When you enter Disney's Animal Kingdom, the first thing you encounter is a trail with exotic birds and small animals. You may be tempted to hurry past the creatures to get in line for one of the rides, but walking slowly along the trail to see the animals and birds is peaceful and relaxing.

The Kilimanjaro Safari takes you on an exciting truck ride through the African Serengeti where you may view in their natural habitat giraffes, wildebeests, hippos, rhinos, elephants, lions, cheetah, zebras, okapi, alligators, and flamingo.

The Pangani Trail will take you on a journey to see beautiful tigers, ferocious gorillas, hilarious monkeys, freaky bats, and colorful fish.

The most popular ride at Animal Kingdom is Everest, a mind blowing roller coaster visited by the legendary Yeti. If you don't mind getting wet, take a ride through the Kali River Rapids.

The Dinosaur ride seems frighteningly real, and will make anyone scream. Primeval Whirl is exhilarating and will make you dizzy.  Camp Mickey is the section for small children and features an awesome petting zoo, and an opportunity to view minor veterinary treatments on the smaller animals.

It's Tough to Be a Bug is the eye popping 3D program housed inside the wondrous Tree of Life. Even when the line is long, it's ok, because exploring the animals hand-carved into the Tree is fascinating. Many of the restaurants feature African or Asian dishes. Tusker House offers a mouth- watering buffet, and Yak and Yeti serves delicious Asian dishes amidst a decor reminiscent of a far Eastern palace. The Rain Forest Cafe is fun for the entire family, especially when the animals "come to life."  On your next Disney excursion, even if you're not an animal lover, stop by the Animal Kingdom for a visit with nature's most majestic creatures.

To learn more about the ins and outs of planning a Disney vacation, visit wdwmagic.com.

When you enter Disney's Animal Kingdom, the first thing you encounter is a trail with exotic birds and small animals. You may be tempted to hurry past the creatures to get in line for one of the rides, but walking slowly along the trail to see the animals and birds is peaceful and relaxing.

The Kilimanjaro Safari takes you on an exciting truck ride through the African Serengeti where you may view in their natural habitat giraffes, wildebeests, hippos, rhinos, elephants, lions, cheetah, zebras, okapi, alligators, and flamingo.

The Pangani Trail will take you on a journey to see beautiful tigers, ferocious gorillas, hilarious monkeys, freaky bats, and colorful fish.

The most popular ride at Animal Kingdom is Everest, a mind blowing roller coaster visited by the legendary Yeti. If you don't mind getting wet, take a ride through the Kali River Rapids.

The Dinosaur ride seems frighteningly real, and will make anyone scream. Primeval Whirl is exhilarating and will make you dizzy.  Camp Mickey is the section for small children and features an awesome petting zoo, and an opportunity to view minor veterinary treatments on the smaller animals.

It's Tough to Be a Bug is the eye popping 3D program housed inside the wondrous Tree of Life. Even when the line is long, it's ok, because exploring the animals hand-carved into the Tree is fascinating. Many of the restaurants feature African or Asian dishes. Tusker House offers a mouth- watering buffet, and Yak and Yeti serves delicious Asian dishes amidst a decor reminiscent of a far Eastern palace. The Rain Forest Cafe is fun for the entire family, especially when the animals "come to life."  On your next Disney excursion, even if you're not an animal lover, stop by the Animal Kingdom for a visit with nature's most majestic creatures.

To learn more about the ins and outs of planning a Disney vacation, visit wdwmagic.com.

Lights, Camera, Action! A day at Disney's Hollywood Studios takes you behind the scenes where movies are made.

The Great Movie Ride takes you through the history of some of MGM's classic films, from the Wizard of Oz to Alien. The Indiana Jones Stunt Show is just that -- some of the coolest stunts from Professor Jones' most daring exploits.

The Backlot Tour will take you through the Boneyard where you will get an up close view of some of the larger movie props from popular films. You will also be involved in the making of a scene from a movie, and a frightening stunt called Catastrophe Canyon.

For the more daring in your group there's the Rocking Roller Coaster, the Tower of Terror and Star Tours. A special treat for boys of all ages is the Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show -- featuring stunt cars, motorcycles, jet skis, gun fights, and explosions.

