Changes

In order to get to Tom Sawyer Island, guests must board rafts from a dock in Frontierland. The rafts take guests slowly across the Rivers Of America to Tom's Landing (on the side of the island). Here guests can explore various scenes from the book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain. When guests first get to the island they can read a sign that Tom himself wrote. The sign reads:

[[Image:Polly.jpg|400px|thumb|Aunt Polly's Cottage on Tom Sawyer Island.|alt= Aunt Polly Tom Sawyer Island]]

If guests travel counterclockwise around the island, the first major sight they will come across is Harper's Mill. The mill is a working grain mill, similar to the those that once ran on the Mississippi River. There are two different stories which tell how Harper's Mill got its name. One theory states that the mill is named after Imagineer Harper Goff who helped design both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Another story states the mill is named after Joe Harper, who joined Tom and Huck when they ran away in Mark Twain's novel. It is probable that in the backstory of the attraction, the mill is named after Joe Harper, while its inclusion may have been a nod to Harper Goff.

Inside Harper’s Mill, a reference to the 1937 Disney short,"The Old Mill" can be found. In the cartoon, a strong thunderstorm begins to rage outside of a run down mill, which causes the gears inside the mill to begin to turn. Resting in the gear is a mother bluebird and her eggs, which it seems will surely get crushed. Luckily one the gears is missing one of its teeth, thus saving the bird. Like her cartoon counterpart, the bird inside Harper's Mill is never crushed

Around the corner from Harper's Mill, guests will come upon Aunt Polly's cottage. Here guests can sit and relax on a large, waterfront porch. A restaurant named Aunt Polly's Dockside Inn was once open here, but the restaurant closed for good in 2007 (although it briefly reopened in 2015). On the outskirts of the cottage, guests can see a fence that Tom convinced his friends Ben Rogers, Johnny Miller, and Billy Fisher to whitewash. Continuing on past Aunt Polly's cottage, guests will come upon the Scavenger’s Fort. Here, Tom and Huck have seemingly made a makeshift playground out of ship parts, lumber wood, and barrels (the roof of the fort is even made out of an old life boat).

Near the entrance to Old Scratch's Mine, is Injun Joe's Cave. In the story “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, Tom witnessed Injun Joe murder Doc Robinson, and was later trapped in the cave with him. As guests explore the cave, they will come upon an eerie face in the rocks. Further down, they cross a wooden bridge which seems to be suspended over a bottomless pit. Both Injun Joe's Cave and Old Scratch's Mine have one way walkways, which deposit guests on the other side of the island. Outside of Injun Joe's Cave, guests can read a warning sign that says:

{{Quotation|Do not wurry...Injun Joe aint been seen in thess parts for along time. Hiz cave is deeserted! p.s. if n you want to maybe you could wurry just a little bit- Tom}}

Another place guests can explore is Potters Mill. Located near Injun Joe’s Cave, Potters Mill is a small green mill that guests can actually go inside. After traveling up a winding staircase and reaching the top of the mill, guests can look out and see beautiful views of the Magic Kingdom. Just outside of the mill is Huck's Landing, where rafts may deposit guests during busier times (when two rafts are being used).

On the other side of the island guests can attempt to cross the barrel bridge. Getting across the bridge is no easy task, however many guests consider the challenge one of the highlights of the attraction. The barrel bridge leads guests over to Smugglers Cove, which gives guests more great views of the park.