Disneyland: For Big Kids and Little Kids
Excerpt from the book 45 Ways to Feel Alive from the Teresa the Traveler series of books.
First opened to the general public on July 18, 1955, Disneyland in Anaheim California was the brainchild of film producer, director and animator: Walter Elias Disney. When he wasn’t running his movie studio, Walt liked to hang out with his daughters taking in carnivals and fairs. He dreamed of building a place where parents and children could ride together and later bought an orange grove in the farming town of Anaheim where he made this dream a reality. The park is divided into eight areas: Main Street USA, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Fronteirland, Tomorrowland, Mickey’s Toontown, New Orleans Square and Critter County.
While visiting the Magical Kingdom, be sure to ride Space Mountain, get spooked at the Haunted Mansion, hop on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, join Indiana Jones for an adventure and watch the fireworks.
First opened to the general public on July 18, 1955, Disneyland in Anaheim California was the brainchild of film producer, director and animator: Walter Elias Disney. When he wasn’t running his movie studio, Walt liked to hang out with his daughters taking in carnivals and fairs. He dreamed of building a place where parents and children could ride together and later bought an orange grove in the farming town of Anaheim where he made this dream a reality. The park is divided into eight areas: Main Street USA, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Fronteirland, Tomorrowland, Mickey’s Toontown, New Orleans Square and Critter County.
While visiting the Magical Kingdom, be sure to ride Space Mountain, get spooked at the Haunted Mansion, hop on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, join Indiana Jones for an adventure and watch the fireworks.
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Space Mountain
Space Mountain, the highlight of Tomorrowland, is a steel rollercoaster attraction. To add to the excitement of its 1977 opening day, six of the original seven Mercury astronauts were in attendance. Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program run by the United States between 1959 and 1963 with the goal of putting a human being into orbit – which they achieved with the Mercury-Atlas 6 flight in 1962. Haunted Manson Guests who enter the neoclassical southern styled mansion ride on a haunted elevator before getting whisked onto Doom Buggy for a chilling tour of the ghostly gatherings taking place inside the house. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Located in Frontierland, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a mine train roller coaster ride. As the tale goes, gold was found in the small mining town of Big Thunder and an extensive railway system was set up to transport the ore. However, unbeknownst to the settlers, the mountain was a sacred place for the local Native Americans and was cursed. An earthquake destroyed the town and it was left abandoned but the locomotives continued to magically race around the mountain on their own. Go ahead and take a ride on one of the possessed trains if you have the nerve! Indiana Jones Adventure My favorite ride in Adventureland is no doubt the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Opened in 1995, guests accompany archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones through the lost temple and aboard a military transport vehicle on a quest for the Jewel of Power. The ride includes a number of thrilling elements such as: the Chamber of Destiny, Hall of Promise, Tunnel of Torment, Gates of Doom, Cavern of Bubbling Death, Mummy Tomb, Bug Room, Rope Bridge, Snake Temple, Mud Slide, Skull Room, Rat Cave, Dart Corridor, Rollling Boulder and the Finale. It took a team of over 400 Imagineers (a term that describes the Disney’s blending of imagination and engineering) two years to construct the ride. Fireworks The current fireworks show called Remember…Dreams Come True, was created to mark Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. With segments representing rides from each of the different “lands”, crowds are entertained by such spectacles as a Pirate’s of the Caribbean cannon battle, a bouncing Tigger and a Mickey Mouse Head. Lasting 17 minutes, the show is best seen from Main Street USA in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. It generally starts after it gets dark with varying start times throughout the year and a special performance put on during the holiday season called Believe…In Holiday Magic! |
Mickey Mouse
Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse and me in front of Cinderella's Castle
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Mickey's Toon Town Rollercoaster
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Haunted Mansion
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The Mad Hatter Tea Cup ride
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The Magic Kingdom
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