Birt Family Focus

Liberty Square -- 11/20/01
Photos by Paul Dunn and Carol Vandiver

Howdy!!!

SO- I believe we were last sipping lemonade and having ham sandwiches at Aunt Polly's while the kiddies hid from Injun Joe in the caves at Tom Sawyer's Island, right?Or were we clapping and singing along with the Country Bears? No matter, now that we've had a rest, it's time to move on to Liberty Square.

To be honest, I rarely notice that I have left Frontierland for Liberty Square and I'd wager many of you feel the same. The transition is subtle, mostly notable in the difference in the gardening and the building fronts get neater and less....frontierish (?) as you go, but the time period they are set in is about the same. It's more like taking a stroll from the bad side of the railroad tracks to the good. Those of you have been THERE will know exactly what I mean. But at least at Disney, unlike some of the neighborhoods I've lived in, even the bad side of the tracks is a good place to be

Liberty square is home to my favorite place to shop in all of the Magic Kingdom- Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. There is a little area behind that shop with benches and umbrellas that is a perfect spot for a rest, lunch, or even a view of the parades. Though you don't get any personal interaction with the parade characters from here, you can see it, and the seclusion of this little spot makes the crowds seem a million miles away.

On to the attractions. Today, since it's pretty much the next thing you encounter after the Jamboree and TSI, we will take a ride on the Liberty Belle.

The Liberty Belle

Now, once upon a time, there were more attractions that went around the river, but since the path and views were all the same, I found them redundant and must confess I don't miss the keelboats. Of course, there are those who would cheerfully shoot me for saying that. ;-) In any case, the Liberty Belle is a paddle wheel riverboat. She was actually built at WDW and has never left. She travels the Rivers of America on an underwater rail, though she is powered with real steam, just like the real thing. In fact, if you stand near the paddle wheel, you can get burned by little drips of hot water, so be careful.

The tour is 17 minutes long and is supposedly narrated by an actor portraying Mark Twain, but I have honestly never heard him. I always ride this in the prow, by the rail and enjoy the breeze. Here's a tip- if you ask the captain early on, you can ride in the top and steer the boat. Afterwards, he'll give you an "Honorary Captain" certificate.

Liberty Tree Tavern

Well- after this it's time for an early lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern- see you next week!