When you enter the park you pass through 1 of 2 tunnels under the Walt Disney World train station and then emerge on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, a town modeled after the turn of the 20th century. At the end of Main Street is a breathtaking view of Cinderella’s Castle. And while in the mornings I encourage you to make a mad dash up Main Street to ride the popular attractions, I do hope you will come back to Main Street in the early afternoon to browse and shop and take time to truly enjoy the atmosphere on Main Street.
As you begin your journey down Main Street towards Cinderella’s Castle, take note of the Emporium on your left hand side. This is actually one huge store and all of the buildings are connected on the inside. If you ever need to make it down Main Street quickly (during a parade, fireworks, etc), you can enter any of the shops or even Casey’s Corner (it’s connected to the Emporium) and make a quick exit out of the parks.
Located on the right side of Main Street is a combination of shops and restaurants. While some of these stores are connected to one another, they are not all connected and it can get bottlenecked during the busy times of the day.
Main Street is the most popular place to watch the Happily Ever After Fireworks show. It is also where you can see the Festival of Fantasy and the Move It! Shake It! Street Parade (check the Times Guide for the parade times).
Shops and Attractions on Main Street
- Harmony Barber Shop
- Emporium
- Town Square Theater
- City Hall
- Flag Retreat
- Main Street Vehicles
- Walt Disney World Railroad Station
- The Chapeau
- The Confectionary
- Crystal Arts
- Fire Station (home to Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom)
- Uptown Jewelers
Characters on Main Street
- Meet Mickey and Tinker Bell at the Town Square Theater
- The Mayor
- Dapper Dans Barbershop Quartet
- Citizens of Main Street
- Meet Pluto and Marie from Aristocats by the Flagpole
Tips for Main Street U.S.A.
1. Main Street closes half to a whole hour after the Magic Kingdom closes. Just because the park ‘closes’ at 9pm, you do not have to rush out. Take your time enjoying the shops and attractions on Main Street.
2. Avoid Main Street from about 2:30 pm until after the parade is over if you aren’t watching the parade.
3. You can stop by the car barn and pet the ponies or see them hosed down at the fire station.
4. Cooks at the Convectionary makes candy in view of guests until 7 pm at night.
5. Take a moment to sit next to Goofy on the bench in front of Tony’s. You will be in for a true treat!
6. In Curtain Call Collectibles located at the exit to Town Square Theater, you will find a real Mary Poppins Dress on display.
7. Don’t use the Main Street vehicles for transportation. It is faster to walk down Main Street.
8. Do you have young children? Stop by the Baby Care Center next to Crystal Palace. There you will find an air conditioned room, a changing room, bathrooms, a couple of tables for the kid’s to sit down and color at as well as a tv that plays Disney movies. This is a good place to regroup.
9. The Town Square Exposition Hall Museum (aka Art of Disney) has a theater that shows old cartoons in a 25 minute loop. This is a good place to hang out at the end of the day while you wait on the crowds to disperse.
10. When you stop in the Chapeau store, be sure to look for the antique phone. Pick it up and listen to a neat conversation!
11. You can get a real haircut or even get glitter in your hair at the Barber Shop. The chalkboard in the barber shop lists all the hurricanes that have hit Florida as if they were in line to get a haircut.
12. The shops inside the Emporium (on the left hand side if you are looking towards the castle from the train station) are connected inside. You can walk through the shops to avoid the crowds on Main Street.
13. At the train station, look for the abandoned items and scenes under the train station and check out the viewing machines just before you board the train. They work when you insert a penny into them! The typing you hear in this room is one of Walt’s speeches in Morse Code.
14. Did you know that Main Street goes slightly uphill? That is why it is so hard to make it Main Street at Rope Drop but so easy to go down Main Street when you are leaving. They did that on purpose to give you a good last impression of the Magic Kingdom.
15. Don’t miss Lady and the Tramps paw prints in front of Tony’s. It is located in the area where the strollers are parked. I had to move a stroller to see it (I did put it right back, don’t worry!).
16. Look through the window at the back on Tony’s to see Lady and the Tramp eating.
17. Look down one of the alleys for a window that says Voice & Dance Lessons and listen. You might be surprised by what you hear.
18. Main Street Fire Station is the headquarters for the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. Stop by and play when you have time.
19. The Emporium is the huge store located on the left side of Main Street (when facing the Castle). Inside, the store is divided into multiple sections. You can carry your purchases from section to section and pay at any of the registers in the store.
20. At Guest Services in City Hall, you can get maps in other languages (great if your child is taking French or German), buttons for your special occasions and Disney Dollars that you can redeem in the parks.
21. At 5 pm, they have a Flag Retreat Ceremony to lower the American Flag located at the entrance to the park. Be sure to stop by City Hall in the morning to register your Veteran to be in this ceremony.
22. Located near City Hall is a bench where you will find Roy E. Disney and Minnie Mouse. In front of Cinderella’s Castle, you will find Walt Disney and Mickey.
23. There is a bathroom located between Casey’s Corner and Crystal Palace. There is another bathroom located by the entrance to the park near City Hall.
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Parks including attractions, secrets, tips and more. Plus my friends at Destinations in Florida can help you plan your perfect Walt Disney World vacation.