3. Fear of death by rickety bridge – The Barrel Bridge

At a fork in the road, a sign reads “Tom and Huck’s Way” pointing one direction and “The Other Way” pointing towards the main path. Intrepid adventurer you are, you take the path less traveled and venture out onto what looks like a simple rope bridge.

Your first step is wobbly but fine. As you continue further though, the ground sinks beneath your feet.

The entire bridge is floating on a row of barrels. A net of webbed rope keeps you from teetering into the water, but with each tottering step, your memory reverts to every movie you ever saw where an old bridge snapped beneath the hero’s feet.

At that moment, two gleeful young boys run onto the bridge behind you, ruddy-faced and giggling. They bring to mind the island’s namesakes, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. You attempt to continue when the little rascals reveal their true colors.

Gleefully, the boys stomp on the barrels, rocking the bridge until you’re not so much on a bridge as a capsizing boat. You press towards the shore, but the boys pursue, and the closer they get, the more the bridge lurches. You imagine seeing that familiar reptilian grin peering up from the water, glassy eyes waiting for you to plop into the drink.

At last, you reach the other side. The nefarious boys bolt past. This time, you’ve the sense to take the “Other Way”.

4. Claustrophobia – The Escape Tunnel and Mystery Mine

You overcome your fear of death-by-plummeting-through-a-bridge and cross the river to Fort Langhorn. Across the water, shrieks echo from Big Thunder Mountain which do nothing for your nerves.

The fort is charming enough, but even here, things seem off. A grinning ranch-hand snores in the corner. Cows and horses shift in their stalls. That chicken continues to stare daggers your way.

Your attention steals to a sign: Escape Tunnel. The door next to it doesn’t appear to be child-sized. Curious, you venture inside.

As you descend the stairs, your eyes have trouble adjusting from the bright Florida sun. Despite scattered lanterns, darkness encroaches like a wet sack. The further you walk, the closer the walls draw. The underground rumbles like a crypt. It’s not that long of a tunnel, but with every step, the walls loom closer and closer and…

Back in the sun once more, you make your way back to the main island. Another cave entrance catches your attention. Mystery Mine.

Once again, you descend into the darkness. Your quest isn’t without purpose. You’re mastering your fear for the greatest of Tom Sawyer’s tests still to come.

The Mystery Mine is darker than the Escape tunnel, the path just as narrow. Disoriented by the thick black, you make your way from lantern to lantern, wondering what might happen if you were to venture into forgotten corners of the mine. Despite the mine's bounty of gold and jewels, it crosses your mind that you might be lost. Certain sections of the path look narrow enough to be impassible for a guest of more luxuriant girth. Perhaps this is no mine at all. Perhaps the mystery is that it’s a tomb. Your tomb.

You emerge on the other side, satisfied that you survived the challenge. You’ve conquered the Rivers of America, the insidious wildlife, the barrel bridge, and the mysterious depths…

However, one last challenge awaits on Tom Sawyer Island, and it’s this particular oddity that potentially earns the island a spot as scariest attraction in Disney World.