Happy 20th anniversary to Animal Kingdom!

[disneysteve]

Today, April 22, is the 20th anniversary of Animal Kingdom. My wife and I attended the grand opening in 1998. In fact, we actually got to see the park a few days before that at an AP preview. It was the first time we had ever been to a grand opening of a Disney park, certainly a rare occurrence. I still remember the excitement and sense of wonder of being among the first to explore a brand new park. I first saw Epcot about 6 months after opening and MGM about one month after opening, but getting to see AK even before it opened to the public was a real treat.

The park has changed a great deal since 1998 but it's still a very special place to us having been there since the beginning.

 

[Alicenwonderment]

I still have an unused cast preview ticket and a colored copy of Eyes and Ears for the opening. Not sure why I never used the ticket. I need to find both of these things and frame it.