Liberty Square is a land that is distinctively American. With architectural theming from the Colonial era of America, this land in the Magic Kingdom is probably the most relatable to its American guests. Within these Colonial-era designs, you’ll find varying motifs that represent different colonial outposts. We’ve seen things that represent to us places from Boston down to Georgia. We’re not an expert here; we just use our eyes to see things we recognize. You may find something we’ve never noticed. But all of it is distinctly Colonial. We cover all of this and more here in our guide to Liberty Square at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
Liberty Square is the smallest of all the lands in Magic Kingdom, but its theme consistency and execution is on point. Beyond the architecture, you will find great touches, like a Liberty Tree and a replica Liberty Bell. In the Liberty tree, you’ll find 13 lamps to commemorate the original 13 colonies of the United States. The Liberty Bell is an official replica created to mark the bi-centennial in 1976. There were only 50 produced, one for each state. There are even lanterns in windows meant to replicate the one if by land, two if by sea signals that the colonists gave as part of the Revolutionary war.
We highly recommend you take your time in Liberty Square. Even though it is small and only has three attractions, there’s a lot to be taken in here. Don’t just blow through it on your way between Fantasyland and Frontierland. Stop and admire the details in this slice of American history.
A fun fact for you; All of the attractions in Liberty Square were present when the park opened. And yes, we know the Riverboat technically opened on day 2, but you get our point.
Liberty Square Attractions
Haunted Mansion
When Haunted Mansion opened in 1971, the special effects had to be revolutionary at the time. And unlike some of the other original opening day rides, the effects here hold up very well.
Take a ride through the Mansion where the ghosts of those gone before us have some spooky fun. You’ll find a mix of some playful spirits with some “punny” humor and some more spooky frights. Nothing we think you would consider intense, but some good fun. You take it in by traveling in a “Doom Buggy” that leads you through 15 different rooms of the mansion that each depict their own haunted scenes.
The attraction has a pretty good queue. The outside portion is well covered, and it features a graveyard with some silly saying written on the headstones, many of which are shout-outs to Imagineers that worked on the attraction.
Attraction Duration: 10 minutes
FastPass+ Availability: Yes
Minimum Height: None
Seating Set Up: 2 riders per “Doom Buggy”
Rider Switch Available: No
Single Rider Available: No
Kid Scare Factor: Moderate. It says “haunted” in the name, right? It’s not like a Halloween haunted house you would encounter with gore and the like, but the special effects could frighten younger kids. The ride is in the dark.
The Hall of Presidents
A land called Liberty Square that celebrates America’s origins can’t be complete without looking at the history of the country along with some its leaders, right? Enter Hall of Presidents.
Modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia, this attraction uses animatronics and film to walk you through some of the founders’ struggles with a fledgling nation, through the Civil War and into the present day. You’ll hear from a few Presidents in their own voice. Each sitting President since Bill Clinton has specifically recorded a speech for this attraction. Many park-goers consider this attraction to be a monument to American patriotism.
The queueing area atrium has Presidential portraits and related memorabilia to behold. If you’re interested in American history, allow yourself some time on the front end of the show to walk through this area at your own pace.
The attraction does offer 23 minutes of air-conditioned time off your feet. And the wait is usually not bad. That makes this a good option for a mid-afternoon break from the heat.
If you think you recognize the narrator’s voice, you probably do. See if you can guess who it is. We’re not going to spoil it!
Attraction Duration: 23 minutes
FastPass+ Availability: No
Minimum Height: None
Seating Set Up: Theater style seating with individual chairs
Rider Switch Available: No
Single Rider Available: No
Kid Scare Factor: None
Liberty Square Riverboat
Board a classic Colonial-era inspired steamboat for a half-mile trip around Tom Sawyer Island. During the journey, you’ll hear from Mark Twain, recounting tails of traveling and discovering new places. The banks of the river provide various scenes of western range life.
The boat is named the Liberty Belle and is a reproduction of the historic vessels that ferried people up and down the Mississippi river. It possesses an actual working steam engine that converts the water from the river into steam that, in turn, powers the large paddle that propels the boat.
Attraction Duration: 17 minutes
FastPass+ Availability: No
Minimum Height: None
Seating Set Up: There is limited seating on the four decks, most people will have to stand
Rider Switch Available: No
Single Rider Available: No
Kid Scare Factor: None
Entertainment
Entertainment is one place that Liberty Square lacks in Magic Kingdom. There isn’t really anything to see here. Although we should give a shout out to our favorite show, “The Muppets Present…Great Moments in History”. Unfortunately, Disney World canceled the show at the end of 2019.
Liberty Square does have some great places to watch the various parades that take place throughout the day.
Dining
Columbia Harbour House
This New England styled restaurant is one of the better quick-service eateries in the Magic Kingdom. They focus on seafood here, so if you have any sort of allergy, you may want to stay away out of an abundance of caution. Kids can get non-seafood-based meals here.
It may appear crowded in here. Don’t waste your time trying to find a table downstairs if it is. Go upstairs, and you can usually find plenty of seating without the hassle of wandering all over the place, hoping someone will get up and leave.
