Step back into 1971 and take a look at what Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom looked like on opening day.
Walt Disney World opened on October 1, 1971 with two resort hotels, a campground, and one theme park. The resort hotels were the Polynesian Village Resort and the Contemporary Resort, and the campground was called Fort Wilderness, all of which are still there today. The Magic Kingdom opened with 23 attractions. These attractions each needed an additional ticket to experience. There was a fee to get into the park, $3.50 for adults, $2.50 for juniors, $1.00 for children, but then additional ticket books needed to be purchased. Ticket books ranged from $4.25 to $5.75. Each ticket book consisted of A, B, C, D, and E tickets. Once the ticket books were used up, addition single rides could be purchased. A for $0.10, B for $0.25, C for $0.50 D for $0.75, and E for $0.80 and $0.90 for juniors and adults respectively.
Main Street:
Main Street, U.S.A. was built to look larger and grander than Disneyland’s Main Street in order to reflect the New England styles at the turn of the century. Disneyland’s Main Street reflected small town America west of the Mississippi whereas on the east coast there was a much larger population resulting in larger Victorian buildings. Main Street opened with a few attractions and plenty of shops. The attractions were the Main Street Vehicles, including the Omnibus and the Horse Drawn Cars, and the vehicles were all A ticket attractions. The Main Street Cinema was a B ticket which showed classic Disney cartoons. The Walt Disney World Railroad opened with only one station so this grand circle tour costed a D ticket. Another opening day attraction was the Penny Arcade, which did not need an entry ticket. Some shops that could be found along Main Street on opening day were the House of Magic, Main Street Confectionary, Market House, Camera Center, Emporium, and the New Century Clock Shop. There were a few dining locations as well such as the Town Square Café (which is now Tony’s Town Square Restaurant), the Main Street Bake Shop, Crystal Palace Restaurant, and the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner (now Casey’s Corner).
Adventureland:
Adventureland opened with two E ticket attractions, both which are still there today: the Jungle Cruise and the Tropical Serenade. The Tropical Serenade has gone through many name changes over the years but today it is known as Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. A third opening day attraction is also still in Adventureland today and that is the Swiss Family Island Treehouse, though the name has changed to Swiss Family Treehouse. This walkthrough treehouse was a B ticket attraction. There was also one restaurant on opening day and that was the Adventureland Veranda Restaurant.
Frontierland:
Frontierland opened with two attractions that are still there today. The Country Bear Jamboree was a D ticket attraction and the Frontierland Shooting Gallery costed a B ticket. A third attraction, the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, was a C ticket and this attraction closed at the Magic Kingdom in 1993. The Mike Fink Keel Boats also opened on opening day and this attraction took a B ticket. The Mike Fink Keel Boats closed in 2001. The Frontier Trading Post was the only shop in Frontierland but there were three dining locations: Pecos Bill Cafe, Mile Long Bar, and the Diamond Horseshoe Revue.
Liberty Square:
Liberty Square was home to the Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents and both of these attractions are still there today. The Haunted Mansion was an E ticket attraction and the Hall of Presidents was a B ticket. Heritage House was a shop that sold merchandise themed to American history. This shop closed in 2014 and is now a MyMagic+ service centre. The Liberty Tree Tavern was an opening day restaurant and is still very popular to this day.
Fantasyland:
Fantasyland was home to a large number of attractions on opening day. Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel was an A ticket (now Prince Charming Regal Carrousel). Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Tea Party, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (closed in 1998) and Snow White’s Adventures (closed in 2012) were all C ticket attractions. The Skyway to Tomorrowland was a D ticket attraction; the skyway closed in 1999. It’s a Small World and the Mickey Mouse Revue were both E ticket attractions. The Mickey Mouse Revue was closed in 1980 and Mickey’s PhilharMagic is now in that building. There were two dining locations in Fantasyland on opening day: Pinocchio Village Haus (which is still there today), and King Stefan’s Banquet Hall (now known as Cinderella’s Royal Table).
Tomorrowland:
Tomorrowland opened with only two attractions: Skyway to Fantasyland and the Grand Prix Raceway. The Skyway costed a D ticket and the Grand Prix Raceway was a C ticket. The Grand Prix Raceway is still there today but is known as the Tomorrowland Speedway. The shop in Tomorrowland was called Mickey’s Mart and it is known as Mickey’s Star Traders today.
I hope you enjoyed our grand circle tour of the Magic Kingdom on opening day! The Grand Opening Ceremony took place just a few weeks later on October 25. Here are a few other attractions that opened in the first year of operation.
- Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat opened on October 2, 1971.
- Peter Pan’s Flight opened on October 3, 1971.
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea opened on October 14, 1971.
- Flight to the Moon opened on December 24, 1971.
- Walt Disney World Railroad Frontierland Station opened on May 1, 1972.
- If You Had Wings opened on June 5, 1972.
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