It’s a place where time has stood still for more than a century. A horse-drawn street car glides past, pulled by beautiful Belgian and Percheron draft horses. The storefronts, with names like The Candy Palace and The Emporium, stand shoulder to shoulder in two neat rows. The streets are immaculate, despite the crowds, and everything looks bright and new.
Welcome to Disneyland’s Main Street, USA, the first of eight themed lands you will visit on your trip through the Magic Kingdom. Main Street, USA was modeled after the streets of Walt Disney’s own hometown, Marceline, Missouri, when he grew up there in the early 1900’s. It is a place filled with gas lamps and theater marquee lights, specialty shops and bakeries, and as you wander this two-block landmark, it’s hard to believe that the real world exists.
No detail has been spared in this larger-than-life small-town. If you care to look closely, you’ll note that everything from the style of the lettering on the store signs to the trim on the peaks of the roof keep to the traditions of the turn of the 20th century. Surprises abound as you peek down the narrow alleys and listen at the windows. The sound of a primitive drill comes from the dentist’s office. Is that a piano playing in an upstairs music room? Nothing has been left to chance here, and the result is complete immersion in Main Street, USA’s particular brand of culture.
You’ll have to look elsewhere for the thrill rides – Main Street, USA is more of a museum than a theme park. Take a leisurely ride on one of the street cars, or the double-decker Omnibus. Ride the horseless carriage driven by a uniformed chauffer (who may let you in on a few of the park’s secrets, if you ask nicely). Hop aboard the Disneyland railroad and take a trip through the Grand Canyon and the Primeval World of the dinosaurs.
To your left as you enter Main Street, USA through the train tunnel, you will see City Hall. Visit Guest Relations for any questions, or just to say hello! The lost and found is located here as well. If it happens to be your birthday on your visit to the Magic Kingdom, Guest Relations will give you a special sticker to wear on your special day. (Occasionally, special stickers come with special treatment at venues throughout the park. Shhh…don’t tell!)
When the California heat gets to be too much, Abe Lincoln will teach you a bit about history. In the air-conditioned “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln,” you can get a mini-history lesson from the fully animatronic Honest Abe himself. Created for the 1964 World’s Fair, Mr. Lincoln has had a home at Disneyland since 1965.
Fancy a cartoon fix? Main Street Cinemas shows them all day long on six screens. You can even catch a showing of Steamboat Willie, the 1928 cartoon that introduced Mickey Mouse and synchronized sound, all in one black-and-white cartoon short.
If you’re feeling patriotic after all this turn-of-the-century exploring, earmark part of your afternoon for a true Main Street, USA tradition – the Flag Retreating Ceremony. Each afternoon, the Disneyland Marching Band strikes up some patriotic songs and onlookers pay tribute to our military as the flag is respectfully put away for the night. This ceremony was very important to Walt Disney, and it remains important to the park today.
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle looms in the Plaza at the far end of Main Street, USA, and the whole of Disneyland awaits just through the drawbridge. Before you go through, make sure to check out the Guest Information Board, a vital wealth of information showing current wait times for all attractions.
Now, go! Fantasyland is waiting for you.