There’s now a crane towering over the Tropical Americas construction site in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Tropical Americas Crane
The crane is near the back of the site, beyond the former Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures gift shop. Most of the fencing and walls that created the edge of DinoLand U.S.A. have been demolished, and the crane is past that former border.
We couldn’t see exactly what the crane was doing from our vantage point in The Boneyard, but it’s likely lifting large construction materials or moving debris. Beyond the crane are trailers for crew and cast working on the project.
Nearby, there’s still a Vac-Con truck in the old Dino-Rama space. This is a giant hydrovac used to prepare the ground for a new structure by breaking up materials with water and then vacuuming them up. It was previously parked closer to the gift shop.
There are a few cubes of orange netting on wooden frames outside the old store. These appear to be blocking holes in the ground.
Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures will not be demolished but will be reused in the new Tropical Americas land, which is scheduled to open in 2027. It will feature a new “Encanto” ride and a carousel featuring Disney animals. DINOSAUR, closing in 2026, will become an Indiana Jones ride.
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