Today the Haunted Mansion’s expanded grounds officially opened. With this, the virtual queue for the attraction is no longer being used. Instead, guests will be experiencing the new details and story elements that can be found while making their way through the newly expanded queue.
The expanded grounds have been beautifully cultivated to offer an “enchanting aura” to encourage exploration. While exploring, there will be some familiar things to be seen and also some new ones.
One familiar icon that will be seen is the Spanish fountain that previously could be found in the recently reopened Magnolia Park. This is near the entrance of the expanded grounds and standby queue.
Further into the grounds, it can be seen that the new gardens are being guarded by a pair of stately ravens. Ravens often represent a connection between the spirit world and the world of the living. They also have been found inside the Haunted Mansion through the years.
Nearby there will also be the figure of a crouching cat. This cat statue can be found sitting tucked away in some wispy grasses, appearing ready to pounce.
Continuing through the queue and around the bends, there is a personal garden retreat that was originally designed by one of the mansion’s inhabitants, Master Gracey. The fountain found against the garden wall features the face of a sea maiden with unruly hair and startled eyes. It’s almost as if she is caught in a storm, perhaps a magical one? Inside an old, wrought iron gazebo sits a beach, a well-read book, and an astrological armillary sphere. A smoking pipe has also been left behind. This is the perfect place for Master Gracy to rest, relax, and ponder his past.
Further into the grounds, the eccentric garden of Madame Leota will be found. She is the mansion’s resident Seer. There is the feeling that the entire garden is dipped in mystical energy in this area. It’s as if every plant, statue, and trinket is under Leota’s spell. There can be found a small statuary of oddities. This includes frogs, lizards, rats, and a cymbal-playing monkey. They are all frozen in time as if under an incantation.
The garden has the repeating motif of fortune-telling orbs. There is a large oak tree in the center of the courtyard that has been decorated by Leota with colorful ornaments, chimes, and bells that ring out as the breeze blows through the gardens. Madame Leota’s story will also continue with the new shop at the exit of the attraction.
The Mansion Greenhouse can be found at the rear of the garden. This belongs to all the mansion’s ghosts. It is an ornate structure of iron and glass that allows the ghosts with a “green thumb” a chance to cultivate the most unusual of plant species.
Guests can now experience and explore these new gardens and grounds at the Haunted Mansion when they experience the standby queue. Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Premier Pass are also available for guests who wish to experience the attraction and not the standby queue.
The Haunted Mansion currently has its halls decked by Jack Skellington for the holidays. This continues through the holiday season at Disneyland Resort.
What do you think of the new expanded grounds for the Haunted Mansion? What is your favorite detail? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
