On our recent trip to Disney World, also a first trip for some of us, we truly enjoyed soaking up the magic and watching the joy spread across the faces of our fellow family members. Magic Kingdom of course has the castle and “pixie dust” of awe all around. Epcot meets you with cultural immersion with every step, allowing you to taste and see a piece of certain countries. Hollywood Studios is a lively atmosphere of amusement mixed with movie inspirations.

Animal Kingdom, however, was a favorite for many of us for so many different reasons. We were so pleasantly surprised at every turn there, that we still talk about what we can do next time more than any other park. Here are 8 surprising things about Animal Kingdom that we absolutely enjoyed and can’t wait to experience again.

1. The Beauty

As you walk into the park, I can definitely tell you that the beauty of it is one of the 8 surprising things about Animal Kingdom. The Tree of Life itself is enough to make you awe-inspired and you could stare at it for hours, just picking out the details. As you walk around and notice the foliage and theming, however, you will find yourself in disbelief as to the world you are currently walking through. Not only are animals brought into this picture of beauty, but different cultures are vividly present and picturesque scenes of Everest.

Animal Kingdom was my favorite spot to take pictures and get family photos with our Photopass/Memory Maker. You could spend an entire week taking photos here alone, as the opportunities are endless for the photographer’s soul. With amazing backdrops and lots of places that easily remove crowds and other people from your photos, you will be amazed at the joy your eyes behold and will be snapping your camera away all day.

This park carries more than visual beauty, but a unique cultural one as well. As you meander through the different areas of it, you will stumble across African stomp and drummers in the middle of the road, notice simple things like signs that mean more than the words carved on them, and smell tasty delicacies from other cultures that your nose just begs you to check out. This park’s beauty is most definitely one of the 8 surprising things about Animal Kingdom for us, and probably our favorite.

2. Wilderness Explorers

It shouldn’t be hard to keep a kid engaged in Disney. At least it doesn’t sound like it should be hard, but it certainly can be. The beauty of Disney World is that there is lots for kids to do, but there are also a lot of things for adults to engage in. Animal Kingdom is no exception with all of the nature trails and information to take in. Sometimes the information can be boring to a kid however. That is why the Wilderness Explorers program was one of the 8 surprising things at Animal Kingdom we loved.

Wilderness Explorers is a free (*no additional cost) thing your kids can stay engaged in while you enjoy the more “boring” parts of the park. It makes them want to learn more about the animals, ecosystem, nature, conservation, and more because they collect sticker badges to put in their little books as they complete lessons and interactive activities to earn them from their guides. They are encouraged to ask questions and dig deeper into the subject they are hearing about too. You can get started by just visiting a Wilderness Explorer guide along the way!

The desire for adventure and earning all of their “badges” keeps them wanting to move down the exploration trails and finding the info they need. It is a creative little program Disney has to make sure there is something for the kids in all of those facts as you explore Animal Kingdom yourself.

3. Very Knowledgeable Cast Members were one of the 8 surprising things about Animal Kingdom for us

Going along with the Wilderness Explorers point, we were impressed at how much knowledge the Cast Members (Disney staff) had on the different animals, habitats, and nature topics offered. We learned all about Okapis and the history of them from a Cast Member just hanging out near their habitat while we were walking through an exploration trail. We got to see those giant fox bats (I’m not a fan of ever seeing one outside of it’s habitat), and learned so much about them.

It was fun to hear stories from the Cast Members too about specific animals, like the dynamics of each gorilla we saw and who was the mom, and why she didn’t get along with the other mom at the time… They told us each animal’s name, how old they were, where they came from, and all sorts of facts. Each animal in its habitat was like a beloved pet to each Cast Member. It was so fun to learn facts and about each animal’s story if we wanted. It made it more fun for our kiddo too.

We also loved how the Cast Members would play up the myths and legends, making our adventures even more exciting and fun. The Expedition Everest coaster has an entire exciting story of its own with its yeti. Cast Members love to share and make it their job to make your day. Treat them well and you will find yourself having a wonderful day filled with so much valuable information.

4. Hidden Gems

There are so many hidden gems around Animal Kingdom that we would have never known about if it wasn’t for following a couple of our favorite YouTube Influencers, Mammoth Club and Disney Food Blog. Because of the suggestions we gained from Molly and AJ, we were able to find some of the coolest things around the park that we would have probably otherwise missed.

One of the biggest, even easiest, hidden gems we still talk about all of the time is the trail that takes you right up close and personal to the Tree of Life. Seeing those amazing, beautiful carvings right within reach was incredible, and we could have easily spent hours exploring it. You can enter the trail right across from the park’s Starbucks location, Creature Comforts. In fact, grab an afternoon coffee and take a stroll! The afternoon is when crowds are lower at the coffee stops anyways, plus you’ll need a pick-me-up and change of pace.

Another (sort of) hidden gem that not many people seem to take time for is Rafiki’s Planet Watch. You hop on a train and ride it to the Conservation Station where you can take a sketch class, see amphibians, reptiles, and other creepy crawly creatures, and see the animal medical center, which is so cool! AND, there is an Affection Section, which is essentially the petting zoo portion where you and your family can pet goats, pigs, and other cute animals. (You may even see the piggy who inspired Pua from Moana there!)

