Disneyland Park – 20 Fun Facts

Disneyland Park is the theme park that started it all and it’s hard to believe the park celebrated its 65^th Anniversary on July 17, 2020! Disneyland, “The Happiest Place on Earth,” is located approximately 27 miles southeast of Los Angeles in Anaheim, California. There are so many fun facts about this amazing theme park. Catch all the details below.

1 – Size

The magic lands and public areas of Disneyland occupy nearly 100 acres. Guest parking for approximately 10,000 vehicles is available in the Mickey & Friends parking structure, which opened June 27, 2000, and the new Pixar Pals parking structure which holds approximately 5,000 vehicles and opened June 30, 2019.

 2 – Walt’s Dedication

We’re so thankful for Walt Disney’s vision and dedication to opening Disneyland. The park opened on July 17, 1955. During the opening dedication, he spoke these words:

“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome! Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America … with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.” – Dedication read by Walt Disney – July 17, 1955

3 – Nine Lands with Amazing Attractions

The magic of Disneyland comes to life in nine themed lands. Disneyland Park opened July 17, 1955, with 18 major attractions. Today, there are more than 60 adventures and attractions. The Matterhorn Bobsleds was the first tubular steel roller coaster in the world when it opened in 1959. It set the standard for modern-day roller-coaster design.

4 – Main Street, U.S.A.

Here contemporary life gives way to the quaint and reassuring charms of turn-of-the-century America. It is the essence of hometown life that greeted the dawn of the 20th century.

5 – Adventureland

This realm of exploration is a collage of the world’s far-off places and uncharted regions. Would-be explorers can discover the tropical magic of Polynesia (Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room), the wilds of Africa (Tarzan’s Treehouse), the exotic rivers of the world (Jungle Cruise) and the steamy jungles of India (Indiana Jones Adventure).

6 – Frontierland

A robust panorama of America’s pioneer past, from the bustling riverfronts of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers of the late 1700s (Columbia Sailing Ship, Mark Twain Riverboat, Tom Sawyer Island) to the dusty southwest deserts of the 1880s (Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Golden Horseshoe Stage).

7 – New Orleans Square

The Paris of the American frontier, the Crescent City as it was more than 150 years ago. Within its winding streets and quaint shops, elegance and charm mingle comfortably with Dixieland jazz, restless spirits (Haunted Mansion) and marauding buccaneers (Pirates of the Caribbean).

8 – Critter Country

Things are lovely in this shady glen, nestled in a lazy corner of the backwoods. Residing in this land are Pooh and his many friends in the Hundred Acre Wood (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh).

9 – Fantasyland

Enchanted tales of childhood adapted from classic Disney animated films come to life in this timeless realm of imagination. Within this magical Old World setting, guests can fly to Never Land (Peter Pan’s Flight), see an elephant fly (Dumbo the Flying Elephant), navigate an out-of-control motorcar (Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride), or attend a mad tea party (Alice in Wonderland).

10 – Mickey’s Toontown

Bursting with color and frenetic energy, this “town” is a 1930s Disney cartoon that comes to wacky life. From the bustle of downtown (Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin) to the charm of its residential neighborhood (Mickey’s House, Donald’s Boat, Chip ‘n Dale Treehouse), this civic hub is a slice of “reel” life. You can also enjoy the new Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway in this spot!

11 – Tomorrowland

This intriguing realm of imagination, discovery and wonder features a landscape of whirling spaceships (Astro Orbiter), zooming rocket vehicles (Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, Space Mountain), racing roadsters (Autopia) and Star Wars experiences (Star Wars Launch Bay).

12 – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Guests are now transported to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, on a journey to Batuu, the newest location in a story that began in 1977 with the first Star Wars film. Guests can become part of the story as they sample galactic food and beverages, enter an intriguing collection of merchant shops and take the controls of the most famous ship in the galaxy aboard Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. In addition, they may as well as experience an epic battle against the First Order on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

13 – The Monorail

Disneyland Park created the first daily operating monorail in the Western Hemisphere. It opened on June 14, 1959.

14 – Seasons Greetings

Disneyland began celebrating seasonal holidays in 1997 with the re-theming of “it’s a small world” as “it’s a small world” Holiday. This was followed by Haunted Mansion Holiday for the Halloween and Christmas seasons beginning in 2001 and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy starting in the 2009 Halloween season.

15 – Area Lodging

When Disneyland opened, Anaheim had five hotels and two motels with a total of 87 rooms. Today, Anaheim boasts approximately 150 hotels and motels with more than 18,000 rooms.

16 – Guests

More than 750 million guests have passed through the gates of Disneyland since Opening Day, July 17, 1955. During the past six-plus decades, Disneyland has hosted some of the 20th and 21st century’s most prominent dignitaries, including heads of state, U.S. presidents, sports figures and celebrities.

17 – Cast Members

The Disneyland Resort workforce includes more than 32,000 cast members.

18 – Amazing Horticulture

At the Disneyland Resort, stories grow from the ground up — literally. From carefully manicured flowers on Main Street, U.S.A., to desert plants in Cars Land, the landscape is part of the detail that tells the “story” of each land in the parks. More than 3,000 species of plants indigenous to 40 nations grow at the Disneyland Resort, making it one of the most extensive and diverse botanical locales in the western United States. Nearly 1 million annuals are planted each year at the Disneyland Resort, adding color and vibrancy to the décor. Adding to the whimsy, 25 topiary animals and characters live at the Disneyland Resort (21 at Disneyland Park, one at Disney California Adventure Park and three at the Disneyland Hotel).

19 – Food, Beverage, and Storytelling

Since 1955, Disney Parks have been where guests connect with the Disney stories and characters they cherish most, and the food and beverage offerings play an integral role in those stories. Food and beverage is one of the key elements that make up a Disney theme park experience, with unique restaurants and cuisine that put guests inside the story. Blue Bayou Restaurant has been immersing guests in the story of Pirates of the Caribbean since 1967 at Disneyland Park, and Cars Land in Disney California Adventure Park invites guests to dine in Flo’s V8 Cafe from the Disney•Pixar movie “Cars.”

20 – Churros, Apples, and Hot Dogs – Oh My!

With more than 150 food and beverage locations, the Disneyland Resort offers more than 8,500 different food items. But some foods guests can’t get enough of! Here are some fun Disneyland food facts:

• Disneyland Resort guests consume approximately 350,000 apples each year. If stacked on top of each other, that many apples would reach 17 miles into the sky, or the height equivalent of 1,146 Sleeping Beauty Castles.
• If the 3,800,000 churros that are consumed each year at the Disneyland Resort were laid end-to-end, they would stretch 954 miles. That’s enough churros to line the Disneyland Resort monorail track 382 times.
• Disneyland Resort guests consume 860,000 Mickey-shaped pretzels annually. That’s enough each year to serve at least 29 pretzels to all 29,000 cast members at the Disneyland Resort.
• If the 2,600,000 hot dogs that are served each year were laid end-to-end, they would stretch 242 miles or the length of 11,208 Millennium Falcons.
• More than 300,000 pounds of bananas are consumed at the Disneyland Resort each year, which is approximately 130,000 individual bananas for Baloo from “The Jungle Book” to enjoy.