Hi Holly,
Wow! That is a tough one because there are so many great rides at Disney. I'd suggest the Magic Kingdom as the place to start. There are so many wonderful rides for a 3 year old. Peter Pan's Flight, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the Mad Tea Party & Dumbo are always super popular for that age & I would put them all on my "must do" list. But my choice for first ride would be "it's a small world".
Here's what I based my decision on:
* Its one of the longer rides (approximately 10 1/2 minutes) so you get more time to enjoy it her first ride.
* The lighting is bright so you can see your daughter's reactions & get some great pictures.
* Its a calm, smooth ride so it won't frighten your daughter.
* This is an attraction that Walt Disney himself had a hand in designing. He originally designed the it for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. For a Disney history lover like me, I think is a great way to start a Disney trip.
* Because you really want to have that song stuck in your head the rest of the day - LOL!
Your daughter can ride any of the attractions where she meets the height requirements. You can find a list of the attractions with height requirements by visiting the
Traveling with Little Ones section on the Disney World Website. There you will find a PDF file on the right side of that page that lists attractions at all four of the theme parks that have height requirements.
You know your daughter better than anyone, but keep in mind that just because an attraction doesn't have a height requirement, doesn't mean that every child should ride it. Haunted Mansion is a great example.
Let me know if you have any questions about any specific attractions - I'm super happy to assist you. Wishing you many magical memories :-) Allison