Disney Purchasing Land for New Theme Park????

[elmo2wdw]

I was just told that Disny is purchasing 300 acres in Gettysburg, PA for a new theme park. This came from someone who lives in Gettysburg. Anyone heard anything about this??????? I would love it....I live only 15 minutes from Gettysburg.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[daber]

Disney at one point purchased land in Manassas VA to build Disney's America and the locals shot it down. Maybe this is the start of resurrecting this idea. One can hope!

[Golter]

Lets hope this is not true. I would rather they put the money back into WDW. I would like to see the project for EPCOT get a green light and update it. If they did want to expand I would want them to do it somewhere in the middle of the country. San Antonio would be a great place.

[WDWHound]

There are always rumors floating around that Disney is getting rewady to build a new park somewhere. This new one is interesting (thanks for posting it), but it is probably not true.

[mikeymars]

How could this possibly be true, given what Disney ran into with the Virginia project? That died because national historians AND VA locals didn't want a theme park near a comparatively non-top-of-mind Civil War war battleground (Manassas).

So why would Disney subsequently plan to try to place something near the location of THE single most most historic and important battleground in the entire country?

Or stated differently, this doesn't add up - at all.

[KNWVIKING]

Virginia doesn't have winters as severe as the Northeastern states, but it still has a winter. Wouldn't this make it a seasonal park ?

We were at Niagara falls in Jan 2003 - Canadian side - and there were huge Disney charactor & scene lighting displays. I thought a Disney resort hotel with an underglass themed pool (SAB type) would be a huge success.

[nate4three]

I live 30 minutes from gettysburg and do not know of any big land deals. But when disney bought land in florida nobody knew it was them at the time. So there may be truth in it, but i highly dobt it. Yet one can always hope.:hyper: ::yes::

[dbhpsu]

I know this is quite a pipe dream, but wow..
All the people from the Northeast and Canada
would have their own park in their back yard.
30 minutes away from me.

[OnWithTheShow]

The area in Virginia is now home to a Walmart/Lowes/Home Depot etc. So much for their principles.

[Bstanley]

mikeymars - it wasn't the proximity of the Manassas battlefield, or the objections of a bunch of historians or normal citizens that sank Disney's America. It was the cash (and attorneys) of the uber-wealthy 'hunt-club' set that occupies the surrounding countryside. Perhaps the area 100 miles north is in less 'secure' hands?

Viking - was Disney's America going to be a seasonal park? I don't remember. It wouldn't have to be IMHO - especially if it wasn't going to be an 'amusement' park.

Now having said that - I would be amazed if this rumor was true.

[elmo2wdw]

Thansk for your thoughts....I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Gettysburg is trying very hard to boost their tourism. It is constantly in the local newspapers how they need more tourist to visit to support the park and community. They have been discussing several new projects to boost it.

Here's to dreaming!

[jimmytammy]

I am a Civil War buff and a Disney nut. I was dead against Disney putting that park near Manassas a few yrs back. Then we go to the battle field a couple yrs later and see Wal Mart and other retailers coinciding with our history. I remember that area as a kid. Now it is different. Reflecting back, Disney would have done it right.

As long as they dont encroach on the battlefield at Gettysburg, it could be good for both. Hoping it becomes reality!

[mmausse]

No, Disney would not have done it right. We would have become downtown Orlando. I'd much rather have, given my druthers, a Lowe's or a Home Depot. Also, the Manassas Battlefield is STILL intact. It has not been touched nor have the surrounding areas. Though I am a Disney stockholder I fought HARD against them wanting to build in my backyard. They bought the diving quarry where all us local scuba divers were trained. We only recently got it back.

As for the land in PA - sorry folks, that is old news. At the same time Disney bought the land in VA they were quietly buying the land outside Gettsyburg. Disney Americana was only temporarily shelved when the Mellon's, DuPont's, Mars, and the rest of us got involved in saving VA. I personally know the land buyer who bought both sets of land in VA and PA. Lookout Gettsyburg, the Mouse is on the loose!

[Luvdisney]

I think Va. lost out big time. I'm thrilled to see what the folks got instead of Disney. That Walmart sure looks nice now. I heard a rumer that Disney was buying up land in Texas for a theme park and possible a DVC resort.

[SharBear4]

Oh Wow! We live in Erie and to think of a park that we could drive to in a matter of hours is great!

