From Splash Mountain to Tiana's Bayou Adventure: The History of the Ride
Tiana's Bayou Adventure took over Splash Mountain's spot in Magic Kingdom's Frontierland. Here's the dated timeline, from the 1992 opening to Disney's 2020 announcement, the January 2023 closing and the June 2024 debut.
Quick Answer: Tiana's Bayou Adventure is the log flume in Magic Kingdom's Frontierland that replaced Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain opened there on July 17, 1992, Disney announced the Princess and the Frog makeover on June 25, 2020, the last Splash Mountain rides ran on January 22, 2023, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure opened on June 28, 2024. Disney reimagined the ride in the same spot, with about a year and a half of construction in between.
If your last Magic Kingdom trip was before 2023, the big peak at the back of Frontierland will look familiar from the outside. Inside, it's a different story, with Princess Tiana, a new soundtrack and a Mardi Gras party at the end. Here's how one ride became the other, date by date.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure timeline, from Splash Mountain to today
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| July 17, 1989 | Splash Mountain opens at Disneyland |
| July 17, 1992 | Splash Mountain opens at Magic Kingdom |
| June 25, 2020 | Disney announces both versions will be reimagined around The Princess and the Frog |
| Dec. 2, 2022 | Disney sets Magic Kingdom's closing date for Jan. 23, 2023 |
| Jan. 22, 2023 | Last day of Splash Mountain rides at Magic Kingdom |
| May 12, 2024 | Disney announces the June 28 opening date |
| June 28, 2024 | Tiana's Bayou Adventure opens at Magic Kingdom, on a virtual queue |
| Nov. 15, 2024 | Disneyland's version opens in the renamed Bayou Country |
| Feb. 25, 2025 | Magic Kingdom adds a standby line |
| Nov. 2, 2026 | Closes for a routine refurbishment, expected to reopen in December 2026 |
Dates from Disney's own announcements and D23's Disney A to Z, plus local news coverage of the closing. Last Checked: October 27, 2026.
Splash Mountain's three decades in Frontierland
Splash Mountain started in California. It opened at Disneyland in 1989, and the Magic Kingdom version followed on July 17, 1992, with Tokyo Disneyland's opening that October. The ride drew its scenes and characters from Disney's film Song of the South, sending guests through swamp scenery in hollowed-out logs before a steep 52-foot drop at a 45-degree angle that usually soaked whoever was riding.
It ran at Magic Kingdom for just over 30 years.
Why Disney changed it, in Disney's words
On June 25, 2020, Disney announced on the Disney Parks Blog that Splash Mountain at both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom would be completely reimagined around The Princess and the Frog, a project it said Imagineers had been working on since the year before. Disney's own explanation was this: "The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year."
Splash Mountain kept running while the new ride was designed. In December 2022, Disney set the Magic Kingdom closing date for January 23, 2023, and the last guests rode on Sunday, January 22.
What Tiana's Bayou Adventure is today
On May 12, 2024, Disney announced the June 28 opening, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure opened at Magic Kingdom that day. It ran on a virtual queue at first; Disney added a standby line on February 25, 2025. Disneyland's version followed on November 15, 2024, when Critter Country was renamed Bayou Country.
The story picks up after the film. Tiana has grown her restaurant into a business called Tiana's Foods, and the ride ends at a Mardi Gras season celebration at the home of Tiana and Prince Naveen, with an original finale song, "Special Spice," sung by Anika Noni Rose, Tiana's voice from the film. The big drop stayed: Disney describes it as a 50-foot plunge, and it's still a log flume, so expect to get wet.
Heads-up for late-2026 trips: Disney lists a routine refurbishment for the ride starting November 2, with a reopening expected in December 2026. If you're planning to ride, check whether your kids clear the minimum on our Ride Height Guide before you promise anything, and see where it lands in our Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane ride-by-ride if you're deciding what to book.
