Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2003

Liberty Tree Tavern

Today we have a kid's menu from the Liberty Tree Tavern in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom.  I can't remember exactly when I got this.  It was some time between 1993 and 1996.  One side has the actual menu and the other has a board game with little punch out game pieces on the bottom.  The menu measures about 9.75 and 11.75 inches.

AMC Pleasure Island 10

I was so excited when Pleasure Island opened and along with it the AMC Pleasure Island 10 theaters. I lived in Winter Haven at the time about 30 miles away and got my drivers license about the same time as well. I spent many an hour on the road driving 45 minutes each way to see a movie. Not only was it just a far superior theater to anything in Winter Haven, but it was at Disney so it was doubley cool. At this time, AMC was at the tip of civilization. Behind the theater was dense pine forest. There was no Planet Hollywood blocking the view of Pleasure Island either. On June 19, 1991 there was a premiere event for The Rocketeer at the theater. I sat out all day long to get my pass which also included admission to Pleasure Island.


The theater was at the end of civilization. This shot is probably sometime between 1989 and 1991. The theater was only 10 screens then as opposed to the 24 it has now.


Decoratation for The Rocketeer event.


Some vintage vehicle to set the mood. You could normally see these vehicles on the backlot at the Studios.

The badge that granted admission to the movie and later to Pleasure Island.

Walt Disney World - 15 Years

Just a couple of Guide Books from the Walt Disney World 15th anniversary which ran from 1986 to 1987. These are the old style Guide Books that were actually little books. There was a two page fold out map of the park inside the front cover and then individual sections for each land. I like these so much more than the big fold out Guidemaps they hand out today. These just contained so much more information. They listed every attraction, restaurant, and shop by name and gave descriptions of what you could find there. One of my favorite parts of these was inside the back cover where they would describe upcoming attractions or hotels that they were currently working on. It was always interesting to see how the finished project compared to their early descriptions of these projects.

Countdown To Extinction / Dinosaur

Dinosaur is located in Dinoland USA (that makes sense doesn't it). When the Animal Kingdom first opened this attraction was called Countdown to Extinction. The name was changed to Dinosaur about the same time the movie of the same name was released.


Welcome to The Dino Institute (home of Dinosaur).

Inside The Dino Institute.

There's an Iquanodon on the loose!

Countdown to Extinction button.

Crossroads of the World

Crossroads of the World is located just inside the main entrance of the Studios. They offer a small selection of souvenirs. The Crossroads is based what was originally an outdoor shopping center of the same name in Hollywood, California. See the original on my other blog http://placestogobuildingstosee.blogspot.com. Of course, the original doesn't have a statue of Mickey Mouse on top!

Engine Company 71

Engine Co. 71 (71 because the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971) is located on the west side of Town Square. It is to the right of City Hall separated by a nice little courtyard area that houses restrooms. These days there is a shop inside the fire station but as I recall this was not always so. Previously I believe it was just filled with vintage fire memorabilia and was like walking into a fire station at the turn of the century (some of this still exists in the back of the shop). They may have parked the fire engine in there as well, when it was not ferrying passengers up and down Main Street, since I seem to recall seeing it in there at least once. I think every time I went in there during this phase of its existence I was completely alone. I guess filling that space with fire station themed merchandise made sense and at least drew people in.


Look, there's Eeyore emerging onto Town Square just to the right of the fire station.

The fire station with the Car Barn to the right.

Not a terribly sharp picture but what do you want for not having a tripod.

River Country

River Country, which opened at Fort Wilderness in 1976, was Disney's first water park. It was a nice little park but lacked the excitement and capacity of the later Disney water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. I'm sure that in 1976 this place seemed fantastic since there wasn't anything else like it. These days some of the resort pools seem to have about the same number of activities. I visited River Country in 1993 and found it quite pleasant. With the exception of one pool, all the water used in the park was filtered fresh water from adjacent Bay Lake. This helped give the park a very natural look. River Country closed in 2001.


The water wagon sitting in front of this playground served as a sign for River Country but "River Country" was very faded and barely visible on the tank in this photo.


A shot of River Country taken from Discovery Island in 1990.


A child's ticket.

The River Country guidemap from 1993.

Echo Lake Apartments

Echo Lake Apartments is not an attraction, restaurant, or even a merchandise location. It's technically nothing. It's just one of those little areas that adds that extra layer of depth to the parks by making it appear as though the world extends beyond the facades of the buildings and that these areas are inhabited. Personally, I think this would be a fantastic place to live. The Echo Lake Apartments are wedged between the Hollywood & Vine Cafeteria and the Tune-In Lounge along the shores of Echo Lake.

Surprise! Celebration Parade - Part 3

These coins were tossed into the crowd during the parade like Mardi Gras. They came in several colors. I also have a green one.

This was the toy from a fast food kid's meal. I can't remember if it was McDonald's or Burger King who did this promotion.