[hirschberger]

If you think about an area about an hour south of Gettysburg called Williamsburg there is a very real balance between history and parks. Bush Garden is there Yorktown, Williamsburg and they all get along just fine. Many years ago (30 plus years) there was a small amusment park south of Gettysburg that never made it. Lets wait and see.

Karen and Jamie :jester:

[pumpkinfish]

So true!
I agree that BG in Williamsburg gets along just fine with the other historical sites in the area, but I think Disney is MUCH different than BG.
There are only 2 parks here in Willimasburg- Water Country and Busch. With Disney, I am quite sure they would plan on building huge resort areas if they could. I really could not see a WDW in the Williamsburg area. Willamsburg/James City County is really tight on what they allow. Near historical Williamsburg there are even sign restricitons!

Having said that, I would LOVE to have a Disney theme park so close to home and I feel it would bring TONS of business to VA.

[manning]

With all the rumors going around it looks like Disney is going to have a new theme park in .............every state.

[Planogirl]

Originally posted by manning
With all the rumors going around it looks like Disney is going to have a new theme park in .............every state.
Aye. And several in Texas based on all of the rumored locations.

[lucky_bunni]

With people willing, and we all know we are, to go to Orlando & California to visit the parks I don't see why they would squander the money on building a new location in the U.S. They need to fix the problems with the current locations before even thinking about building ANY new park.

[KNWVIKING]

Building a theme park somewhere is probably do-able at many locations in the country. But there will only ever be one WDW. If a Disney theme park were built in Va, I'd drive right by it to get to WDW. I'd go to BG before I'd visit a Disney park in Va because to me WDW means Disney. I like BG because it's BG. A Disney park would just leave me wishing I were in WDW.

We visited DL two years ago, stayed 9 nights at the DL Hotel. Great trip, BUT it wasn't WDW.

[DancingBear]

Williamsburg is a lot more than one hour south of Gettysburg. But, I agree, it shows you can have development near other sites.

The America project was never intended to be a WDW-type of development--it would have been more comparable to Busch Gardens.

The Manassas location was not any part of the battlefield. If you eliminated all development near historical sites, you wouldn't be able to build anything anywhere in Virginia.

The resistance to Manassas successfully fought off Disney in favor of more tract housing and strip centers.

[princess&tig]

300 acres is not enough room to build a park. If you include hotel and parking, no chance. The parking lot at any of the WDW resorts is bigger.

[Mickmse2002]

I think a regional "historically themed" park would be interesting and potentially very successful. I know I would go and check it out.

[TinaMedley]

Let's not forget that Disney was said to of bought land outside of Troy, MO. It's about 1-3 hours northwest of St. Louis, that transaction even made CNN.

[Mickmse2002]

It's a plot, I am starting to see the trend here. Disney is purchasing land in all 50 states with the sole purpose of opening small parks where hordes of pin collectors will travel to each one to purchase the special limited edition state pin. When you have collected all 50 you will receive a coupon for a free ice cream sundae at Downtown Disney. of course you will need to bring your Pal Mickey along to provide the appropriate narration and helpful hints along the way. Pal Mickey will be key in locating all of the DVC kiosks in each of the parks. ;)

[bbalde01]

I also heard of a Texas land purchase in the Katy Tx area, which is a suburb of Houston.

Rumors are great !:earsboy:

[Coach Rick]

This just in...... . .. . .. . Rhode Island to become Walt Disney Island in 2010...Narraganssett Bay will be become the first salt water body of water to be turned into a water slide.........The Breakers Mansion (former summer home to the Vanderbuilts) in beautiful Newport by the sea will be converted into a DVC resort, with pets allowed (well only if your pet is a mouse :earsboy: ) A monorail will encirle the state, and connect all themed areas....Mikey E will be named Gov, and Goofy will be sent to the senate, with Minnie sent to the house.....end of transmission...

:teeth: :wave2:

[Tjkane28]

Heck,

Disney just opened a new park in NYC! I swear I saw Mickey Mouse talking at Madison Square Garden this evening, and there was an awful lot of pixie dust making its way through the air this week!

Go, Arnold!

[40plus]

The rumor about Gettysburg is several years old. The idea was announced by Disney after the Va. deal fell thru. The Gettysburg idea was also reported by Disney to have been given up for the same reason as Va. Money. Disney in Va. wanted the locals to pay for major road construction along with some other concessions and the locals did not want any part of it. Also the history buffs came out in force against disney and effectively killed it. The same happened in Pa. both were reported prettily heavily in both local and national press. Sorry but I am not computer smart enough to do the search for the stories. But I do remember watching about it on the news.