Location: Across the walkway from the entrance to Haunted Mansion
Table Service or Quick Service: Quick Service
Menu: Click Here
Cuisine Style: American
Price Range: Inexpensive (Entrees are under $14.99/adult and $8.00/child)
Hours: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Mobile Orders Accepted: Yes
Dining Plan Eligible: Yes
Dining Plans Accepted: All
Dining Plan Credits Required: 1
Liberty Tree Tavern
What’s more American than Thanksgiving! In the Liberty Tree Tavern, you’ll get to dine on possibly the most patriotic meal of all. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and more. You may be taken aback when the host or hostess asks you where you are from. Rest assured, they aren’t trying to steal your identity. Instead, they are planning to announce to you/your party, similar to how it would have been done back in Colonial times.
The restaurant is themed to feel like an old Colonial home, with wood paneling, candelabra chandeliers, large brick fireplaces, and walls lined with period portraits. If you’re having a hard time envisioning it, think of the houses in the movie The Patriot, with Mel Gibson. It is divided into multiple rooms, which makes it feel a bit more intimate. Each room features a famous person from American history like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Paul Jones, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, and George Washington.
For lunch, you can get a Thanksgiving meal or order a la carte from the menu. The a la carte items feature some more very American dishes, along with some other New England feeling seafood-based recipes. However, dinner is only the Thanksgiving dinner style. There is no a la carte menu for that meal.
They also do have a limited menu of beer, wine, and cocktails available.
We have a complete Liberty Tree Tavern review if you want to see more about the food.
Location: As you leave Hall of Presidents, if you head towards Frontierland, it will be on your left.
Table Service or Quick Service: Table Service
Menu: Click Here
Cuisine Style: American
Price Range: Moderate (Adults can eat for under $35/person; kids for under $15/person)
Hours: 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM (They do close briefly between lunch and dinner)
Mobile Orders Accepted: No
Dining Plan Eligible: Yes
Dining Plans Accepted: Disney Dining Plan and Deluxe Dining Plan
Dining Plan Credits Required: 1
The Diamond Horseshoe
Diamond Horseshow is a bit of a conundrum in a few ways. According to the Disney website, it is listed as a Liberty Square restaurant. However, everything about it feels like Frontierland. It is right on the border of where Frontierland and Liberty Square meet. So, we’ll go with what the website says, but know that it is a bit out of place.
The menu is the first evidence of not being a Liberty Square restaurant. This is a barbeque joint in its purest form. It’s only open seasonally, so if you want to give this place a try, make sure it is open.
Table Service or Quick Service: Table Service
Menu: Click Here
Cuisine Style: American
Price Range: Expensive ($35 to $59.99 per adult)
Hours: 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Mobile Orders Accepted: No
Dining Plan Eligible: Yes
Dining Plans Accepted: Disney Dining Plan and Deluxe Dining Plan
Dining Plan Credits Required: 1
Sleepy Hollow
This quick-service location serves up a pretty limited menu of snacks. Most of the snacks are centered around a waffle. There is no seating here, so you’ll take your food to go.
We also have a Sleepy Hollow review for anyone interested in seeing some of the food.
Location: On your right, just after you cross the bridge from the hub into Liberty Square
Table Service or Quick Service: Quick Service
Menu: Click Here
Cuisine Style: American
Price Range: Inexpensive (Snacks are less than $10 each, with most less than $8)
Hours: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Mobile Orders Accepted: No
Dining Plan Eligible: Only for snacks
Dining Plans Accepted: All, only for snacks
Dining Plan Credits Required: 1 snack credit
Liberty Square Market
Liberty Square Market is another snack location in Liberty Square. This one offers one of the better fruit assortments around Magic Kingdom if you are looking for options. You can also get the famous Mickey Pretzel!
Location: Just to the left of Hall of Presidents
Table Service or Quick Service: Quick Service
Menu: Click Here
Cuisine Style: American
Price Range: Inexpensive (Most snacks are less than $7 each)
Hours: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Mobile Orders Accepted: No
Dining Plan Eligible: Only for snacks
Dining Plans Accepted: All, only for snacks
Dining Plan Credits Required: 1 snack credit
Shops
There are a few interesting shops to check out in Liberty Square, but like all our other guides, we’re just hitting the ones we think you will find more notable.
Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe
Looking for Disney related Christmas ornaments and decorations, but there in the middle of July? No worries, head on over the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. They stock a good selection of Christmas related items year-round.
Liberty Square Portrait Gallery
This shop is fun because they were because they feature hard drawn silhouette portraits, done by artists on site. You can also get a caricature done here.
Memento Mori
Memento Mori is a small shop dedicated to Haunted Mansion related items. It has a pretty good assortment of the Haunted Mansion collectibles if that’s your thing.
Wrapping Up our Guide to Liberty Square at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
While Liberty Square may be small, it certainly makes good use of what it’s got. Make sure you check out the attractions here, even if only for a little bit. To miss it would be to miss an entertaining part of Magic Kingdom. What’s your favorite part of Liberty Square? Did we omit something you think others in the community of readers would like to know about? Tell us about it, drop down into the comments section below, and share your thoughts with everyone.
If you are interested in the other lands of Magic Kingdom, you can use the links below to skip to our guides to those areas of the park. Otherwise, you can head back to our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to explore more of what Disney World has to offer.