History

Fort Collins Old Town was the Inspiration for Disney Main Street USA

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Did you know that a town in Colorado served as the model for Disneyland’s (and the Magic Kingdom’s) Main Street USA? Fort Collins proudly embraces this heritage and it’s all because of Imagineer Harper Goff who was born in Fort Collins. Main Street USA also draws inspiration from Walt Disney’s hometown, Marceline, Missouri but the similarities to Fort Collins are uncanny. In fact records show that Goff went back to Fort Collins in the 1950’s explicitly for the purpose of building Main Street USA in the future Disneyland park. You can see in the pictures above many commonalities from the trolley all the way down to the look of the street lights.

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The Fascinating World of Disney Balloons

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Getting a balloon at a theme park can be an iconic experience for a child and some of the balloons at Disney are amazing. Balloons can be found for sale, on parade floats and even as part of attractions. Much of the Disney balloon magic can be traced back to one man, Treb Heining who elevated balloons to an an art form. Mr. Heining was part inventor, part artist and part salesman who helped make balloons an integral part of Disney.

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Will Winnie-the Pooh be Coming to Your Local Theme Park? How Copyright Law Works.

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Grady's Family Fun Park entrance with Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger statues
Grady’s Family Fun Park entrance

I was driving through southern Illinois and made a stop at Grady’s Family Fun Park. It has a bit of a feel of a permanent carnival attached to a batting cages and a mini golf course, but it is full of charm. One thing that struck me were the statues of Winnin-the-Pooh and Tigger at the exit. My first thought was that Disney was probably going to sue them, but a little research taught me otherwise as the original Winnie-the-Pooh copyright has indeed expired!

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Stanley Falls Flume Ride at Busch Gardens to Close Forever September 7, 2025

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Stanley Falls at Busch Gardens will close on September 7, 2025 to make room for a future attraction according to announcements from the park on its website and social media.

After more than 50 years of splashes, smiles, and summer memories, Stanley Falls Flume® is taking its final plunge on September 7, 2025. As one of the original rides from the park’s opening in 1973, this classic has been a fan favorite for generations. This is your last chance to ride before we say goodbye and make way for an exciting new future attraction! Come relive the fun and help us celebrate a true Busch Gardens legend.

https://buschgardens.com/tampa/rides/stanley-falls/
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Spending National Roller Coaster Day 2025 at Lake Winnie Riding the Historic Cannon Ball Coaster

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The Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park in Rossville, GA (affectionately known locally as “Lake Winnie“) is a beautiful park located on a 9 acre lake. The park is family owned celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and is filled with history, nostalgia and character. The park’s best known attraction is the Cannon Ball wooden roller coaster built in 1967. On National Roller Coaster Day 2025 on August 16th we felt like getting some rides on the park’s historic Cannon Ball coaster was a great way to celebrate.

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Rivers of America at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Closes Forever to Make Room for Piston Peak National Park

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Steamboat riverboat on Rivers of America at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom
Rivers of America (Photo by Matt Brinkley)

On on July 6 2025 Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom closed Forever to make room for “Cars Land” and specifically what is being called Piston Peak National Park. Rivers of America have been part of Frontierland and Liberty Square since 1971 when the park opened, but the Liberty Belle steamboat and Tom Sawyer Island were actually added in 1973. This has long been known as a scenic and relaxing area of the park. This area is now being reimagined into a Cars themed land with a ride similar to the Radiator Springs Racers, a high-speed ride at Disney’s California Adventure. However, this is not a carbon copy of the California attraction located in the desert town of the first movie, but instead it will be an off-road adventure in a mountain and water-filled National Park.

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Was This Mountain at Tokyo DisneySea Originally Destined for California? How Disney “Blue Sky” Concepts are Never Truly Dead.

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Tokyo DisneySea volcano

Disney loves its mountains, see Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and the former Splash Mountain as examples. One of the lesser known “mountains” is the volcano known as Mount Prometheus at Tokyo DisneySea in Japan. For those not familiar, according to the DisneySea website it is, “The only Disney park themed to the myths and legends of the sea. Each of the eight themed ports features attractions, restaurants, shops, and more, inviting guests to a world “Where Adventure and Imagination Set Sail!” This is the 7th most attended theme park in the world and many consider it the best and most beautiful of all the Disney parks. However, did you know many of the concepts of Tokyo DisneySea came from a park called DisneySea California that was cancelled in 1991?

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Happy 100th Birthday Lake Winnepesaukah

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Lake Winnie 100 year anniversary logo
Lake Winnie 100 year anniversary logo (Courtesy of Lake Winnie)

The amusement park affectionately known locally as “Lake Winnie” celebrated its 100th birthday this month. Lake Winnepesaukah in Rossville, GA originally opened its doors on June 1, 1925. The name is from a Native American word that means “bountiful waters” or “beautiful lake of the highlands” and fits with the 9 acre lake on the park site. The park even still has one original 1925 attraction with the Boat Chute ride, which is oldest Mill Chute attraction still in operation in the United States.

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Demolition of Scorpion Underway at Busch Gardens

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Scorpion Roller Coaster Demolition at Busch Gardens
Scorpion Demolition (picture courtesy of Vikings Coaster Crew)
Scorpion Roller Coaster Demolition at Busch Gardens
Scorpion Demolition (picture courtesy of Vikings Coaster Crew)

There have been reports online that Scorpion’s demolition has begun. This definitely looks like a demolition rather than a relocation based on cutting of the steel rather than disassembly. We’ve written before about the history of Scorpion and how it served as the first coaster inversion for a generation of Busch Gardens visitors. While it’s sad to see it go, hopefully this work means that this location could be home to something new in 2026. This would be quite the revitalization for Pantopia after just getting flight of the Phoenix Rising. I want to give a special thank you to  Vikings Coaster Crew and /railfan_andrew for the pictures in this post!

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