[JonJehrio]

Good news for Disney fans in the extreme Northwest! I just heard Disney has been buying land in Alaska. They have been buying up baren wasteland for the past few years for a really great price. They are planning on a winter themed park, with a great resort to be named "The Ice Lodge". Guests will be required to wear ice skates to get themselves around the park and resort. This will assist guests who want to see everything in one day, since the days up there are very short in the winter and the skates will allow them to get from attraction to attraction more rapidly (depending on the guests skating ability that is). The list of attractions featured rides like "Pluto's Pipeline Plunge", "It's a Cold World", "The Miracle on Ice Haunted Mansion", "The Brother Bear Spin", "20'000 Leagues under the Ice", "Snow Mountain", "Alladins Magic Bobsleds", "Mickey's Goldmine Runaway Mountain Train", and "Expidition North Pole." The Ice Lodge is supposed to be a beautiful Deluxe resort built from ice, with the other hotel, the "Igloo Villa's" being a DVC property. Each of these will feature themed skating rinks for families to enjoy. There will also be an are called "Winter Country" featuring Luge, Bobsled, dog sledding, snowshoeing and other exciting winter activities. It should be a great park. They are also planning a water park called "Blizzard Beach." Along with the press release I saw, was list of the future operating hours. Unfortunately, this park would only be open in the winter, as both resorts would melt during the summer and need to be rebuilt in the late fall each year. The imagineers are working overtime trying to get this park finished, because with the current state of Global-Warming, The park is only projected to last 34 years.:sunny:

[bbalde01]

Wow !
What an amazing park that will be. I hear that the Park hoppers will be edible, with different flavors like a popsicle.

The proposed Goofy's ski jump will be a try at your own risk ride with a waiver form to be signed beforehand.

Also no fireworks are planned for this park ( ice will melt )
instead they will have a water display that will shoot high into the sky and will automactically freeze creating mind blowing designs.

Wow, i'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.


Bobby:wave2:

[greendoor678]

Sorry to rain on your Electrical Light Parade, but I'm just not believing the new park rumor.

It seems that these type of rumors surface and 'float around' as urban legends.

A similar, and VERY detailed rumor was circulating about a new WD park in Magnolia, TX.
I first heard the rumor close to 20 years ago when my family moved to Magnolia and it was still a small country town that few had heard of.
Magnolia is North of Houston, TX and years ago it seemed like a logical idea.
The rumors had specific details to back up the idea.
For example:
"friend of a friend is a real estate agent and they heard....."
"WDW plans to build a themepark in the Central U.S. so EVERYONE in the U.S. is close to a WD park"
"TX has mild winters similar to Orlando so it's an ideal location for year round tourism"
"A Texas Sized WD Themepark"
"Disney Corporation had purchased an abundant amount of land in an undeveloped area north of Houston (where the TX Ren Fest is) etc etc etc."


Of course, these were just rumors and over the years my family has learned to laugh at the idea. Though I must say, at first we were excited about the notion of a TX Disney Park!
Seems this TX rumor seemed to follow those involved in the TX Renaissance Festival as this is 'supposedly' where the land was acquired for the new park.

Magnolia is now one of the fastest growing areas in the state and is no longer a secluded country town, but I'm sure the rumor is still afloat.
Anyway, just thought I would share this info.
Perhaps a 'Disney Urban Legend' thread could be started (if not already!)?
;)
Hey, maybe one day there WILL be a new US Disney park, but I'd have to actually see it to believe it.

[Mickmse2002]

Originally posted by greendoor678
Perhaps a 'Disney Urban Legend' thread could be started (if not already!)?
;)


I think such a thing does exist at snopes.com

[stemikger]

I live in New York and I would love Disney to be within driving distance. I had a dream once where Disney was in Staten Island, New York where I live and I was able to walk. What a great dream. I would love not to fly to my favoriate place on earth. I have friends who drive, but to me it is too far and I would waste 4 days driving.

[CaptainMidnight]

Originally posted by mikeymars
How could this possibly be true, given what Disney ran into with the Virginia project? That died because national historians AND VA locals didn't want a theme park near a comparatively non-top-of-mind Civil War war battleground (Manassas).

