Walt Disney Parks and Resorts announced in July the creation of Star Wars-themed lands in their Anaheim, CA and Orlando, Florida parks. As leaders in the theme park industry, Disney sets the standard. Let’s take a look at past milestones of their historic parks in the USA.
1955 – Disneyland
Anaheim hosts Walt Disney Company’s premier park. Built on 160 acres of land that had been home to walnut trees and orange groves, the park opened with twenty attractions that included Tomorrowland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Main Street, USA.
1966 – New Orleans Square
Exclusive to Disneyland, New Orleans Square aims to give visitors the 19th-century New Orleans experience. Walt Disney was on-hand to open the theme land. He died a few months later.
1971 – Walt Disney World Resort
Orlando plays home to the Walt Disney Company’s second major theme park. Attractions in the Magic Kingdom include Cinderella’s Castle, Liberty Square, and the Haunted Mansion.
1975 – Space Mountain
This indoor roller coaster at Walt Disney World provides riders with a thrilling journey through tunnels that alternates between darkness and flashing futuristic lights. Disneyland opened their own Space Mountain in 1977.
1982 – EPCOT Center
Created in Walt Disney World as an ode to technological innovation and cultures from around the globe, EPCOT was the largest construction project in the world at the time of its development.
1993 – Mickey’s
Toontown
An immersive experience, visitors to Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland interact with characters from the Mickey Mouse universe and visit them in their wacky cartoon’ish homes.
2003 – Mission: SPACE
Located at EPCOT in Walt Disney World, Mission: SPACE is an interactive thrill ride that gives visitors the astronaut experience and assigns each rider a role to play during the ride.
