Back in the summer of 1971, as a 9 year old Minnesota kid, I remember reading a magazine article about the NEW Walt Disney World theme park. I was extremely excited when I read that the Grand Opening would be October 18th! I thought it was a sign, certainly my parents would want me to be there on opening day for my 10th birthday. Of course, my mom's reaction was not so positive. Guess I should have known as our family of seven had never taken a road trip longer than 2 hours to a Wisconsin lake cabin. Disappointed yes...but one can dream right?
Fast forward 40 years. We are planning our 7th family vacation to Walt's magical world of the mouse in Orlando Florida! (There was also a honeymoon in Florida and a work trip to Disneyland over the years.) We have become Disney-Junkies and we have to visit this year as I turn 50 and WDW turns 40! Yes, my family collects and trades pins. We stay at the WDW resorts and travel using the food plan so we can visit all the best Disneyworld restaurants. Every trip is an adventure that we anticipate for months and get teary-eyed when it comes to an end. One of our favorite places to spend time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the often overlooked, One Man's Dream exhibit. (It is tucked in on the way past the big sorcerer's hat on the way to the Toy Story ride. ) It recounts the journey of Walt Disney's life in pictures, videos and displays. Several of the actual models of the parks and rides are on display in the building. There is also a short biographical movie about Walt. If you have never visited, One Man's Dream, I encourage you to take the time to do so this year. It is the perfect way to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of this Disney destination!
Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales
