Crews have installed a new gate in the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure queue and plants in front of the Frontierland train station at Magic Kingdom.

Salt Mine

The former Splash Mountain has been transformed into a Louisiana salt mine for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. According to the ride’s backstory, Tiana founded the co-op Tiana’s Foods in 1927 and the workers cultivate crops on the waters of the mine.

Most scaffolding is gone from the ride’s façade, but some remains along a ridge on the left side and around the mill. Windows were installed on the mill and the queue’s barn recently. Crews also planted more plants around the flume behind the construction walls.

The Tiana’s Foods water tower made its first appearance on merchandise with a new Disney Parks T-shirt, solidifying it as the icon of the new attraction. The water tower is topped with a giant version of Tiana’s lilypad tiara and vines creep up its legs.

Flowers now appear to grow on the salt mine façade. Reddish-orange plants might be flowers or peppers, one of the plants that the Tiana’s Foods workers grow to create hot sauces. In the above picture, some red plants are visible on the rockwork near the water tower.

Disney recently announced more details about the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure story and new characters. After a mix-up between Naveen and Louis leaves Tiana without a band for her Mardi Gras celebration, she ventures into the bayou to search for musical critters.

Flume

Guests will join Tiana on her adventure via the refurbished Splash Mountain log vehicles. During our Wednesday trip to Magic Kingdom, the logs were in the lower part of the flume following the ride’s famous drop. Last week, Imagineers were the first to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure for a test.

Signs around the flume indicate that the ride is still in testing and opening this summer. The signs use the same phrasing as Splash Mountain testing signs back in the ’90s.

Sorry, friends, we are ride testing only.

Opening this summer!

Construction materials have been mostly cleared from this area. There is a temporary fence up around the access staircase next to the bridge.

Early on in construction, we saw significant rockwork around the tunnels under the bridge.

Frontierland Train Station

Some construction walls recently came down from around the Frontierland train station. Rolling planters are also now gone. One square of construction walls remains up at the end of a flowerbed, with a sign pointing to the restrooms behind the station.

Walls also remain up around construction of a new train station staircase. Currently, guests exit and enter the train station via a new staircase on the other end of the station.

The flowerbed jutting out from under the station is now full of shrubs and trees. It was mostly just brown mulch a few days ago.

Other construction walls cut across the flowerbed, blocking the view of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure queue.

The flowerbed is lined with rocks.

The new train station staircase is partially complete. Steps have been installed on the lower part of the framework.

Planks of wood cover the side of the staircase.

Scrim and a small wall block the staircase’s entrance into the train station.

Beneath the train station, we spotted a crew member working on long pieces of wood propped up on two work benches. More wood and concrete blocks were also stacked in the area. A Splash Mountain-themed play area was formerly located under the station.

Queue

From above, we could see the other side of the flowerbed and part of the attraction’s queue. A few plants are in brown mulch to the sides of the construction wall. More plants are staged to the left.

The queue loops under the train station, around a currently empty flowerbed. A new gate was installed at the end of this loop, where it runs up against the larger flowerbed.

The steel gate has two swinging doors. It’s likely for Cast Member access and not for guests.

It is themed, though, featuring a lilypad symbol on the side facing the walkway.

After boarding the Walt Disney World Railroad, we took a look at the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure queue on the other side of the station. Blue sheathing covers a wall facing the railroad. There was a large industrial fan in front of this wall during our visit.

Several crew members were gathered on a new staircase that runs from the ground to a floor level with the train station.

The staircase is next to the queue’s barn.

Scaffolding is between the staircase and the barn, as well as in front of the barn, in front of its doorway.

Yellow sheathing covers the wall at the top of the staircase. A tarp hangs in the doorway.

The flowerbeds throughout the queue have been cleared for further construction. They mostly now just feature mulch and trees.

The wood railings of the Splash Mountain queue are still in place in the back of the queue. The newer iron railings for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure are closer to the station.

Several large toolboxes are located on a pathway in the center of the queue. Black tarps cover the building that houses the Frontierland restrooms.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is scheduled to open at Magic Kingdom this summer and at Disneyland later in the year.

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