It’s Disneyland’s 68th birthday! On July 17th, 1955, the iconic park first opened its doors to the public, and single-handedly created the modern theme park. Whether you’re a fan of large attractions and world-building ala Universal Studios or high-octane roller coasters of the Six Flags variety, we can all agree that Disneyland started it all. And whether its the food or the spectacle that you love — there’s a reason the park, with its $100+ tickets, is still a destination that people go nuts over.
Originally built on 160 humble acres of orange groves in Anaheim California, Disneyland has since expanded to 500 acres with 9 distinctively different “lands” and a sister park — California Adventure — where yes, you can drink beer.
The OG park might not have the allure of the gargantuan Walt Disney World or Tokyo Disneyland, but there is something about being the original that will forever mark the park as special. To celebrate the park’s birthday, we collected some vintage images from the park’s construction, opening day, and early years. The photos depict that park as nearly unrecognizable, and yet at the same time, strangely familiar, and that’s coming from a native Southern Californian who has visited the park in every decade of my life.
Let’s jump in!
