Exploring Tom Sawyer's Island

Call it Tom Sawyer Tuesday?  A week and a half ago, Tom Sawyer Island reopened to the public, and I noted the return with an exploration of one of the moody and mysterious caves on the island.  Today, we take another jaunt but stay above ground, looking at the general rustic atmosphere of this big playground for the young and young at heart.

The Island has received some nice TLC, and all that was old has been refurbished and made new again, then made to look old again.  It's that Disney aging magic!  There are small additions and changes here and there, but by and large, the isle in the middle of the Rivers of America is as it was before it closed down last year.  The woodsy and frontier atmosphere encourages playful exploration, and even though the island itself is smaller, the publicly accessible areas remain about the same extents as they were.  So guests on the island won't notice much layout change.

Ultimately, it's great to have this classic part of Disneyland back.  And it also means that sooner or later, we'll be having FANTASMIC! back with us as well (specifically, on July 17).

Lafitte's Tavern serves as the backdrop for the platform area that serves as the stage for FANTASMIC! at night.

There's the Columbia, just beyond.

A new addition, this little boat has been pulled up to shore.

This is home to a familiar blacksmith.

W. Turner, you say?

The Pirates Lair overlay on the island is still around.

The dusty trails are still nice to stroll along.

The cave network remains unchanged, just given a nice coat of paint and a bit of restoration.

All in all, things are slowly returning to normal here at the Rivers of America.