The Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion is a wonderful attraction. It can be scary for little kids. It is a "haunted" mansion filled with ghost and spooky sounds and sights. My kids are currently 5 and 3 and love the ride. My son likes scary things (thanks to Scooby Doo) and my daughter has been on the ride so many times that the spooks are too familiar to creep her out.

The attraction starts when a group enters a chamber and is introduced to the Ghost Host (narrator). I don't want to give to much away but there will be a brief moment of darkness and a spooky sighting before a hidden door opens and you will enter the second section of the ride.

During the second section of the ride you will board your doom buggy for your ride through the rest of the mansion. The mansion was refurbished to include a new section through an attic that expands the story of the bride plus a few new spooks here and there.

If you've watched the movie bearing the same name starring Eddie Murphy then you will find some of the props very familiar. There is an entire room dedicated to Madame Leota (the lady in the crystal ball). The room is filled with flying instruments just like the movie. The singing bust found in the graveyard of the movie can also be found singing in the rides graveyard.

Tip: Just outside the mansion's doors you will pass by a graveyard filled with tombstones honoring the imangineers who worked on the mansion. The last tombstone is in memory of Leota Thomas. Take a moment and look at her tombstone. The woman depicted on it periodically moves her head and opens her eyes.
Trick: Find a hidden Mickey in the dining room scene. On the table a dinner plant and 2 saucers are used to make Mickey.
Tidbit: The mansion is the only ride to be found in four different Disney properties. It is in both Disney World and Disney Land in the US and also in Tokyo and Paris.