We visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently for an update on the Tropical Americas construction site. There’s a lot of new progress to cover. The hacienda quick-service building has roof underlayment going up. Nearby, the woodcarver carousel’s queue has gained its first wood theming. Steelwork continues on both the Pueblo Esperanza clock tower and the Encanto ride building. The land’s secondary entrance now has concrete columns, a low wall, and its first planted tree.
Tropical Americas Construction Update: Carousel Theming, New Steel, and First Landscaping
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- The woodcarver carousel’s queue has received its first wood theming
- The Pueblo Esperanza clock tower is seeing continued steel work
- The first new tree has been planted near the land’s secondary entrance
Hacienda Building Gets Roof Underlayment
The former Restaurantosaurus building is being rethemed into a large hacienda that Disney has said will be one of the largest quick-service restaurants at Walt Disney World Resort. Roof underlayment now covers a large, steeply pitched section of the structure. A stone chimney remains nearby.
Crews were spotted securing the underlayment along the roofline. One worker was harnessed near the base of the roof, close to a section of rusted, curved metal roofing. That section appears to be part of the former Restaurantosaurus structure.
Wood Theming Installed for Carousel Queue
Nearby, the woodcarver carousel has gained its first exterior theming. Crews installed heavy, weathered wood rafters over what appears to be the queue area, forming a standard gabled roofline.
This is our first look at the rustic, handcrafted style planned for the attraction. The wood has chips and imperfections in it, which is exactly what you’d expect from a hand-built structure. Of course, it all sits on a steel structure that will ensure that it only appears to be hand-carved.
New Steel Rises on Encanto Building and Clock Tower
New steel framing has gone up along the top of the Encanto ride building’s exterior wall. It extends out from the building in a series of angled beams. This is the same building where Imagineers completed the building skeleton back in February. Imagineers expect to eventually disguise the show building with trees and themed mountainous structures on its roof. This new steel appears to be the support framework for that future rockwork. A crane actively lifted beams into place during our visit, while harnessed crews bolted the new framing to the existing structure.
Here’s a look at the same area as seen on the scale model on display at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Separate steel work continues to the right of the land’s main walkway, on the Pueblo Esperanza clock tower. A lift crew worked atop one of the tower’s steel columns during our visit.
Secondary Entrance Gets Concrete Columns and First Landscaping
The land’s secondary entrance arrives via the walkway from the Finding Nemo show area and Asia, rather than the main entrance across from Discovery Island. Crews have installed new concrete columns and a low wall here, along a walkway still under construction.
We also spotted the first tree planted at the site, positioned along the concrete wall. I’m far from an expert, but it appears to be a Weeping Fig. This is the first new landscaping that we’ve seen on the site. Up to this point, it has mostly been demolition and clearing. The addition of a new tree bodes well for the progress of the project. That said, I would say that we are still more than a year away from stepping inside the Tropical Americas land. Officially, it is set to open sometime in 2027.
Story So Far
- Disney closed DinoLand USA in February 2026, turning the area over entirely to construction crews for the Tropical Americas retheme.
- Imagineering completed the Encanto ride building’s steel skeleton in February 2026 after installing the final piece of steel.
- Crews began work on the Encanto queue building’s steel structure later that same month.
- The steel outline of the Pueblo Esperanza clock tower first became visible in April 2026.
- A metal decagon structure had gone up over the woodcarver carousel’s concrete base by April 2026.
Disney hasn’t said when any of these individual elements, including the hacienda, carousel, or Encanto ride, will be complete. The overall land remains on track for a 2027 opening. We’ll continue to track construction progress across the site as more milestones are hit.
We hope to learn more details during the upcoming D23 Expo in August!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!