Main Street USA

Main Street USA at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is the small town we all wish we grew up in. Horse drawn carriages coming down the street, candy shops, parades, steam engine trains, and a real live castle at the end. It's a dream come to life.

It also serves as the lobby to the rest of the park. This is where you can go to get your camera fixed, go to the ATM, get a locker, a stroller, or anything else you would need for the day at the Magic Kingdom.

This is the opening credit of Uncle Walt's Ultimate Reality Show. Check out Dad talking about Uncle Walt's Magic Kingdom.

There is lots to see and do here. You can get your hair cut, shop for just about anything, watch the parade, the fireworks or just watch the people walk down the street.

This is also the place with the best view of Cinderella Castle.

Check out Dad's favorite memory of Cinderella Castle.

Main Street is the perfect place to begin a Magical Disney World adventure.

Photo by JeffB

Attractions

We'll start off our tour by looking at the attractions. There aren't really any major attractions to see, but check out the Walt Disney World Railroad where you can take a trip around the park on a vintage steam train. The Main Street Vehicles run back and forth all day long. There are trolleys, horse-drawn carriages, and much more. At the Town Square Exposition Hall you can see the beginnings of Mickey Mouse and some of Uncle Walt's early works.

Shopping

Shop till you drop. It's truly amazing what you can buy in the Magic Kingdom. Most of the best shopping is concentrated right here on Main Street. The Art of Disney is where you can buy Disney animation art, and much more. The Chapeau is the hat capitol of Disney World. Mouse Ears and hats and badges are available and you can get them personalized right in the shop.

Disney Clothiers is has a wide variety of Disney themed clothing. (Duh) Grab a sweatshirt for me. The Emporium is the Magic Kingdom's largest gift shop. It is full of all kinds of Disney stuff.

Crystal Arts is one of the places where you can watch craftsmen at work. You can watch as glass is blown into amazing shapes. The Harmony Barber Shop real barbers cut hair and occasionally you find a barbershop quartet regaling audiences with great music. At the Shadow Box artists cut up black paper into silhouettes of children's likenesses. At Upton Ewers, jewelry artisans from around the world create new pieces of jewelry. It's almost magic.

There are a couple of unique gift shops here. The Firehouse Gift Station has authentic firefighter paraphernalia. The Athletic Club has sports related merchandise and gifts.

Also on Main Street there is a package pickup area where you can have your packages held while you enjoy time in the park and pick them up on your way out. The Newsstand is an interesting place, it doesn't have any newspapers (they create messes), but it does have souvenirs. The Town Square Exposition Hall has a camera stand where you can buy your PhotoPass pictures, grab a photo album, get your camera worked on, and even take pictures with cardboard Disney characters.

Wheelchair Rental

Just outside the gate you can rent wheelchairs and Electronic Convenience Vehicles (ECV's).

Dining

Fine Dining is not one of the Magic Kingdom's strong suits. The restaurants in the Magic Kingdom are more geared to volume service. It's no different here.

There are lots of good tasting treats available at the restaurants. The Main Street Bake Shop has pastries available, the Ice Cream Parlor serves full four course meals (not really, just trying to see if anyone's paying attention), or ice cream cones and shakes. Sounds good either way.

At the Main Street Confectionery taffy is pulled all day long. You can also find a wide array of candies and goodies but no gum. Uncle Walt hated having gum on shoes so he banned it's sales at the parks.

There are a couple of fast food restaurants. Casey's Corner has hot dogs and more. The Plaza Restaurant serves sandwiches and desserts.

Finally there are a two sit down, full service, restaurants. The Crystal Palace has a character meal that is hosted by Winnie the Pooh and friends. It features carved meats and even a serving station for kids. Tony's Town Square has Italian food including spaghetti for lovers (like in 101 Dalmatians) for lunch and dinner.

One of Dad's favorite ways to start a day at the Magic Kingdom is to grab a pastry at the Main St. Bake Shop.

Entertainment

Walt Disney World excels at extra shows, parades and fireworks. This is the place to see all of these. Check out the daily schedule to see what's going on when your there.

The Dapper Dan's are a barbershop quartet the performs at the barber shop. They perform some great music and skits. Every day ends with a Flag Retreat. A patriotic ceremony complete with veterans and a brass band taking down the flag.

No day at the Magic Kingdom would be complete without a parade. Every afternoon the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade is performed. It's has floats from several classic Disney movies and Disney characters that walk the parade route and interact with guests.

SpectroMagic is the evening parade. It's a spectacular show full of lights, smoke, and characters. It's not to be missed. Over 600,000 light bulbs bring Mickey and his pals to life.

The evening ends with the best daily firework show anywhere. Wishes is a great finale to Uncle Walt's perfect reality show.

Dad's Bottom Line

You could spend hours just looking at all the shops on Main Street USA. It's a shoppers dream. It's also one of the most beautiful areas of the park especially as the sun goes down and the lights come on.

The first look at Cinderella Castle is magical.