Credit: Anna Fox (HarshLight), FlickrBig changes are officially underway at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and today feels like one of those moments fans will talk about for years. The park isn’t just adjusting an attraction or quietly closing a corner of a land. It’s actively turning the page on an entire chapter of its history.
As of today, DinoLand U.S.A. is living its final full day, and by tomorrow, it will be gone for good. What’s happening inside the park right now says everything about how much this land meant to people—and how emotional Disney fans can get when something familiar is about to disappear.
From the moment the park opened this morning, it was clear this wasn’t an average day at Animal Kingdom. Crowds poured in early, many of them making a beeline straight for DinoLand. Guests weren’t rushing through the area. They were stopping. Taking photos. Standing quietly in places they’ve walked past dozens of times before. For longtime visitors, today feels less like a closure and more like a farewell gathering.
One of the clearest signs of just how intense the turnout has been came from Restaurantosaurus. On its final day of operation, Disney made the rare decision to open the restaurant earlier than scheduled to handle the demand.
According to the Walt Disney World website, Restaurantosaurus was originally set to open at 10:30 a.m., but overwhelming guest interest pushed Disney to open the doors at 10:00 a.m. instead. That doesn’t happen unless lines are already forming—and that’s exactly what guests saw this morning.
Restaurantosaurus has always been one of those spots that felt very “DinoLand.” The themed dining rooms, the scattered educational posters, the tongue-in-cheek humor baked into the decor—it was never flashy, but it was comforting. Today, it’s serving as more than a quick-service restaurant. It’s a memory stop. Guests are sitting a little longer than usual, soaking it in, knowing this is the last time they’ll eat here in its current form.
The same energy is spilling over to DINOSAUR, which is also experiencing heavy crowds. For many fans, this attraction is inseparable from their Animal Kingdom memories. The loud vehicles, the chaotic dash through the Cretaceous, the final Iguanodon reveal—this ride has been thrilling guests for decades. Today, waits are long, and nobody seems surprised. If anything, people expected it. Everyone wants one last ride. Or two. Or three.
What makes today especially striking is how collective the experience feels. This isn’t just casual guests stumbling into a closure. These are people who planned their trips specifically for this moment. Annual Passholders.
Fans who grew up visiting DinoLand as kids and are now bringing their own children for a final walkthrough. You can hear people pointing things out to one another. “This used to be Chester & Hester’s.” “Remember when the carnival games were right here?” It’s a shared walk down memory lane.
DinoLand U.S.A. didn’t close all at once. Disney began scaling it back in stages, starting with Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama over a year ago. Even then, many fans hoped pieces of the land might survive. That hope faded as more closures followed. Now, today represents the final chapter. Once the gates close tonight, the remaining sections of DinoLand will officially be history.
Of course, Disney isn’t clearing this space without a plan. The land’s replacement, Tropical Americas, has been in development for some time, and Disney has already shared pieces of what’s coming.
The new area will feature Pueblo Esperanza, a lush village-style setting designed to feel alive with stories, gathering spaces, and movement. At its center will be a fountain where villagers come together, creating a very different energy from DinoLand’s roadside-attraction vibe.
One of the most intriguing additions planned for the new land is a massive carousel created by a woodcarver, meant to act as a centerpiece attraction. Beyond that, Disney has confirmed two major rides inspired by Encanto (2021) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), both expected to open in 2027. It’s a bold shift in theme and tone, trading prehistoric chaos for cultural storytelling and adventure.
Even Restaurantosaurus itself isn’t disappearing entirely—at least not physically. The building will remain, but Disney plans to reimagine it into a large hacienda-style quick-service restaurant.
This new dining location is expected to become one of the largest quick-service spots at Walt Disney World, serving Colombian-inspired dishes that Disney has already been quietly testing around Animal Kingdom. So while the name and theme are changing, the footprint will still be familiar.
As DinoLand closes, Harambe Market will take on a larger role in the park’s dining lineup. It’s stepping in as the primary spot for burgers and chicken nuggets, while its popular rice bowls have shifted to Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery, which is now open for lunch. Harambe Market itself, originally set to reopen later, is now scheduled to return earlier than planned on February 5.
These adjustments show how Disney is already reshuffling Animal Kingdom behind the scenes to prepare for what comes next.
What’s happening today at Animal Kingdom isn’t just about construction walls and future blueprints. It’s about the emotional weight of change. DinoLand was quirky. It didn’t always fit the park’s original conservation-focused vision perfectly, but it became part of the identity anyway.
Over time, its oddball charm turned into nostalgia, especially for guests who grew up riding DINOSAUR and grabbing lunch at Restaurantosaurus without thinking twice about it.
That’s why the crowds today feel different. This isn’t panic. It’s appreciation. People are here because they want to remember. They want to be present for the ending, even as they look forward to what’s coming next.
By tomorrow, DinoLand U.S.A. will officially be no more. Construction walls will start to tell a new story. Renderings will turn into reality. And Animal Kingdom will continue evolving, just as it always has. But today belongs to the past. And judging by the lines, the early restaurant openings, and the quiet moments happening all over the land, it’s clear DinoLand is getting the sendoff it deserves.