Here are a few things you may or may not already know:
Walt's idea for
Disneyland was born during his Sunday morning "Daddy days" with his daughters. They used to go to amusement parks. He noticed during these trips that parents sometimes seemed bored and that the rides themselves were often dirty and rundown. So, he started thinking of creating a place where parents and children could equally enjoy and wanted it to always be clean and beautiful. In the early days, he wanted to name it "Mickey Mouse Park."
Main Street is fashioned after the small town of Walt's boyhood.
Walt loved to build things and he loved trains. He built a train, complete with track, that ran around the perimeter of his backyard. Both adults and children could ride it. He called this train the "Carolwood Pacific," named after the street they lived on (Carolwood drive). One of his train cars is on display in the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge Villas. The trains at Disneyland and WDW are fashioned after Walt's train.
After Disneyland opened, Walt would often sleep overnight there in his apartment (on top of the train station). Workers would sometimes see him walking through the park in the morning in his robe.
WDW was originally to be named Disneyland. But, after Walt died, his brother Roy had it renamed Walt Disney World so people would always remember who was behind this magical place.
Oh my...I could go on and on. I absolutely love Walt. If you're looking for some great info., check out Bob Thomas' book, "An American Original, Walt Disney." It's an incredible biography. I've read it many, many times and always learn something new about him. He truly was a visionary.
