Vintage Park Elements You Can Still Find At Magic Kingdom

Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park originally opened in 1971. Walt Disney was a man who believed in progress and innovation, and it was his dream that the Disney parks would never be complete and would be constantly changing and upgrading. Walt Disney’s wish for his parks has definitely come true, as Magic Kingdom has seen several big changes throughout the years. While much of the park doesn’t look the way it did in 1971, there are still some areas of the park that are reminiscent of its early days. If you enjoy exploring Magic Kingdom then keep an eye out for these vintage park elements that you can still find today.

Progress City During The PeopleMover

Tomorrowland’s PeopleMover attraction is a tour of Tomorrowland from above. This attraction is popular with guests because of its unique perspectives of Tomorrowland and people-watching opportunities, as well as its interior scenes that give guests glimpses into attractions like Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and Space Mountain. During one of PeopleMover’s interior scenes, guests will notice a model city. This model, called Progress City, was Walt Disney’s original design for EPCOT. This model was created and imagined by Walt Disney himself, and presented as the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow to audiences just one month prior to his death. Of course, this city never actually came to be but was instead used as inspiration for the EPCOT park. A portion of the model still exists and is on display during the PeopleMover attraction.

The Water in Ariel’s Lagoon

One of Disney World’s opening day attractions was a popular submarine attraction called 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This attraction put guests in a partially submerged submarine that traveled throughout the “ocean” as guests peered through the submerged portholes. This attraction closed in 1994, and many years later in 2012 Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid took its place. During the opening ceremonies of the attraction, it was revealed that Disney Imagineers had kept bottled water from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and several Cast Members and Imagineers dumped this water into the attraction’s lagoon.

Liberty Square Pillory

One opening day feature of Magic Kingdom that still remains today is the pillory at Liberty Square. This photo opportunity has been entertaining guests since the 1970s, and guests still love to stop and appreciate the fun but historical display.

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room

An attraction that still operates at Magic Kingdom today that has remained virtually untouched since its opening in 1971 is Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. This attraction was created by Walt Disney himself and debuted at Disneyland in 1963. This attraction was the first time that audio-animatronics were introduced to the world. This groundbreaking technology had never been seen before and introduced the world to the potential of audio-animatronics in attractions. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room was an opening day attraction for Magic Kingdom, and while it previously underwent a refurbishment changing its theme and show, it was reverted back to the original attraction in 2011 and has remained ever since.

Are you a fan of vintage Disney? Tell us your favorite vintage park elements in the comments below.

Featured Photo: Emily Murray.