by Character Diva
Tarzan’s Treehouse- formerly known as The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, is an attraction based on the 1999 cartoon and has been around at Disneyland since June 23, 1999. It is also home to the characters Tarzan, Jane, and Terk. Sometimes you can find these characters wandering nearby the attraction, but not often. Terk is the most commonly spotted character and he will sometimes pop up in Adventureland.
Character Diva Tip: If you want to see the characters, you increase your odds of seeing them during the summer months and occasionally the holidays, when the parks expect larger crowds.
While this attraction is often overlooked and passed over for other nearby favorite rides (Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion to name a few), there is still a lot of fun activities for you to do both inside the treehouse and down by the base as well. And if you don’t mind a bunch of stairs, it can be a great way to work up an appetite (or burn off some calories).
As soon as you approach the treehouse, you begin to hear music playing and various animal sounds (as well as the occasional yell associated with Tarzan). There is a set of narrow stairs that you ascend, followed by a wooden rope bridge that takes you from the first set of stairs to the actual treehouse. Once you have made it to the treehouse, you find a caution to “mind thy head”, and an open book with a message from Jane, welcoming you into her home with Tarzan. She also invites you to explore. (You will also find more books along the way as you peruse through the treehouse, each one with illustrations and short snippets of the Tarzan story.)
Besides the book, the first thing you will come across is Sabor (the leopard who attacked Tarzan’s parents) followed by other statues of the Tarzan characters, such as Kala, Jane, and Tarzan.
Disney Diva Tip: My personal favorite “room” is the one in which Jane is “sketching” Tarzan. The room has Jane sitting with her sketchbook while Tarzan strikes a pose overhead. In between them, there is a giant screen which is supposed to be a piece of paper. As you watch, images of Tarzan are sketched onto the screen. As a lover of animation, I’m always entertained by this… and Jane does a much better job of drawing him compared to my stick figure people attempts.
Each room of the treehouse not only has different character statues, but they also include different instrumental songs from the movie’s soundtrack to help set the mood and theme, and it makes for a nice ambiance.
The nice thing about being in the treehouse is that it offers you spectacular views of the surrounding area. Things to remember about this attraction are there are a LOT of stairs, and they are pretty narrow. So if someone in your party has difficulties climbing, or is afraid of heights, you may want to skip this attraction.
The great thing about it though, is not everything takes place “in” the treehouse. After you leave the “Jane sketching Tarzan” room, you start to make your way back down the steps into a play area originally used by Terk and her gorilla friends.
There is plenty to see that represents the movie (the complete pots and pans set that Terk and the other gorillas were playing, as well as the teapot and teacup that bare an a strong resemblance to Mrs. Potts and Chip from Beauty and the Beast), and even a few items or tributes to the former Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse (if you look closely, you may find a copy of “The Swiss Family Robinson” back inside the treehouse).
Disney Diva Tip: Tarzan’s Treehouse is a great place for young kids to play…. After all, who doesn’t like running across a rope bridge, or banging on pots and pans? You can have your own jungle jamboree! There also is a rope for you to swing on if you feel like being Tarzan… or just want to hang around. Also, the music in the background has a nice beat, which seems to give you a little more energy for all the monkeying around you’re going to do.
Disney Diva Tip: For those of you with older kids (or those who love the more adventurous rides, such as Indiana Jones, Tarzan’s Treehouse (as well as Jungle Cruise) can be great places to take your smaller children while you wait for the rest of your party to join you. And if you had your heart set on Indiana Jones, but somehow ended up at Tarzan’s Treehouse with the littlest members of your group, don’t forget about the Rider Switch Option… you can get a special pass so once the rest of your group gets back, you can switch and not have to start back at the end of the line again.
Disney Diva Tip: This can also be a good place to wait while you’re waiting for your fastpass time to go on Indiana Jones, or while waiting for a reservation for the Blue Bayou. Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Jungle Cruise are all some of the rides you will find near Tarzan’s Treehouse. And if you get hungry, Bengal Barbecue and Blue Bayou are both fairly close too.
I hope these tips have been helpful to you, and I hope the next time you go to Disneyland, you stop by and pay a visit at Tarzan’s treehouse! It’s always a great place to monkey around!
