A familiar piece of Magic Kingdom history has disappeared as demolition continues on the former Tom Sawyer Island. Aunt Polly’s, the island’s longtime quick-service restaurant, has been largely demolished as Walt Disney World clears the area for the upcoming Cars-themed expansion of Frontierland.
Photos taken from guest areas show a pile of rubble where much of the Aunt Polly’s building previously stood. Construction walls and scrims surrounding the former Rivers of America made it difficult to see the entire site, but a significant portion of the restaurant structure had clearly been removed.
Aunt Polly’s had already been largely absent from day-to-day Magic Kingdom operations before Tom Sawyer Island permanently closed. The quick-service location operated only sporadically in its later years and had not served guests for several years by the time Disney closed the island in July 2025.
The restaurant was themed after Aunt Polly from Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and fit into the island’s collection of rustic environments inspired by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Over the years, the waterfront location offered changing menus of sandwiches, snacks and drinks, providing guests with a relatively quiet dining spot away from the busiest areas of Magic Kingdom.
Other pieces of Tom Sawyer Island have also been disappearing as demolition progresses. The recognizable “Tom ♥ Becky” fence near Aunt Polly’s was removed shortly after the island closed, potentially preserving it before heavy demolition began. By October, Superstition Bridge had also been removed, while Harper’s Mill and Huck’s Landing were still standing at the time of the report. Props had already been cleared from the landing.
The work follows the permanent July 7, 2025 closures of Tom Sawyer Island, the Rivers of America and the Liberty Square Riverboat. Disney announced those closures as preparations accelerated for one of the largest transformations in Magic Kingdom history.
The former island and river area will become Piston Peak National Park, a new section of Frontierland inspired by the world of Disney and Pixar’s Cars. Rather than recreating Radiator Springs from the films, Disney is developing an original setting influenced by the Rocky Mountains and classic American national parks.
Disney says Piston Peak will feature rugged mountains, waterfalls, waterways, geysers, trails and national park-style architecture. The land will include two attractions. One will be a larger off-road rally experience sending guests across rough terrain and through mountainous scenery, while the second will be designed with families and younger visitors in mind.
Imagineers have said the project is intended to continue Frontierland’s progression through different periods and regions of American storytelling. Piston Peak will sit between the existing areas of Liberty Square and Frontierland, with landscaping and natural features designed to help integrate the Cars characters into the surrounding environment.
The project is also part of what Disney has described as the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom’s history. Beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a separate Disney Villains land is planned with two major attractions as well as dining and shopping.
For longtime Walt Disney World visitors, the demolition of Aunt Polly’s is another visible sign that the Tom Sawyer Island era has come to an end. While the restaurant had rarely been open in recent years, its removal represents a permanent change to a corner of Magic Kingdom that had remained rooted in the park’s early Frontierland history for decades.
As demolition continues behind construction barriers, the landscape that once held Aunt Polly’s, Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America is gradually being cleared for Piston Peak and the next generation of Magic Kingdom attractions.