It was well done and very moving for anyone who is patriotic and enlightening for anyone who is a foreigner who doesn't know US history. I avoided it during the Obama years and the last time I was here, it was closed as they were giving it a MAGA upgrade. My son (9 years old) and I walked in and really enjoyed the show. I like the fact that they pointed out that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican; something lots of liberals probably don't know. When Abraham Lincoln's robot stood and delivered "The Gettysburg Address" my son looked at me and whispered "Abraham Lincoln is still alive?!" I chuckled and whispered back and whispered "No son, it's a robot."

I held my breath at the end to see if there were any miscreants that would boo, hiss or otherwise give some snarky comment when it came time for our 45th president to close in his speech, but to my surprise, the entire audience remained silent and respectful throughout and everyone clapped at the end. Perhaps the Trump haters are avoiding it as I did during the Obama years. I'm okay with that.

If your wife drags you to WDW and you find yourself at Magic Kingdom, drop in at Liberty Square and view the Hall of Presidents show. It's well worth your time. Take the kids; they might learn something.

Tony.

I was at Magic Kingdom last April. Told my wife that the one thing I wanted to do was see the Hall of Presidents with 45 (I saw it back in 2010). I never did though; we just ran out of time. We were there for my three year old first and foremost so I ended up having to prioritize other things.

No worries though cause we are going back to Disney World next April in 2020 (lucky me). I'll be sure to see it at that time.

Cool. When you come back, make a point to see it by yourself if she's not interested. My wife has made a point to make sure I see things I want to see when we come so it's not all about the kid or all about her. I've always wanted to go to Fulton's at Disney Springs but now it's called The Paddlefish. It was one of the best seafood restaurants I've ever eaten at. It was great food.

If you're down for a great burger and fried chicken, I highly recommend Chef Art Smith's Homecomin restaurant. It was amazing fried chicken, corn bread and mac-n-cheese. I have made an effort to not overeat while I was here, but the food at Art Smith's was so good, I made the exception and ordered the double cheeseburger with homemade potato chips and a side of mac-n-cheese in a cast-iron skillet. Worth every penny!

Let me know if you need any advice on Disney World. We're on day 10 of 12 right now and headed to Epcot today. We've done all kinds of dining plans and character dining and have now kind of settled into our favorites when visiting.

We'll be back for 4th of July.

Tony.

The first time I went to Disney I saw the Abraham Lincoln give the address. I was spell bound with the level of robotics as much as I was with the passion of the speech.
I had never seen anything like that.
That was the best trip ever.

I’m planning in surprising Mrs cooker with a trip to Korea or St. Maarten next year. Her choice. If it’s St. Maarten, maybe a shop ar WDW will be in store. She loves Disneyland I love to see her smile.

When were you there? I just got back on Saturday. Maybe walked right passed you.

Probably so! I was there on Friday (the 29th). Finally headed home on Tuesday. This was our longest trip so far. 12 days! We were supposed to hit another park for a half day tomorrow (well today now) but I convinced the wife to just sleep in and rest at the resort for our last day. I might sneak to Epcot by myself to ride "Test Track" and eat at the Mexican restaurant inside the pyramid, then zip back. We've got one last ticket set that's unused.

I did see American Adventure at EPCOT today by myself and it was entertaining. It's a story narrated by Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. It's a similar experience to The Hall of Presidents.

We did six half-days at the parks this time. All parks once and MK and HS twice. Our package came with seven days of tickets.

Tony.

Ya shoulda hopped an oober over to the new Shooters World... Better than riding Test track with a burrito...

Click here, Its a link




Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dKpB_E1ass

I didn't even know such a place existed. We are going to Disney next year as I failed in my lifelong quest of avoiding that place. Maybe this will make it somewhat more tolerable!

Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom is dedicated to the founding of America. There’s a replica of the cracked Liberty Bell and the area is dedicated the original 13 colonies.

At EPCOT, at the very back center of the park there’s The American Adventure section with an amphitheater. The candlelight precessional is a 1 hour narration and musical storytelling of the birth of Jesus Christ. They do it sometime before thanksgiving until around Christmas. It’s a full world class orchestra and patriotic choir.

