Disneyland California is still the
|
When I was a kid, there was no place on earth I would rather visit than Disneyland California. In fact, when I was growing up, it was the only amusement park of it's kind (with apologies to Knott's Berry Farm - another wonderful place). Walt Disney World had not yet been built and no one else did things quite as well as Disney. The layout of Disneyland Park is broken up into several unique themed areas such as Fantasyland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and Frontierland. It held a lot of fascination for me as a boy growing up - and it still does today.
This is Main Street, U.S.A. at the Disneyland Resort.
A statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse with Sleeping Beauty Castle rising in the background.
Disneyland California offers much more than just amusement park rides. Disney elevated the art of building theme parks to a new level when the Park first opened in 1955. More than half a billion people have visited this spot in Anaheim since then. Many of those early rides still exist and are as popular as ever. Rides such as "Peter Pan", "Snow White", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" still are popular Park attractions today. However, in the mid 1960's, the ride experience was raised to a whole new level with the introduction of audio-animatronic "humans". The "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride opened in 1966 to raving reviews - and it is still (in my opinion) the best ride at Disneyland California. Other attractions at the Magic Kingdom soon followed "Pirates" and began incorporating animatronics into their rides as well. The result was even more popular attractions such as "It's A Small World" and the "Haunted Mansion".
This model of the United States Capitol building is located in the waiting area for "Meet Mr. Lincoln" (just off Main Street). My wife Karen remembers this attraction from the early 1970's and it was still in operation when this photo was taken in 2002. I'm not sure however if it is still there or not.
"Meet Mr. Lincoln" was one of the first attractions at Disneyland California to use an audio-animatronic figure. I remember thinking as a kid that this figure was the "real" Abraham Lincoln.
Entrance to the "Haunted Mansion" ride. The building was modeled after a southern plantation manor.
Unfortunately, some of the best rides at the Disneyland Resort have closed over the years. My personal favorites that are now long gone include the "Country Bear Jamboree", "The Carousel of Progress", and "America Sings". Of course, there are many others that still remain such as "The Jungle Cruise", "Autopia", and "Tom Sawyer Island". For those who like roller coasters, Disneyland offers three - the "Matterhorn Bobsled Ride", "Space Mountain" and "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad". However, in keeping with Disney tradition, they are much more than mere roller coasters. They are theme-based ride experiences.
One of the most popular roller coaster type rides at the Park is the "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad". It is pretty tame as roller coasters go but the surrounding scenery and atmosphere is just right.
The "Tea Cups" ride has been around since the mid 1950's. The "mountain" beyond is the "Matterhorn Bobsled" ride. It was the first roller coaster attraction built at Disneyland.
The "Flying Dumbo" ride - a favorite of small children for generations.
It is located in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom.
"Mickey's ToonTown" is a more recent addition to Disneyland California
and features lots of attractions for little children.
Audio-animatronics are still used today in rides like "Star Tours" (based on the Star Wars saga). And Disneyland California (along with other Disney Parks around the globe) continues to plan new rides and attractions for the future utilizing the latest technology available. For my money (and it is not an inexpensive place to visit either), it still offers lots of value and is a great mental escape from the pressures and fast pace of everyday living. The new "California Adventures Park" built next door might offer more thrill rides for the teenage crowd, but nothing can ever replace the Magic Kingdom.
The "Mark Twain Riverboat" has been a mainstay at Disneyland for as long as I can remember. It circles around Tom Sawyer Island and offers a nice view of the Park.
Although
Disneyland California
is just one of many Los Angeles tourist attractions, it easily rises above them all in popularity and in curb appeal. You are definitely missing something special if you never get to see it.
Sleeping Beauty Castle (seen at dusk) is located
at the center of Disneyland.
Nighttime view of Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Disneyland Resort.
Please click on the image below if you are interested in Disney products.
Please visit more of my Los Angeles pages:
Los Angeles main page
Movieland Wax Museum pictures
Also, check out my pictures of Las Vegas:
Las Vegas main page
Pictures of the Mirage Resort
Views from the top of the Stratosphere Tower
To return to the home page, click here.
