“Where age relives fond memories of the past and youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future” – W. Disney |
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StubDog.com :: Event Information And Articles :: “Where age relives fond memories of the past and youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future” – W. Disney
Disneyland in Anaheim holds
the distinction of being the only theme park to be designed, built, opened,
and operated by Walt Disney himself. Currently the park has been visited
by more than 515 million guests since it opened, including presidents,
royalty and other heads of state. In 1998, the theme park was re-branded
"Disneyland Park" to distinguish it from the larger Disneyland
Resort complex. In 2007, more than 14,800,000 people visited the park
making it the second most visited park in the world, behind the Magic
Kingdom at Walt Disney World, the largest of all Walt Disney Parks and
Resorts owned and operated recreational parks, containing four theme parks;
two water parks; twenty-three themed hotels; and numerous shopping, dining,
entertainment and recreation venues, located southwest of Orlando, Florida.
Theme park in Anaheim, California was dedicated with a press preview on July 17, 1955, and opened to the general public July 18, 1955. The Special Sunday events (media opening), including the dedication, were televised nationwide and anchored by three of Walt Disney's friends from Hollywood: Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings, and Ronald Reagan. ABC broadcast the event live on its network; at the time, it was one of the largest and most complex live broadcasts ever. It didn’t prevent the event form having a horrible press due to the overcrowded attractions, out-of service water fountains and the asphalt laid just the same morning, sucking in the ladies’ high heels. The next day, though, the crowds started gathering in front of the gates as early as 2 am.
The concept for Disneyland began one Sunday, when Walt Disney was visiting Griffith Park with his daughters Diane and Sharon. While watching his daughters ride the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round he came up with the idea of a place where adults and their children could go and have fun together. His dream would lie dormant for many years.
While many people had written letters to Walt Disney about visiting the Disney Studio, Walt realized that a functional movie studio had little to offer to the visiting fans. He then began to foster ideas of building a site near his Burbank studios for tourists to visit. His ideas then evolved to a small play park with a boat ride and other themed areas. Walt's initial concept, his "Mickey Mouse Park", started with an 8 plot across Riverside Drive. Walt started to visit other parks for inspiration and started his designers working on concepts that grew into a project much larger than initial 8 acres amusement park.
Disney acquired 160 acres of orange groves and walnut trees in Anaheim, southeast of Los Angeles in neighboring Orange County but the difficulties in getting the funds together made him to look for new and undiscovered at that time methods of fundrising. He decided to use television to get the ideas into people's homes, and so he created a show named Disneyland which was broadcast on the then-fledgling ABC television network. In return, the network agreed to help finance the new park. Construction began on July 18, 1954 and would cost USD$17 million to complete, and was opened exactly one year later. U.S. Route 101 (later Interstate 5) was under construction at the same time just to the north of the site; in preparation for the traffic which Disneyland was expected to bring, two more lanes were added to the freeway even before the park was finished.
With its Main Street U.S.A (an early 20th century Midwest town), Frontierland (illustrating western frontier ), Advetureland featuring jungle-themed adventures, New Orleans Square based on 19th century New Orleans, Critter Country (themed to the mountain forests of the South and opened in 1972 as "Bear Country" it was renamed in 1988), Fantasyland bringing fantasy into a reality, Mickey's Toontown and Tomorrowland for many people, Disneyland Anaheim is the dream vacation, a trip of a lifetime.
This summer Disneyland in Anaheim offers all new fireworks show and encourages you to celebrate your important moments with Disney characters offering you a free entrance on your birthday. Discount tickets for an all day entertainment here : http://www.discountticketsandtours.com/index.php?cPath=106_121
