Splash Mountain is one of the Magic Kingdom’s busiest attractions. The ride opened in 1992, and is one of the best-loved attractions in the Magic Kingdom. The huge mountain can be found in Frontierland, right beside one of the other famous Disney World Mountains, Big Thunder Mountain.
Take a log flume through a Southern bayou. Cruise through enjoying some great music but beware a 5 story fall into a briar patch will end this ride.
What makes this ride special is the anticipation of the “Big Drop”. Toward the end of the ride there is a 52 foot 45 degree drop which will take your breath away. Want to get soaked? Sit up front. Don’t want to get soaked? Sit in the back and you may experience a spray.
Splash Mountain is based on the segments of Song of the South. Br’er Rabbit leaves to search for adventure. Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear while trying to catch him are tricked into letting him free.
Don’t worry if you need to entertain your little ones during this ride, although an adult does need to stay with them. Laughin’ Place is right near Splash Mountain for children under 40 inches tall.
Fun Facts:
- This attraction includes 950,000 gallons of water
- The last drop is 5 stories.
- The “rocks” of the mountain when designed, were done by sculpting them in foam. A sophisticated computer program plotted points on the scale model of the “rocks” thus entering them into the computer. From that, these points were loaded on a machine that bent the supporting rebar to the exact, organic form of the scale model. Over the rebar, welded wire mesh was attached onto which gunnite (a sprayable concrete) was adhered. Thus, that’s how the rock formations were done.
- The idea for Splash Mountain was created by Imagineer Tony Baxter in 1983.
- The opening of Splash Mountain had to be delayed to redesign the boats. Originally they held more people so everyone was getting soaked.
- The ride did not receive lap bars until 2011.
- Flume speed of water flow, roughly 28,000 gallons of water per minute.