Walt Disney and friends. Walt Disney, whose Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck brought laughter to the world and whose Disneyland is a playground for the world's people, calls his home at Smoke Tree Ranch, "my laughing place." Whimsical, as always, he refers to the Uncle Remus story where Brer Rabbit oh-so-casually mentions his "laughing place" and makes it sound so intriguing that Brer Fox insists on ...

The Walt Disney Company recently announced that an entirely new land based on the Star Wars universe would be coming to Disneyland, likely in 2019. The 14-acre mini universe will feature two major new rides and other attractions including a restaurant based on the Mos Eisley cantina in the films. I'm not a big Star Wars aficionado, but I hear that the designers working on it are, and genuine fans can ...

As the final scheduled day for the Rivers of America attractions at Disneyland comes to an end, it marks the closing of Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes and "Fantasmic!" for more than a year. Also included in the closures is the Disneyland Railroad. All of this is so that Disney can reroute the Rivers of America to ...

People going to amusement parks in the post World War II boom times of the early 1950s were looking for fast, not slow; they wanted to be thrilled, not dropped into a peaceful and pastoral setting. But that's just what Walt Disney gave them in The Rivers of America. From the moment Walt Disney began to think about what would eventually become "Disneyland," he conceived of it as a park - a "themed park." ...

Disneyland's golden anniversary party began Thursday and will run through Thanksgiving 2006. We asked Bee readers to share memories of the park's early days. Here's what they recalled. Pop on your golden mouse ears and take a trip back in time ... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My wife and I were married Sept. 25, 1955. During our honeymoon we ...

Disneyland officials are saying "Aye!" to pirates, but "Arrr!" to looting Tom Sawyer Island. Officials announced Friday that live pirate characters and games will become part of Tom Sawyer Island, the classic Disneyland playground designed by Walt Disney himself. Disney officials also announced plans to open the Toy Story Mania! ride next year in Disney's California Adventure. The interactive ...

Let the lads and lasses loot, plunder and pillage to their hearts' content at Disneyland - if they can get past some scurvy scallywags ready to defend their precious spoils. Now that facets of old Tom Sawyer Island have gotten the heave-ho, the attraction reopens today with a redesigned "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme meant to boost the aging interactive playground and capitalize on the success of ...

A longtime favorite Disneyland Resort attraction is reopening May 25 with new swashbuckling adventures as Captain Jack Sparrow and his gaggle of mates take over Tom Sawyer Island and turn it into their own "Pirate's Lair." The pirates will loot and carouse as they attempt to recruit island guests into their brotherhood of freedom and greed at Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. "The phenomenal ...

“Twenty years ago,” Walt said as we drove toward Disney­land, some 25 miles south­east of central Los Angeles, “I was always trying to think of a place to take my two small daughters on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon-a place where I could have fun, too. “At an amusement park, the only fun provided for a father, besides having his bottom dropped out from under him on the roller coaster, was the ...

Disneyland has taken another giant step forward in the realm of creative and fascinating new adventures ready for this Summer season. Foremost amongst the "new" which are now ready for the enjoyment of guests at Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom is. the unveiling of the inside of the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Fantasyland. Previously a landmark to the millions of Disneyland visitors ...

Hop aboard the horse-drawn trolley (or if you prefer a surrey, a double-decked bus, a "horseless carriage" or fire wagon) and let's begin a tour through Disneyland with a jaunt down 1900 Main Street. To our right as we leave Town Square is the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad Station, where passenger and freight trains depart for a trip around Disneyland. Facing the square are a bank, in ...

Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are filled with various attractions, restaurants and retail shops that make for a magical visit, at least for the part of the visit where you aren 't in line. For Disneyland Resort fans and first-time visitors who want to enjoy the park more and spend less time standing in line, here are some attractions and experiences that typically don 't have long ...