughout this short film, you’ll hear many of your favorite Disney songs, like Be Our Guest from Beauty & the Beast and Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic is also available at Disney California Adventure, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland.
- Location: Fantasyland
- Genie+: Yes, this show is available as an option for Genie+.
- Duration: 12 minutes
Pirates of the Caribbean
Another cult-favorite ride at Magic Kingdom is Pirates of the Caribbean.
On this indoor boat ride, you’ll witness many hilarious pirate-themed scenes, featuring Disney’s favorite pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow.
Similar versions of Pirates of the Caribbean are also available at Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland.
- Location: Adventureland
- Height requirement: All heights welcome.
- Genie+: Yes, this ride is available as an option for Genie+.
- Duration: 8.5 minutes
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
This fun, family-friendly roller coaster takes riders on a twisty, turney journey through a diamond mine.
The theming is spot-on for its lovable, classic characters, with brilliant-colored gems, animatronic figures, and the song Heigh-Ho playing in the background.
A similar version of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is available at Shanghai Disneyland.
To learn more about this ride, check out my Seven Dwarfs Mine Train riders guide.
- Location: Fantasyland
- Height requirement: Riders must be at least 38 inches or taller to ride.
- Genie+: No, this ride is not included as an option for Magic Kingdom’s Genie+ pass.
- Individual Lightning Lane: Yes, you can purchase an individual lightning lane pass for this ride.
- Ride photo: Yes, there is a ride photo, as well as a video.
- Duration: Just under 3 minutes.
Space Mountain
This roller coaster takes you through twists and turns in the complete dark.
You never know what’s coming next since you can’t see a thing, so you can’t psych yourself out and you end up fully experiencing the ride as it’s meant to be.
Of all the roller coasters at Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain is my favorite.
I always walk off this ride with happy tears in my eyes from laughing so much!!
Similar versions of this ride are available at Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland. Learn more in my Space Mountain Ride Guide.
- Location: Tomorrowland
- Height requirement: Riders must be at least 44 inches or taller to ride.
- Genie+: Yes, this ride is available as an option for Genie+.
- Ride photo: Yes, a photo is taken on this ride.
- Duration: 2.5 minutes
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
For many years, I just did NOT get why people thought this ride was so special. I had memories of riding it when I was a kid back in the 90s and being SO bored.
And then one day, my family and I randomly decided to hop on because there was no wait and we had just done a bunch of rides in that area like Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.
Happily Ever After was about to start, but my niece was going through a no-fireworks phase, so we hopped on as none of us wanted to leave the theme park yet.
We ended up getting spectacular views of the fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle and loved going through Space Mountain while it was running.
I’ve been hooked on this ride ever since!
If you’ve seen Happily Ever After before, I definitely recommend hopping on the People Mover during the show for a new experience.
Plus, if you’re only in Magic Kingdom during the day, you can get cool photos of the park from an aerial view. Some of the photos I used in this post were all taken while on the PeopleMover!
So basically, there’s no wrong time to ride the PeopleMover!
- Location: Tomorrowland
- Height requirement: All heights welcome
- Genie+: No, this ride is not available as an option for Genie+, as the line is generally never long enough to need it.
- Duration: 10 minutes
TRON Lightcycle Run
The newest ride at Disney World is TRON Lightcycle Run, a super fun roller coaster based on the cult classic Sci-Fi films, TRON and TRON: Legacy.
In my opinion, the best time to ride this roller coaster is at night, when the flashing blue and red lighting is turned on.
Unfortunately the only way to guarantee an evening ride is to purchase an individual lightning lane. That’s because for the time being, this ride uses a virtual queue.
- Location: Tomorrowland
- Height requirement: 48″ or taller
- Lightning Lane: Yes, an individual lightning lane is available for purchase. Guests are limited to 1 per day.
- Duration: 10 minutes
- NOTE: This ride requires use of a virtual queue and there is no standby line. You can join the queue at 7 AM and 1 PM.
What are your favorite Magic Kingdom rides and attractions?
Magic Kingdom is packed with rides and attractions, bringing enchantment and joy to all those who enter.
Who can resist the charm of Fantasyland, the pulse-pounding thrill of Space Mountain or a leisurely day spent meeting your favorite Disney characters?
Whether you want to brave TRON or discover what awaits you on Jungle Cruise, Magic Kingdom truly has something for everyone.
What better way to spend time with friends and family than at Magic Kingdom?
Before you go, let me know which attractions and rides at Magic Kingdom are your favorites in the comments section below.
For more tips on planning your days at Walt Disney World resort, check out these posts:
About the author
Meg Frost is the creator of The Park Pixie, where she covers Disney World, Disney+, and Disney fandom.
She holds an M.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University and B.S. in Communication & American Studies from University of Miami in Florida.
This blog post was originally published on June 27, 2021. It was last updated September 17, 2023.
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