4. Tree of Life (Animal Kingdom, 1998)

The Tree of Life, a staggering 145 feet tall and 50 feet wide, is the centerpiece of the Animal Kingdom since it opened. Around 325 carved animals are on the surface of the tree and its trunk, and it’s toped with over a hundred thousand translucent, green leaves that were placed individually to actually blow with the wind. It’s truly something wonderful to behold. The Tree of Life holds the unique privilege of being one of the only Disney icons with a backstory. Here it is, in case you’re not familiar:

Once upon a time, no vegetation would grow on Discovery Island. There were no trees, no shrubs, no flowers, nothing. It was a barren piece of land. Then, one day, a tiny ant planted a seed and made a wish. He asked for a tree to grow – a tree large enough to provide shelter for all the animals. Magically, the ant’s wish came true and a tree began to grow -- and it kept growing until there was room beneath its limbs for all the animals from A (ants) to Z (zebras). And as the tree continued to reach for the heavens, the images of all the animals that took shelter beneath its shade appeared on its trunk, roots, and branches.

The Tree of Life wasn’t the first idea the Disney Imagineers had for an icon for the Animal Kingdom. Other ideas included a Noah’s Ark or a carousel featuring animals of the land, the sea and the sky. When the Imagineers settled on the Tree of Life, they had to think about Florida’s hurricane weather when considering how to design and build it. One plan was to make a geodesic dome structure, but that was scratched. They decided on an oil rig as the base skeleton of the tree’s trunk. The original intention was for it to be based on The Lion King, but Eisner wanted to tie it in with the second movie from recent Disney acquisition Pixar, A Bug’s Life. Still, the Platinum DVD of The Lion King has a reference to the Tree of Life, adopting the name for Rafiki’s tree.

5. Mickey’s Fun Wheel (California Adventure, 2001/2009)

Mickey’s Fun Wheel is a ferris wheel that stands 160 feet tall, based on the 1927 Wonder Wheel at Coney Island. It was originally known as the Sun Wheel but was reconfigured and named after Mickey in May 2009. The change was part of the Paradise Pier updates. Mickey’s Fun Wheel is a little more intense than your typical Ferris wheel, enough that sick bags are offered in each gondola.

6. Grizzly Peak (California Adventure, 2001)

Image: Disney

The 110-foot tall man-made mountain that is Grizzly Peak is hard to miss at Disney’s California Adventure and was created with big steel cages, which were then carved as rocks. Not too long ago Disney considered using the mountain for a new version of the Country Bear Jamboree theater, along with a gold rush mining adventure. The infrastructure of Grizzly Peak unfortunately made that unfeasible.

I hope you learned a little about one of the first things you see when you arrive at many Disney parks. Share your favorite on our Facebook page or in the comments below!