So why would Disney subsequently plan to try to place something near the location of THE single most most historic and important battleground in the entire country?

Or stated differently, this doesn't add up - at all.
How about the idea that it's a good idea, patriotism in on the rise, and people surrounding Gettysburg don't have the same inhibitions as those in Virginia. Virginia has a much larger community of reanacters than in the Gettysburg area. The surrounding community may greatly appreciate the jobs, emphasis on environment and conservation, and appeal of a patriotic park.

[Dumbo]

Has anybody been to Gettysburg, PA. in January? The average temperature is 24.8 degrees and this past Jan., 2004 they had 18 inches of snow.


Dumbo

[Desperado]

Originally posted by Dumbo
Has anybody been to Gettysburg, PA. in January? The average temperature is 24.8 degrees and this past Jan., 2004 they had 18 inches of snow.


Dumbo
Cool, skiing.

[JimmyBlaze]

I wish Disney would build parks all over the place. That would mean less crowds at WDW. That is my biggest disapointment with going to WDW, the huge Crowds.

[randytenn]

I went to college at School of the Ozarks, outside of Branson, and heard rumors in the early 80's about Disney buying property in the Ozark Mountains around Branson, to build a new park.

Folks. There are no other parks planned in the US, outside of CA and FL. It ain't going to happen. They have room at FL for several new parks, and CA has room for one more. But, after their experience with Disney's America, they gave up on other parks.

Although, I did hear the Disney bought up a local Wal Mart and Home Depot in Little Rock, and is planning on opening an All Disney Home Center, where everything will be in the shape of Mickey, including toliet seats. . . .

[kirabira]

I live in Fredericksburg and I really wanted Disney to come here. It would have been GREAT for tourism, jobs etc. PLUS education. I don't know how long you can preserve 'battlegound' that to most people is just an empty field/ forrest, but Disney could have come in and really preserved it for furture generations in an educational way. Instead of a Disney memorial or tribute we'll just get more walmarts or housing developments or big roads =)

[Tina]

I'm thrilled to see what the folks got instead of Disney. That Walmart sure looks nice now.

We didn't even get a Walmart - or the Lowe's or Home Depot mentioned in other posts. The entire area became new subdivisions. Most of them high-priced homes with golf course views.

Here's what we did get: MORE CONGESTION! Virginia has done nothing to improve the roads out here. As a matter of fact, they allowed Nissan Pavilion to be built (outdoor concert pavilion) without requiring road improvements because, at the time, Disney was still planning on coming. With Disney, came new roads. Well, guess what? No Disney. No roads! But we've still got the pavilion and now several thousand more homes. Traffic out here is a complete nightmare. I keep the concert schedule on my bulletin board at work. On concert nights, I either stay late or make plans to meet DH for dinner away from home. On non-concert nights, I just grit my teeth and sit in traffic.

I would have LOVED to see Disney build a park here. I would have turned my home into a vacation rental and moved a little farther away!

[elmo2wdw]

You know.... I just love how a simple question can bring out the most idiotic responses from people who think that they know more than others.

While I appreciate some of the responses that have been made, the ignorant comments can be kept to yourselves. To others they may seem funny, but to me they don't. If you've heard anything...great! If not...that's fine too, but I am not interested in the blasting tone of some of the responses. They are clearly derogatory and unappreciated.

So as I tell my children....."If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all".

[drdelsol]

Why whenever there is a rumor of Disney buying land it is always for a park and never for a DVC resort?

I was working in Springfield , MO when some of the rumors were going on and called some cast member friends to see what they heard. According to my sources( such as they are), Branson was really exploding then so Disney went to evaluate the possibility of a vacation resort and later I believe they were looking at an animal park outside Springfield that was possibly for sale when they were "stocking" Animal Kingdom.

I know when I was there the local paper seemed to print celebrity type rumors and then later check them out. I can't remeber how many places Wayne Newton was supposedly buying while I was there.

[walter]

I believe Disney should concentrate on improving their existing properties. By rehabing & adding new venues, it will only improve true Disney fans repeat visits. We just got back from 10 days at WDW & after 7 yrs. of visits, 2 or 3 yrs off are needed to bring back the "magic". If there were new venue incentives, we would return sooner. I spoke with other people while at WDW & they feel the same. Some DVC members were looking into selling their points & buying a more broad based Vacation Club program such as Marriott.