The year is 1963, and Walt Disney's pet project Disneyland is on the cusp of some pretty spectacular attractions. The Enchanted Tiki Room had just debuted to stunning reviews. How could it not? It was an Audio-Animatronic stage show full of tiki culture, charm, and terrific music. Adventureland would never be the same.
Main Street U.S.A. would soon be home to Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, a brand New Tomorrowland was on the park's horizon, and in between the park's first new land New Orleans Square would arrive with the attraction that would once again raise the bar for all theme parks: Pirates of the Caribbean.
This map is worth blowing up and checking out what Walt's park looked like in the early years. So much is gone, but so much remains almost 60 years later. The last two decades of the Disneyland's additions have been a mixed bag, but I certainly wish there would be someone at the helm of the company who had one single once of Walt's creativity- and his desire to give park guests the best experience possible for the high prices charged to get into the park.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)
