Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom opened in 1971--the first park in the Walt Disney World complex. Disney World still boasts several of the rides it opened with, although most have been renovated and updated to appeal to a modern crowd. Visitors can sail around the world in "It's a Small World" to see children sing the same song together in different languages This ride is appropriate for children of all ages and adults. Older kids and adults can travel on a "spaceship" roller coaster in "Space Mountain." However, children under 44 inches cannot ride, and children under the age of 7 need an adult to ride with them. Families can board a pirate ship and watch pirates capture a Caribbean town in "Pirates of the Caribbean." On this ride, there is no age or height restriction. Visit a haunted mansion that is home to 101 friendly spirits in "The Haunted Mansion." There is no age or height restriction on this ride; however, parents should be aware that some children may be sensitive to the loud noises and "scary" ghosts. Finally, take a trip over the falls with Brier Rabbit while singing "Zipidy Doo Da" on "Splash Mountain." The height restriction on this ride is 40 inches.
EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) offers visitors a view of what the future may hold as well as a showcase of the present. Visitors can travel to 11 countries that showcase cuisine, art, music and the culture of different regions of the world. The only two rides in this section of EPCOT are the "Maelstrom," a boat ride through Norway, and the "Gran Fiesta Tour," a boat ride in Mexico. Other rides in the future showcase are "Spaceship Earth," which is in the iconic EPCOT "ball," showcasing what our world may look like in the future, "The Land," a ride that educates how our food is grown and "Soarin," a look at the United States from a bird's view. The only ride listed here with height restrictions is "Soarin," which has a 40-inch height restriction. Since EPCOT focuses on educational rides, most of their attractions are geared toward children (and adults) of all ages.
Hollywood Studios is devoted to the craft of movie and television production. Guests can take a Hollywood-like backstage tour that shows how some of their favorite movies and television shows were created. "The Great Movie Ride" throws visitors in the scenes of some of their favorite movies including "Alien" and "The Wizard of Oz." "Star Tours" brings viewers into the middle of the action of the "Star Wars" trilogy. Visitors must be 40 inches tall to ride this ride.
Tourists can ride "The Tower of Terror," inspired by Rod Sterlings' "The Twilight Zone." Guests will travel up an elevator to the second dimension before being "dropped" 13 stories to the basement. Visitors must be 40 inches tall to ride this ride.
"Rockin' Roller Coaster" gives guests a thrill while their favorite Aerosmith songs are blasted from headsets. Visitors must be 48 inches tall to ride this ride.
One of the newest Disney theme parks, Animal Kingdom pays homage to the animal world and is both educational and entertaining. "Dinosaur" takes visitors on a travel through time back to the age of dinosaurs via a CTX Time Rover. Visitors must be 40 inches tall to ride this ride. "Kilimanjaro Safaris" takes visitors on an African safari where they can view real African animals. "Expedition Everest" is a roller coaster that offers high-speed thrills, racing through Mount Everest. Visitors must be 44 inches tall to ride this ride. "Kali River Rapids" is a family water ride geared to cool down guests in the hot "African" sun. Visitors must be 38 inches tall to ride this attraction.
Walt Disney World has two water parks, devoted to cooling down guests and providing thrills and relaxation. Typhoon Lagoon offers "Castaway Creek," a lazy river ride where guests can float in a tube around the park's perimeter. Thrill seekers can shoot down "Humunga Kowabunga," a vertical water slide.
Disney's second water park, Blizzard Beach, offers similar rides to Typhoon Lagoon in a "cool setting." Their version of the lazy river ride is called "Cross Country Creek" and also allows guests to relax in tubes, floating around the park's perimeter. "Summit Plummet," their thrill-seeker adventure, is a vertical water slide that drops guests down what they claim is "one of the world's tallest and fastest water slides." Both "Humunga Kowabunga" and "Summit Plummet" are high-intensity rides and should only be ridden by children 48 inches tall or taller.
