It contains structures and caves with references to Mark Twain characters from the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and provides interactive, climbing, and scenic opportunities.

In January 2001, the mock rifles at Fort Wilderness were removed from Disneyland[2] after a six-year-old girl lost part of a finger while playing with one.

[4] On January 11, 2016, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, along with the other attractions and shows along the Rivers of America, closed temporarily for the construction of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

[8] Guests visit the island, surrounded by the Rivers of America, by traveling on a motorized raft which is piloted by a Disneyland cast member.

While aboard the Sailing Ship Columbia or Mark Twain Riverboat, Disneyland guests travel clockwise around the island.

The Magic Kingdom version of the burning cabin lasted until 2006, where the pipes (the originals from 1971) were damaged by age and being turned off while the Riverboat was under refurbishment.

This storyline was eventually changed to having been the home of a moonshiner who had fallen into a drunken stupor when he should have been minding his still; later, the fire was described (at least in the Mark Twain steamboat narration) as the result of unspecified carelessness, and as having left not only the cabin's owner homeless, but also some of the wildlife in a nearby tree.

The most prominent structure on the island, viewable from Frontierland, Adventureland and New Orleans Square, is Lafitte's Tavern, which was formerly Harper's Mill.

The outside walls and porch of Lafitte's Tavern features various swords and the salty pirates visiting this place are asked to stow their weapons outside.

And beneath the ground that the tavern overlooks is a massive pit that houses the show animatronic Maleficent in her dragon form.

Formerly Injun Joe's Cave (featuring a bridge over a bottomless pit along with wind and moan sounds), Dead Man's Grotto infuses more of the Pirates of the Caribbean film mythology into Tom Sawyer Island.

The first major interactive feature guests will encounter is the Chest of Davy Jones from the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Skeletons of previous explorers and pirates litter the pits of the cave, implying danger to those who continue to press onward.

The end of the Dead Man's Grotto cave features an Audio-Animatronics figure of a cursed pirate prisoner.

Smuggler's Cove is a remnant of the original Tom Sawyer Island, however, has been changed dramatically for the Pirate's Lair makeover.

Here lie broken beams and planks, worn and weathered to serve as memorial, shelter, and lookout perch alike.

Inside the Shipwreck, Davy Jones' ghostly voice can be heard whispering warnings to those who dare inspect the wreckage.

The inside of the wreckage features more state-of-the-art LED lighting design, similar to what is seen on a larger scale in Dead Man's Grotto.

Magic Kingdom within Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan both have versions of Tom Sawyer Island, still known by their original names.

In August 2024, it was announced that the Magic Kingdom version of Tom Sawyer Island will be closed in 2025 to make way for a Frontierland expansion, based on Pixar's Cars franchise.