Disney World Timeline

Walt Plans for EPCOT

Walt Disney knew he wanted to have a new kind of community and started work planning for it.

Land Acquisition Begins!

An airport on the property acquired

The architects

The first resident of WDW

Before there was Disney World in Orlando, there was a plan for....Palm Beach

Summer comes, and the jig is up.

November: Walt Disney visits Florida

Meeting with the state to get the politics out of the way

Late 1968, construction begins in earnest

A local hangout

Opening hotels

Opening of the preview center

Preparing for opening

A way to get the park

Windows on Main Street

The Skyway

The House of Magic

Hotel development

November: Nixon visits

December: John Lennon visits

New features

New features

Southern Governor's meeting

The Carousel of Progress moves to Disney World

New features

A complete history of how we got to 1977

October: Jimmy Carter and the ICC

Our Spaceship Earth

Streetmosphere is born!

The Land Pavilion

Communicore

The World Showcase players

January 1985: Reagan visits

Another airfield opens

Disney MGM Studios

Pleasure Island

1990: Bush visits

1990: Road Signs

1996: The Disney Institute

1996: A new place to shop

1997: The plans for Animal Kingdom

1997: Sue is prepared for display

1998

More stories to come!

These videos don't specifically fit into any time period. But they tell the story of Disney World's history.

Near Walt Disney World

Game Rooms

Conservancy

More Dragons!

Walt Disney's Trains