Hot? Take a break at Tom Sawyer Island.

[distips]

If it gets hot or crowded at the Magic Kingdom and your kids are tired of waiting on lines, take a raft from Frontierland over to Tom Sawyer Island. There are paths, and buildings to explore, caves and even a fort. You can play checkers by the water, or just sit in a rocking chair. (In Disneyland, there's also a pirate treasure on the island, but not in WDW.) There are no rides, but plenty of space and shade with no crowds. For you New Yorkers out there, the paths are reminiscent of the Ramble in Central Park.

Bonus: you can look for paintbrushes which Tom and his friends have hidden around the island. Story is that they didn't want to finish painting that fence, and have hidden the brushes all around the island. Bring the brush back to the cast member on the other side when you leave the island, and you'll get a prize, usually a family fastpass good for Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. If you find more than one, leave it for another family, your group only needs 1 brush for the prize.

It would be great to grab a snack on the island, but alas, I've never seen the snack counter open in recent times, even during peak Easter season.

 

[Peanut&Piglet'sMom]

In all of my trips to Disney...we've never gone over to the island.

However...this year it's on the list. August is bound to be brutal and with 2 kids, we'll want the break!

Thanks for the brush tip!

 

[BeyondHorizons]

Wow, I never knew about the paintbrushes!
Great tip!

 

[ntsammy5]

It's a long story, but we got stuck over there for a while, years ago, when they ran out of gas for the rafts......

 

[Ashlander]

Love the island. We completely missed it on our first trip...and made a point of going last year. We were not able to spend much time on the island though because my sis wanted to ride some rides. This year we are taking our time to explore...sounds like we missed a lot!

 

[nicki.momof3]

We went to the island during Easter with our 3 kids (ages 4,5,6) and we had the best tiem ever. We went at noonish and we found a paint brush. We played checkers and relaxed in the rockers. It is a family favorite.

 

[ford91exploder]

Don't forget the Barrel bridge! and when you go over it step SMARTLY to make that sucker bounce! (like Tigger)

 

[3girls4me05]

I took my little one over there while the big kids and dad rode Big Thunder Mountain. You also get a great shot of that ride over there BTW! Anyways, she had a ton of fun.

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

Don't forget the Barrel bridge! and when you go over it step SMARTLY to make that sucker bounce! (like Tigger)

You would not believe the mean looks I get from people when we start bouncing the bridge.

With all the foliage and lack of a breeze, I actually think TSI is hotter because of the humidity. But, in the caves are the coldest, most refreshingest air conditioner vents in the world. We stop at every one of them for a few minutes.

I just wish they had more of a reason to visit the fort, though.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

We just visited TSI for the first time last week. It was great fun. We looked for paintbrushes but didn't find one. We saw 3 other families that each found one. I found a great rocking chair in the shade and really enjoyed relaxing. My teenagers had a great time exploring the caves. I thought they would be too old for TSI but they seemed to really like it. Take the time it is worth it.

 

[WillCAD]

You would not believe the mean looks I get from people when we start bouncing the bridge.

With all the foliage and lack of a breeze, I actually think TSI is hotter because of the humidity. But, in the caves are the coldest, most refreshingest air conditioner vents in the world. We stop at every one of them for a few minutes.

I just wish they had more of a reason to visit the fort, though.

Funny you should mention that...

On my very first trip to WDW, in August 1990, I naturally went over to TSI. While there, the heat - over 90 that day - and humidity - enough to wring water out of the air with your bare hands - got so bad that I was on the verge of passing out. I've never been so close to heat exhaustion in my life. And in those days, bottled water was not sold at the parks, so when we got to Aunt Polly's, the only place to get anything cool to drink on the island, all I could get was Coke.

It took a while, but by sipping Coke and pouring ice all over myself while I sat in the shade, I cooled off enough to stagger back to the mainland and find some air conditioning.

I still think that TSI is the hottest, most uncomfortable part of MK, though it ain't a patch on Animal Kingdom in that regard!

 

[erinch]

Just confirming that they are still doing the paintbrushes?

 

[Bound For Glory]

One of my favorite memories of our last trip to Disney (we go again in 9 days!) in 2000 was when our then 7 y/o son and I were playing in the fort. Every time BTMRR would pass everyone (mostly children and then me) would shoot at the train with the rifles through the little gun holes. After doing this a few times my son asks me if there are real bullets in the guns.

 

[erinch]

last time we were there, the guns are gone. i think they took them out after 9/11.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Just confirming that they are still doing the paintbrushes?

We were there in the middle of June, and they had the brushes. We did not find one, but we saw 3 different families with one. I don't know what they got, but I did see them with a prize of some kind.

Have fun!!

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

last time we were there, the guns are gone. i think they took them out after 9/11.

I don't think that was the reason, since the guns were still there in 2005.

 

[dwdreamer]

We were there on 6/27 and the guns were in the fort. My son also found a paintbrush and rec'd fast passes.

 

[Liz&Griff'smom]

How is the wait getting to and from the island? I have been to WDW many times and have never been to TSI.

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

How is the wait getting to and from the island? I have been to WDW many times and have never been to TSI.

Usually between 5-20 minutes. It's one of those that people bypass if they see a long line, which helps keep the line relatively short.

We've never waited longer than the second raft across.

 

[charissemp]

We loved Tom Sawyer's Island! And it was a hot day! Our only problem was the snack problem that you mentioned. We were really thirsty and left with those yucky drinking fountains. So, just grab bottled water ahead of time!