There’s a lot of fun to be had at Disneyland. You can go on a roller coaster, ride the train, and have your picture taken with Mickey Mouse himself.
That’s all well and good, but did you know that there are some pretty weird things hidden away in the corners of this famous theme park?
Facts trivia about Disney are always fun to know, but sometimes it’s even more interesting to see strange things that Disney has done.
From haunted houses to magical mirrors and more, here are some of Disney’s craziest attractions.
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Disneyland – the original.
If you’ve never been to Disneyland, the original and best Disney park, then I’m sure you’re in for a real treat. The place has all the magic of its younger sister parks, but with more history and charm, and also some really weird stuff. Let’s take a look at what makes it so different:
- It’s located in Anaheim, California (which is why they call it “Disneyland”).
- It opened in 1955 as part of a larger plan called “Operation Sunshine” by Walt Disney himself. His idea was to build an entire city based on his company’s values, like family entertainment, creativity and innovation, which would serve as an example for others who wanted to become successful by following their own dreams.
- There are many other things here besides rides and parades. You can find shops full of souvenirs, restaurants serving delicious food from all over the world that won’t put holes in your wallet (it matters.), live shows featuring famous actors performing songs from movies like Frozen or Coco…the list goes on.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Orlando)
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a haunted hotel. You are transported back to the 1930s in an elevator that drops you 13 stories and scares you witless. The ride is based on an episode from the classic TV show ‘The Twilight Zone’ called “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, where a passenger sees a gremlin on the wing of his airplane (spoiler alert: it’s just his imagination).
The tower was originally built as part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios park to promote the then-upcoming movie “Towering Inferno” starring Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. When it opened in 1994, guests were taken up 97 feet in this service elevator before being dropped 13 stories down into an abandoned boiler room with no floor or walls. For some reason, this caused great joy among thrill-seekers who had never even heard about movies like ‘Jaws’ or ‘Rosemary’s Baby.
Mystic Manor (Hong Kong Disneyland)
You’ll find the Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland, a world of magic and wonder that’s also one of the most popular theme parks in the world.
The ride is a dark ride, which means it takes place on a journey through darkness and light. You’ll encounter characters from Disney movies as well as some who are new to you. Don’t worry, they’re all friendly. They just want to show you around their home.
It’s also in a haunted mansion: The manor was built for an evil wizard named Lord Henry Mystic who wanted to live forever and set up traps so no one could get into it after he died (he did not succeed). He even put his soul inside his house so he could keep watching over it until someone freed him from his prison (again, this didn’t work out).
Expedition Everest (Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Orlando)
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can ride a train up the mountain and then go down it on a roller coaster. But if you’re still thinking they’re just going to do this one simple thing and leave it at that, well, think again. The train takes you through a Yeti cave (which is where the Yeti lives), then into another part of the mountain that is full of waterfalls, before finally arriving at your destination: yet ANOTHER area with caves that might as well be temples because they’re so big. And once again there are more waterfalls in these places too. They did say that everything was bigger in Florida…
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of the weirdest things you can find at a Disney park, and that it has inspired you to go check out some of these attractions in person. After all, it wouldn’t be any fun if we didn’t get to experience the weirdness for ourselves, right?