Classic / Historic Must-Dos

[Peachy0118]

Hi all. Doing some research and trying to come up with a list of classic Disney must-dos. By classic I mean historic... like those attractions and food items and experiences that really ooze history or remind you of Walt. Pirates, for example, since it is the last one he worked on, and the train obviously... maybe some opening day attractions?

Any restaurant suggestions or food items? Specific not-miss attractions with that feel? Trying to come up with a comprehensive list...

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[midnight star]

Attraction/Rides:
Peter Pan- It's one of the originals and it's the only ride that is a suspended track (which is how you fly)
Mark Twain Boat
Castle Walk Through

Restaurants:
Blue Bayou- There are a lot of mixed reviews on the quality and pricing, but I enjoy it. Ask to be seated by the water so you can watch the Pirates boats go by
Carnation Cafe- Right on Main Street; Oscar the famous chef used to work there

There is a Walk in Walt's footsteps tour that allows you to go into his apartment above the fire station

 

[Peachy0118]

Attraction/Rides:
Peter Pan- It's one of the originals and it's the only ride that is a suspended track (which is how you fly)
Mark Twain Boat
Castle Walk Through

Restaurants:
Blue Bayou- There are a lot of mixed reviews on the quality and pricing, but I enjoy it. Ask to be seated by the water so you can watch the Pirates boats go by
Carnation Cafe- Right on Main Street; Oscar the famous chef used to work there

There is a Walk in Walt's footsteps tour that allows you to go into his apartment above the fire station

Thanks you!

 

[Mike_M]

Another fun idea could be recreating photos from Walt’s era in modern times. Shots of Walt on Main Street are the easiest to recreate, but there are plenty of others as well that were taken in places any of us still have access to.

 

[Peachy0118]

Another fun idea could be recreating photos from Walt’s era in modern times. Shots of Walt on Main Street are the easiest to recreate, but there are plenty of others as well that were taken in places any of us still have access to.

What a great idea!

 

[nicolita3]

Some of the opening day attractions are:
Autopia
The Railroad
Jungle Cruise
The Carrousel
The Mark Twain Riverboat
Mr. Toads Wild Ride
Peter Pan
Snow White
Storybook Land Canal Boats

I also like:
Pirates
Tiki Room

For food:
The Carnation Cafe is really good

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

• Definitely the attractions that were there on opening day.
• A ride around the park on the railroad since he was very partial to trains, and they are named after imagineers that also were into trains. Look at the 'exhibits in the Main Street Station
• Check out the fire station on Main Street
• Go by the lockers on Main Street and look for the 'sample' wall where they put up different bricks to see which would look better
• Abe Lincoln and the whole Opera House and Disneyana exhibits.
• Snack in the Golden Horseshoe - he and Lillian celebrated their anniversary there right before Disneyland opened up - his booth was on the left side (hidden mickey on the grate below the stage)

 

[felice]

I'm not sure whether these come under classic or historic, but I'll mention a few:-

Great Moments with Mr Lincoln
Mark Twain Riverboat
Storybook Land Canal Boats (we discovered this one by accident as we though we'd queued for Small World, but it was enjoyable)
It's a Small World (yes, the soundtrack is an earworm, but it is better than some)
The railroad which goes around Disneyland is also worth checking out.

 

[goooof1]

Train.... "primeval world"
Matterhorn !!
Mr. Toad
Storybook Land Boats
Alice
Matterhorn !!
Jungle Cruise
Explorer Canoes

Restaurants and food have changed a lot....hard to get a feel for "classic" / historic.

 

[WonkaKid]

I’m a big advocate of doing opening-day/original attractions. And to do them, I strongly urge rope-dropping (something that we did a long time ago in a pre-pandemic galaxy far, far away... ;-)). Specifically, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad and Snow White, in that order (due to how quickly their lines get long). After that, I’d say Matterhorn, Pirates and Haunted Mansion.

As to food, I’ll leave that to the experts. I rarely eat at the park. I’m a longtime vegetarian and have been off of refined sugar and deep-fried foods even longer. In short, I’ve never had a DL corn dog, beignet or churro and almost certainly never will .

 

[WonkaKid]

Attraction/Rides:
Peter Pan- It's one of the originals and it's the only ride that is a suspended track (which is how you fly)
Mark Twain Boat
Castle Walk Through

Restaurants:
Blue Bayou- There are a lot of mixed reviews on the quality and pricing, but I enjoy it. Ask to be seated by the water so you can watch the Pirates boats go by
Carnation Cafe- Right on Main Street; Oscar the famous chef used to work there

There is a Walk in Walt's footsteps tour that allows you to go into his apartment above the fire station

I’m WonkaKid and I approve this message ;-).

