You may not even notice how many bridges are incorporated into Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts, but there are a lot. Not only to they serve a practical purpose, but many of them are also aesthetically pleasing and offer great photo opportunities. Here are 8 of my favorite bridges found at Walt Disney World.
8. Port Orleans Riverside
Port Orleans Riverside is one of my favorite resorts on property as it is a beautiful and relaxing atmosphere. It is built around the Sassasgoula River which winds its way around the resort with buildings on both sides of the river. This presents the opportunity for bridges, and for Port Orleans Riverside they did a wonderful job designing these to fit into the Southern theme of the area. Many look like railroad trestles passing over the river, some combine stone, brick and wood. All of them provide great views of the resort and the river, and they make for really nice photo spots as well.
7. Gardens, Epcot’s Japan
The Japanese Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places you will find in the middle of a theme park, particularly the beautiful gardens and koi ponds. The gardens wind their way up and around on one side of the pavilion and through that are there are bridges going over the water. These offer great views of the gardens as you walk through. They are also one of my favorite photo spots in the parks. It would be hard to tell that a photo taken here was inside Epcot it is so beautiful and faithful to Japanese garden design.
6. Disney Springs
I love the way they have constructed Disney Springs to feel like it is a repurposed place. Part of this is incorporating the water and water features in place around the area. My favorite is the large bridge that spans the water near Paddlefish. The bridge itself is very pretty and well designed for the area and the traffic flow it needs to handle. It also offers really nice views of the whole area and the water that surrounds Disney Springs. If you can catch it when it isn’t too crowded this is a nice place to stop and take it all in. Honorable mention at Disney Springs goes to the pedestrian bridges over the road to help get guests from parking lots to the Disney Springs area when it is very busy—they did a nice job designing these to be aesthetically pleasing as well.
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5. World Showcase between France and the United Kingdom
Spanning the World Showcase Lagoon’s “canal” to the Epcot resorts is the bridge between France and the United Kingdom. This is one of my favorite bridges because of the view it gives you of the nighttime spectacular on the Lagoon. This is a prime spot for viewing Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, so if you want to see it from this spot you will need to arrive early to stake out your position. The area under the bridge is where the Illuminations cruises park so you know it is a good location. This bridge is also a good photo spot for pictures with France in the background and you will often find a PhotoPass Photographer stationed here.
4. The Water Bridges
One of my favorite things is to tell my youngest son to hold his breath on the bus transportation when we go under the water. That’s right, in two spots in Walt Disney World there are Water Bridges that have a road that goes under them. One is at Epcot that I just mentioned—where the World Showcase Lagoon has a canal that opens up into Crescent Lake for the Epcot area resorts like Boardwalk and Yacht & Beach Club. The Friendship Boats use this water bridge to carry guests back and forth to Epcot. The other is one that nearly everyone goes under if you ride a Disney bus. It is on the way to Magic Kingdom right at the Contemporary Resort. Here there is a water bridge connecting Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. All types of water craft use it from the boats taking guests to Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness to the boats that guests can rent to take out on the water. I just think the water bridges are one of the coolest things!
3. Kilimanjaro Safaris
As part of the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction you will go over a few bridges on your safari vehicle. My favorite is the rickety bridge. Once you drive onto it the bridge starts to sway and tilt. However, this bridge is not always activated and working as you take the safari ride. It may be becoming a thing of the past for it to move, but the details of the bridge are still interesting as part of the attraction. Then there is the bridge that goes over the Nile Crocodiles. If you take part in the Wild Africa Trek you will get an entirely different bridge experience—one that may be my actual favorite in all of Walt Disney World, but it is limited in who gets to experience it. On the Trek you wear a harness and are linked to a safety wire so that you can cross the rope bridges that you see hanging over the Nile Crocodile pit. This is an amazing experience and gives you one of a kind views.
2. Tom Sawyer Island
Tom Sawyer Island in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland is one of my favorite escapes for both adults and children. It is a bit quieter than the rest of the park, and it offers some very fun ways to use up some energy after standing in lines for the morning. My favorite are the floating bridges. My boys (including my husband) like to wait until no one else is one it and then run across with it bobbing up and down. The bridges are not only fun, but give a neat vantage point of Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Haunted Mansion.
1. Around Cinderella Castle
My number one pick for my favorite bridges at Walt Disney World are those around Cinderella Castle that cross over the moat. You’ll find them on both sides of the castle: 2 on the right side (one going to Tomorrowland and one to Fantasyland), and 1 main one on the left heading into Liberty Square. The one on the left is my favorite for a photo opportunity as there is a beautiful tree to use for framing. Usually you will find PhotoPass Photographers on both sides to take your photo, and you can get some stunning shots with Cinderella Castle reflecting in the water. I also love these bridges because crossing them means my day of fun in the Magic Kingdom is about to begin as I cross into one of the Lands from Main Street USA on my way to one of the attractions.
Have you ever noticed the bridges at Walt Disney World? Which ones are your favorites?