There are so many things that could be your own “hidden gems” in Animal Kingdom, but those are a couple of ours. They were definitely factors into our 8 surprising things about Animal Kingdom. Share with me some of your favorite places in Animal Kingdom!

5. The Unrushed Atmosphere

Every Disney park has it’s own feel to it. What we were so pleasantly surprised by was the unrushed, almost relaxing atmosphere at Animal Kingdom. Sure, you want to hurry up to those key, popular rides before there is a giant line, but with so many other non-queue things to do at Animal Kingdom, you will find that you don’t need to stress too much about hurrying around the park, especially if you’re spending a full day there.

Take a stroll on an exploration trail. Take the train ride to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Hangout near the river and wait to see characters float by on a flotilla to wave at. Explore Pandora and all of the neat “how did they do that?” landscapes. Of course there are ways to find yourself unrushed at any of the Disney parks, but we found Animal Kingdom provided more natural opportunities to find solitude and feel unrushed. Having those chances to be relaxed, especially on vacation made this one of our 8 surprising things about Animal Kingdom.

6. Unique Eats are another of the 8 surprising things about Animal Kingdom

Ok. Yes. Everywhere you look in Disney there are opportunities to snack. It is not hard to find something tasty in any park in Disney, but the unique eats in Animal Kingdom were truly a pleasant surprise for us. While there, we were absolutely clueless about what we missed out on when in desperation, we reached for a Mickey Cinnamon Roll, Dole Whip, and popcorn to satisfy our snacking cravings early on. Let me just say that while it is probably essential that at some point you eat Mickey-shaped things and dole whip in Disney, don’t do it in Animal Kingdom.

Why? Flame Tree Barbecue. Satu’li Canteen. Yek and Yeti. Tusker House. All are solid options with quality food and unique findings that you won’t find anywhere else. This list can go on and on. We enjoyed lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue and it was a counter service restaurant (cheaper option) that filled us up. My hubby got half a chicken that kept him well fueled the rest of the day. I am a mac and cheese addict, so I indulged on the pork topped mac and cheese. And our daughter was perfectly content with a hotdog meal. I loved that we could all find something here.

Anywhere you walk around Animal Kingdom, you’ll come across something that you may need to try. African street corn on the cob at the Harambe Fruit Market. Cheese Burger Pods at Satu’li Canteen in Pandora. Pongu Lumpias at Pongu Pongu in Pandora. So. Many. Things. That is why I am making this a point in our 8 surprising things about Animal Kingdom. Check those menus before you get to the park and plan what you need to try.

7. Vibrant Shows

Culture is not only brought to light through Animal Kingdom’s setting decor and food options, but it is brought to life through the vibrant shows offered throughout the day and throughout the park. As mentioned earlier, it is not hard to stumble upon street performers as you roam about. We got to catch a listen and glimpse of the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe as we were snagging our snacks in Africa. Not only were they to be listened to, but they got the whole street dancing. It was like a party in the middle of the “village.”

The must do of the day is the Festival of the Lion King. Unfortunately during our last trip there we were unable to go because of minimized opportunities during the pandemic. The show is a very exciting display of song, dance, and acrobatics that will keep the entire family engaged and maybe even rooting for wart hogs, depending on what seat you’re in.

If you have a bird lover in your group, don’t miss the Feathered Friends in Flight show that features…well…birds. They are trained to fly around and you get to learn all about different kinds of unique, feathered friends. If you aren’t a fan of birds flying over your head, maybe it’s ok for you to sit this one out though.

While we were in Animal Kingdom, we got to watch Kite Tails, which was a fun show of giant character kites that were flown around the lake by jet skis. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds…but it was fun to celebrate part of Disney’s 50th Anniversary in this way at Animal Kingdom, and the show was only offered for a limited window of time. We were very happy we got to catch it. You never know what may be offered during your trip there, so make sure to check your My Disney Experience App to see what is showing and when!

8. An Inspiration to Know Nature

For sure I need to include an inspiration to know nature on my list of 8 surprising things about Animal Kingdom! We all walked away from Animal Kingdom with a piqued interest to go watch those National Geographic documentaries about animals and cultures. Walking into the park, I would have thought that Animal Kingdom was a glorified zoo, but it ended up being so much more for us.

Animal Kingdom ended up being my husband’s favorite park in Disney. As we plan our next trip, he is planning the “day he gets to pick what we do” and he is adamant that we ride the Kilimanjaro Safaris first thing in the morning on “his day.” Our daughter has now loved reading more fact books about animals and learning more about how we can help them. I have gained a greater awareness to how intricate and vast our world is at the same time.

It was very surprising to us that Animal Kingdom ended up being a top of the list park for all of us when you have places like the awe of Magic Kingdom, the excitement of Hollywood Studios, and the vast opportunities at Epcot right down the road. We loved so much about Animal Kingdom and were so satisfied with the surprises we found there. I hope you get to experience even more surprises while you visit!

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