I nearly forgot today was President’s Day. My kids had to go to school (making up those snow days from earlier this month), but the veterans putting out the flags along Rufe Snow Boulevard in Keller, TX reminded me that this was a day to remember some of our great U.S. Presidents and how they have impacted our lives.
In honor of President’s Day, we’d like to recommend three patriotic and presidentially oriented activities at Disneyland and Walt Disney World that will help you remember the contributions of our early, and current, Chief Executives of the United States.
First – take in a showing of “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” at Disneyland park in Anaheim, California. Walt Disney had a great deal of affection and respect for our 16th President. In fact, Mr. Lincoln is the main reason we have Audio-Animatronic figures today! Walt and his Imagineers created a lifelike mechanical representation of Abraham Lincoln for the 1964 World’s Fair – and gave birth to a whole new technology that other companies have never been able to duplicate as successfully as Disney.
Second – you can meet all of our U.S. Presidents at the “Hall of Presidents” Attraction, located in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. The attraction was retrofitted in 2009 to add our 44th U.S. President, Barrack Obama. What I love about this attraction is the Presidential memorabilia out in the lobby – including the boots worn by George W. Bush at his Inaguration (yes – we Texans love our boots!). It’s also funny to watch the Presidents fidget and whisper as the others are talking – you can’t get much more lifelike than that.
Third – live the Golden Dream at the American Adventure Pavilion in Epcot. This 30 minute combination of audio-animatronic show and film clips is a frank look at the history of America – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Presidents like Thomas Jefferson make appearances throughout the show, along with American icons like Mark Twain and Benjamin Franklin. The show makes no excuses, but instead shows how Americans have grown up as a country. The final montage is both stirring, with inspiring quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and heartbreaking with clips from the 9-11 tragedy and aftermath of that terrorist attack on our country. It’s definitely worth seeing over and over again so you can catch all of the history and nuances.
Happy President’s Day from all of us at Mouse Travel Tips podcast!