 

[Peachy0118]

I’m a big advocate of doing opening-day/original attractions. And to do them, I strongly urge rope-dropping (something that we did a long time ago in a pre-pandemic galaxy far, far away... ;-)). Specifically, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad and Snow White, in that order (due to how quickly their lines get long). After that, I’d say Matterhorn, Pirates and Haunted Mansion.

As to food, I’ll leave that to the experts. I rarely eat at the park. I’m a longtime vegetarian and have been off of refined sugar and deep-fried foods even longer. In short, I’ve never had a DL corn dog, beignet or churro and almost certainly never will .

Even though Matterhorn, Pirates and the Haunted Mansion weren't opening day attractions? I do get they are totally classics though. Any others to add? What about the castle walk-through? Worth it or skip it?

 

[midnight star]

Even though Matterhorn, Pirates and the Haunted Mansion weren't opening day attractions? I do get they are totally classics though. Any others to add? What about the castle walk-through? Worth it or skip it?

For Matterhorn, my mom and aunt grew up in socal and my grandparents took them to DL a lot. They said that was the "cool" ride back in the day before space mountain. I think it was also the first steel rollercoaster. So there is a historical component to it.

 

[Mike_M]

...What about the castle walk-through? Worth it or skip it?

Castle walkthrough isn’t an opening day attraction, but it’s definitely worth it IMO. It’s a different kind of attraction and has its very own vibe to it, which i’ve always liked a lot.

I suggest when doing it to take your time. There is plenty to see in there and lots of little details to enjoy.

 

[Mike_M]

Even though Matterhorn, Pirates and the Haunted Mansion weren't opening day attractions? I do get they are totally classics though...

I think there are a couple different ways to think about ‘historic’ DL. There are opening day attractions for sure, but Walt had 11 years of direct input on the park so there are also attractions and experiences that existed within Walt’s lifetime to consider (1955-1966). I like to include POTC, HM and Tomorrowland ‘67 as things he contributed to, even though they didn’t open until after he passed.

IMO, there is everything that existed up to the opening of the Haunted Mansion, and then what came after (which is good too, just not directly tied to Walt himself).

 

[Peachy0118]

I think there are a couple different ways to think about ‘historic’ DL. There are opening day attractions for sure, but Walt had 11 years of direct input on the park so there are also attractions and experiences that existed within Walt’s lifetime to consider (1955-1966). I like to include POTC, HM and Tomorrowland ‘67 as things he contributed to, even though they didn’t open until after he passed.

IMO, there is everything that existed up to the opening of the Haunted Mansion, and then what came after (which is good too, just not directly tied to Walt himself).

Right. I know since Pirates is what he was working on prior to his death it is definitely on the list. I'm just sure I'm missing things! Like I never thought of the Carnation Cafe until someone suggested it....

 

[Mike_M]

Don’t know why I didn’t try this first. found an easy list of when attractions opened.

https://touringplans.com/disneyland/attractions/opening-dates
Couple discrepancies on the list though that i’d count as Walt era since all attractions have been plussed beyond their original design anyway:
-Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough. It originally opened in 1957, 2008 is when it got a significant upgrade.
-Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Originally opened in 1959, 2007 is when it reopened with the Finding Nemo retheme.

 

[Peachy0118]

Don’t know why I didn’t try this first. found an easy list of when attractions opened.

https://touringplans.com/disneyland/attractions/opening-dates
Couple discrepancies on the list though that i’d count as Walt era since all attractions have been plussed beyond their original design anyway:
-Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough. It originally opened in 1957, 2008 is when it got a significant upgrade.
-Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Originally opened in 1959, 2007 is when it reopened with the Finding Nemo retheme.

Thanks! Very true to consider those significant changes

 

[WonkaKid]

Even though Matterhorn, Pirates and the Haunted Mansion weren't opening day attractions? I do get they are totally classics though. Any others to add? What about the castle walk-through? Worth it or skip it?

Yes, certainly. I like to begin with opening-day attractions and then go on to some classics.

 

[WonkaKid]

For Matterhorn ... I think it was also the first steel rollercoaster.

I believe that it was the first tubular steel roller coaster in the world .