Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland Trivia

Jack Spence is on a leave of absence until 2014. This is a reprint of a blog he wrote several years ago. This blog originally ran in 2008 and was accurate at the time of publication.

Q: Do you know why Adventureland is located on the west side of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World?

A: It’s because Adventureland is located on the west side of Disneyland in Anaheim. When planning the Magic Kingdom, Imagineers used Disneyland’s layout as a starting point when designing their new park.

Q: Do you know why Adventureland is located on the west side of Disneyland?

A: Original plans called for the “True Life Adventures” (later to become the Adventureland) to be located on the east side of the park between Main Street and “World of Tomorrow” (later to become Tomorrowland). This can be seen in an early concept drawing by Herb Ryman.

But while surveying the orange groves that would eventually become Disneyland, planners found a windbreak of giant eucalyptus trees that had been planted around the turn of the century. Ironically, these trees helped determine the location of Main Street as it was decided that they would make a nice backdrop behind City Hall and help delineate between “civilization” and the “jungles of the world.” Thus, Adventureland was moved to its current location on the west side of the park.

These trees, now over a hundred years old, are clearly visible in an early Disneyland postcard and are still visible today.