1
Credit: Brittany DiCologero, Inside the MagicOn Monday, August 4, Walt Disney World Resort reportedly moved the Liberty Square Riverboat for the second time since it welcomed its final Magic Kingdom Park guests last month.
The Liberty Square Riverboat, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Rivers of America closed permanently on July 7, 2025. The Frontierland/Liberty Square attractions will be replaced by two Cars (2006) rides: one family-friendly experience and a more thrilling rally race. They’ll be set in Piston Peak National Park, part of Frontierland, inspired by the natural beauty of America’s national parks. The new area will feature some existing parts of the Rivers of America landscape, including water features and a barrel bridge.
Just days after these Magic Kingdom Park areas closed, construction walls and fences appeared. Disney Park guests spotted Walt Disney Imagineers surveying Tom Sawyer Island on foot and boat, tagging set pieces for archival preservation or destruction. As of Monday, the Rivers of America is almost completely drained, and guests can see the former Liberty Square Riverboat track.
Changes have extended beyond Magic Kingdom Park’s borders, too. Earlier this summer, crews bulldozed hundreds, if not thousands, of trees outside the original Central Florida Disney park, making room for an equipment staging area and a temporary office trailer park. This area will serve as a home base for the construction of Piston Peak National Park and a Disney Villains land, currently in development “beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.”
The Liberty Square Riverboat has been parked in a backstage canal behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for the last month. Walt Disney World Resort has been quiet about the attraction’s future, and fans have wondered whether the iconic steamboat will be repurposed or destroyed.
However, on Monday, August 4, BlogMickey reported that the Liberty Belle had been moved from the temporary staging area to a marina behind Magic Kingdom Park. Walt Disney World Resort performs maintenance and repairs on all watercraft transportation from the Seven Seas Lagoon at this marina. Although there is a dry dock, reports say it’s currently in use, and the Liberty Square Riverboat is still in the water.
The boat was moved sometime between Sunday and Monday, according to reports. X (formerly known as Twitter) user @___Gestalt spotted the Liberty Belle in its former spot in the canal as recently as August 3:
it’s parked in the channel between the Floridian and MK where the water parade boats are, just saw it from the monorail yesterday
Walt Disney World Resort has yet to confirm the eventual fate of the Liberty Square Riverboat. Disney also hasn’t announced grand opening dates for Piston Peak National Park or the Disney Villains land at the Magic Kingdom.
Were the Liberty Square Riverboat or Tom Sawyer Island must-do attractions for your family? In the comments, share your favorite memories with Inside the Magic!