When you get hungry, you will find the Hollywood Brown Derby for the more refined pallet and Mama Melrose's for authentic Italian cuisine.  Sandwiches, salads, pizza and burgers are served at convenient locations throughout the park.

And you must wrap your night up with Fantasmic, a breathtaking water and laser show starring Mickey Mouse himself, with all of his friends.

As you visit the different parks at Disney World, ask the cast members to point out the "hidden Mickeys." For more tips from Disney experts, check out allears.net.

EPCOT was the second Disney World Park to open in October of 1982.  The park is twice the size of the Magic Kingdom and includes two parts.  Future World is loaded with high tech rides, educational activities for children, a Disney Art store, and delicious snack shops. The World Showcase is full of restaurants and shops with authentic food, and gifts from each country. Every nation represented has a show, a ride, or an exhibit to showcase the culture of that country.

EPCOT is my personal favorite. The countries in the World Showcase surround the Seven Seas Lagoon where boats take guests to and from hotels or other areas of Disney World.

Future World features Spaceship Earth which is the huge silver ball that most people recognize. Spaceship Earth is a ride that carries you through the history of the world in about 30 minutes. Mission Space is a popular ride in which you blast off on a space mission. Each person on the spaceship has a specific job. It is not for the faint of heart.  The Land is home to Soarin,' one of the most popular rides on the property. The Land also features several restaurants and a ride through the hydroponic vegetable gardens Disney grows using NASA technology. Future World also includes a top notch aquarium where you can scuba dive with dolphins or help feed manatees.

The World Showcase includes amazing Chinese acrobats, a Japanese steakhouse, an authentic German Biergarten, a boat ride through Norway featuring Polar bears and an angry troll, a Mexican glass blower, and scrumptious French pastries just to name a few of the diverse attractions. The evenings end with an awesome light show over the lagoon called "Illuminations," a celebration of the diverse cultures of the planet, and a salute to the hope of peace on Earth.

Tips on some of the best ways to take in all of EPCOT may be found on the website www.mouseears.com.

Welcome to the first of 5 blogs about the happiest place on Earth -- Walt Disney World!

Located in central Florida in Orlando, Disney World has 4 parks plus Downtown Disney. This week we will focus on the Magic Kingdom.

The oldest of the parks, Magic Kingdom opened in October of 1971. Walt Disney himself directed the design of the Magic Kingdom, but died 5 years before construction was completed.

The focal point of Magic Kingdom is Cinderella's Castle.  The castle is 189 feet tall, and is surrounded by a moat that contains 3.3 million gallons of water. Inside the castle are mosaics that tell the story of Cinderella using mosaic tiles in 500 different colors. The castle has a restaurant called Cinderella's Royal Table, and a special salon for little girls, known as the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique.

The Magic Kingdom features Main Street USA where you can buy almost any Disney souvenir you can imagine. The Carousel, the Dumbo ride, Aladdin's Magic Carpet, Goofy's Barnstormer, and Buzz Lightyear are some of the best-loved attractions for small children.

Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain are popular for the daredevils in the family. The Haunted Mansion, the Hall of President's, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Carousel of Progress are attractions most parental units enjoy.

Besides the famous Cinderella's Royal Table, the park has some other restaurants that feature fine cuisine. The Liberty Tree Tavern has all American cooking, the Crystal Palace has a gourmet buffet, and The Harbor House has sandwiches, salads, and some healthy choices.

You do not want to miss the "electric" parade called Spectro-Magic.  Made up of 100 miles of fiber optic strands, nearly 1,000 batteries, and 600,000 miniature lights, the parade is a breathtaking spectacle that commences at dusk. Shortly after the parade is over, Tinkerbell appears on the castle to kick off the fireworks show entitled "Wishes."  The Magic Kingdom usually closes when the fireworks are over, unless it's an "Extra Magic Hours" night, and then you never can tell how late the magic will go on.

A magical vacation at Disney's Magic Kingdom is well worth the effort it takes to save money for the trip.

Visit wdwinfo.com to find out about any seasonal Disney deals.