Goodbye, Tom Sawyer Island: Remembering a Quiet Corner of the Magic Kingdom

Today, Disney quietly announced that Tom Sawyer Island at Walt Disney World will close permanently on July 7. The last day to visit is July 6, 2025. If you’ve ever spent time there, you probably understand why this news feels a little heavier than just another park update.

This corner of Frontierland has always felt different. It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t fast. It was slow, a little wild, and oddly peaceful. You had to wait for the raft. You had to time it right, since the island didn’t stay open all day. And once you were over there, it felt like time slowed down. Kids could run across bridges, explore caves, climb through forts. Grownups could sit and breathe in the shade. THE SHADE!

It was never the headliner, but it was a place where you could feel the heart of childhood. A little dusty. A little mischievous. Totally open for the imagination.

As a homeschooler, I always saw this part of the park as more than an escape from the lines. It was a space to talk about storytelling. About adventures. About the difference between pretending and becoming. It sparked the idea for a printable learning packet that brought the works of Mark Twain into our homeschool day in a way that felt alive.

Now, with the island closing, I find myself holding on to that learning in a different way. It’s not just about enriching a park visit anymore. It’s about remembering. About creating a small way to keep the island with us.

The Mark Twain activity packet was built around the spirit of the island, but it doesn’t require a park ticket. You can complete this activity at home anywhere in the world. It includes a short biography of Twain for younger learners, dialect and vocabulary exercises from a Mark Twain excerpt, and a satire writing activity inspired by the themes of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

This year, we’ll be using the satire writing. Nostalgia isn’t just about looking back. It’s about finding new ways to carry what mattered forward.

Disney is still where the magic lives. But part of growing up is realizing that magic doesn’t always stay in one place. It changes. And sometimes, the places we loved most become memories. That doesn’t make them any less magical.

So here’s to the raft rides, the caves, the fort, and the feeling that time could stand still for a little while. And here’s to holding on to that feeling just a little bit longer.