It’s always narrated by a celebrity. Sigourney Weaver has done it before and I want to say Kurt Russell has done it too. The percussion section is amazing to watch.

Tony.

I did snap a couple of pics from inside the American Adventure section of EPCOT. They had some cool gingerbread houses. There are some good quotes from historical figures on the walls too.











Here are some cool facts about liberty square that will make those of us that are forced to endure Disney a little more enjoyable...



8 Secrets People Don’t Know About Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom is the world’s most popular theme park. It has six lands, set up in a hub and spoke pattern. Starting at the front of the park and moving clockwise, the six lands are: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. Each land is themed to a certain time and/or place. Perhaps the smallest but most interesting is Liberty Square, tucked away in the back of the Magic Kingdom, and just full of interesting facts and tidbits. Here are 8 secrets you may not know about Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom.

1) A History Lesson – There is a time period progression from the Haunted Mansion down to Frontierland. The Haunted Mansion is fashioned after the houses along the Hudson River in New York in the early 1700’s. As you progress through Liberty Square, there is an area with a succession of buildings, each with a front door. The addresses on the doors are two digits. Put an 18 in front of the numbers and you get the timeframe for that particular building.

2) A Geography Lesson – Along with the time period progression, there is a geographical progression in Liberty Square. It starts on the east coast with the Haunted Mansion and moves west. Watch the progression in style as you move towards Frontierland and the American west.

3) Exactly Where Are We? – Columbia Harbor House restaurant is technically located in Fantasyland and Liberty Square. Inside the restaurant, closer to Fantasyland, the restaurant is themed to Europe. As you move through the restaurant and out the door into Liberty Square, the décor changes to early American.

4) Straighten Those Shutters! – Notice the shutters in Liberty Square are all hung at an angle. This is because there was virtually no metal shipped to America from England during the Revolutionary War (they didn’t want it used for bullets). The colonials would use the metal off of the shutters for ammunition and then hang the shutters with leather. After a period of time the leather straps would stretch and the shutters would hang at an angle.

5) Where’s the Nearest Restroom? – Much of the pavement in Liberty Square is the same color to help it blend in and keep guests’ eyes looking up at nearby attractions and details. Guests who look down might notice a brown streak that is several feet wide running along the street near the curb. In traditional Revolutionary times, no indoor plumbing existed, so many people would take their waste and dump it from their windows into the streets outside. The brown pavement throughout Liberty Square is a detail which accurately represents the sewage of early Americans! Kinda gross, but a great detail to make Liberty Square feel authentic! This is why there are no public restrooms in Liberty Square. No need to worry though, restrooms are located in nearby lands.

6) That’s a big tree! – Walt Disney World Imagineers designed Liberty Square to invoke a Revolutionary-era America just in time for the country’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976 (the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971). In order to create their own Liberty Tree, Imagineers called upon their landscape engineers to transplant a 35-ton, 135-year-old oak tree from elsewhere on Disney property into the Liberty Square. One of the most difficult feats that they had performed at that point (because this was the largest tree that they had ever moved), Imagineers and landscapers were able to move the tree successfully to its new home in the Magic Kingdom using a technique created by Bill Evans, a landscaper who had been hand-picked by Walt Disney. The process, which Evans invented for Disneyland, includes drilling holes in the trunk of the tree and pruning the root system. It holds 13 lanterns, one for each of the original colonies.

7) The Liberty Bell – Also in 1976, each state received a replica of the Liberty Bell in celebration of the Bicentennial. Since Pennsylvania already had the original, they weren’t sure what to do with the replica so Walt Disney World asked if they could have it for the Magic Kingdom. Pennsylvania agreed and the replica now sits in Liberty Square. Florida is the only state with two replicas made from the cast of the original Liberty Bell.

8) The Presidential Seal – There are genuine presidential artifacts located in the lobby of the Hall of Presidents. In fact, it’s a federally recognized presidential museum. Other than the White House, the Hall of Presidents in Walt Disney World is the only other place where the Presidential Seal can be used. It took an act of Congress to allow Disney to use the seal. Make sure you take the time to see this wonderful attraction and show.

Tony.