Following the success of his first amusement park at Anaheim in California, Walt Disney began to look for a suitable site for another amusement park on the other side of the USA. This time, he wanted to secure enough land so that the amusement park could grow into just what he wanted. The search began in 1959, using front companies to disguise the fact that Disney was out to acquire land and so avoid asking prices rocketing.
This amusement park was longer in the realization than the amusement park in California. Eventually 27,400 acres were bought, some of which was swamp land, just 15 miles away from Orlando in Florida. The first stage of the work was to construct drainage canals and roads. Sadly, Walt died in 1966, five years before the amusement park was able to open but his wife Lillian was sure that the amusement park had been built just as he would have wanted.
The construction of the amusement park was overseen by Walt's brother Roy, who gamely put off his retirement to see it through to the opening, which took place on October 1st 1971. Both he and Lillian attended. Four theme parks were created, the largest being Magic Kingdom, with additional attractions being added every year. At its largest, the amusement park was as big as San Francisco. The philosophy of Walt Disney was faithfully adhered to, with the amusement park being kept scrupulously clean, good to look at and offering something of interest to all members of the family.
The amusement park boasts five golf courses and 32 resorts and hotels, with new attractions and experiences being added and the current ones being amended constantly. The amusement park is the largest single site employer in the United States and has, for example, 750 gardeners and 600 painters. There is a special service from Orlando Airport straight to the amusement park. In 2007, there were 17 million visitors to the Magic Kingdom amusement park alone.
It is acknowledged that planning a visit to this truly gargantuan amusement park can seem an overwhelming task and so potential visitors need to take
advantage of the help offered by the website. This is an amazing amusement park and so full of special experiences that good organization is needed to
make the most of the time there.
See also:
Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park : a Potted History
Amusement Parks: Disneyland - a Potted History
Amusement Parks: Six Flags- a Potted History
Cedar Point Amusement Park: a Potted History
Amusement Parks: Tokyo Disney Resort - a Potted History
Amusement Parks: Hong Kong Disney Resort - a Potted History