Good morning from Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where the next phase of the DinoLand USA extinction has taken place overnight. As previously announced, yesterday was the final day for guests to experience The Boneyard, a large excavation-themed playground in DinoLand USA. The Boneyard is actually closing earlier than expected after Disney said that Imagineers are making great progress on the new Tropical Americas-themed land replacing DinoLand USA.
The Boneyard Now Permanently Closed at Animal Kingdom
Before we take a look at what’s going to replace The Boneyard, let’s take a brief look back at the massive playground and exploration area.
Roam an open-air space—designed to look like a dinosaur dig—where young paleontologists can play.A world of prehistoric marvels awaits! Kids ages 10 and under are invited to clamber across rope bridges, climb through mysterious caves and hurl down twisting slides.
At the dig site, help excavate fossils from a Triceratops and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Discover lots more dino-sized surprises as you have a blast digging up the past.
Parents of busy explorers can enjoy a shaded seating area at the dig site, where large fans help cool things down.
As you can see in the archived screenshots below, The Boneyard was located in the northwestern corner of DinoLand USA. It worked a sort of double duty, serving as a massive playground for kids, but also serving as the entrance to DinoLand USA. The Oldengate Bridge, a bridge connecting one side of the playground to the other, also contained a gateway constructed from the giant bones of a Brachiosaurus. Here’s a look at the location of The Boneyard as seen on the Walt Disney World digital map, followed by a look at the Oldengate Bridge.
Here are some more photos of The Boneyard from when it reopened in 2023 following a 1-month refurbishment.
PHOTOS: The Boneyard Permanently Closed
With some history out of the way, here’s a look at the area from our visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom this morning. As you can see in the photos below, The Boneyard is now behind construction walls, along with a significant portion of the DinoLand USA entrance. A new construction wall maze is in place for guests wishing to visit Restaurantosaurus or DINOSAUR to navigate.
To get our bearings, here’s a before/after of the digital map. As you can see, the main entrance is closed.
Now, here’s a first look at the new construction wall maze for DinoLand USA!
Guests are directed to the left, toward the Finding Nemo show and Expedition Everest. The only entrance/exit to what remains of DinoLand USA is where the Cementosaurus used to stand. New construction walls create a corridor toward the DINOSAUR attraction, blocking a wide area around the former Boneyard playground. Once you pass The Boneyard, the area opens up a bit where Restaurantosaurus is located. Temporary hedges can be found just past the Restaurantosaurus entrance, blocking a walkway that used to lead to The Boneyard. Here’s a look at what the walk will look like, starting at the bridge to DinoLand USA from Discovery Island and walking to DINOSAUR/Restaurantosaurus.
What’s Replacing The Boneyard?
The Boneyard will be replaced by the previously announced character carousel. Within the Tropical Americas land is a new town called Esperanza. The town features classic Spanish-style architecture in the heart of the rainforest and a carousel featuring the resident wood carver’s favorite animals.
Here’s a look at the before/after of the DinoLand USA area as revealed in an October 2024 permit. We can see The Boneyard represented in a yellow “hardscape” area in the upper left of the DinoLand USA plot. On the right (after development) image, we can see a V-shaped blue building representing the carousel and covered queue area/building support areas.
Here’s a look at the DinoLand USA elements, labeled on top of the Tropical Americas concept art. We can see that the Encanto-themed attraction is replacing much of the Dino-Rama area, the DINOSAUR attraction is being kept in place and being rethemed, both the Dinosaur Treasures and Restaurantosaurus buildings are being kept in place, and The Boneyard is going to be the new home of the carousel.
Finally, here’s a look at the Tropical Americas model that was on display during the 2024 D23 Expo. The first image represents a look at the themed land
Walt Disney World has announced that the DINOSAUR attraction will close sometime in 2026, but has not announced an exact date yet. For guests who will miss the playground, Disney has confirmed that the Tropical Americas land will have a new playground!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
