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The Magic Kingdom in 1973
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Welcome to the Magic Kingdom in Florida... as it was in 1973.
The maps in this article are from the Walt Disney World Spring/Summer 1973 Information Guide, a 34-page, 3¾" x 8" guide booklet.
Walt Disney World had just opened October 1, 1971, so the park was still quite new in 1973.
As you look at the maps and attractions for each land, you’ll see that some lands have changed more than others since 1973.
Take a look at what tickets (“A” through “E”) were required for attractions
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Although Main Street looks similar at first glance, closer inspection of the 1973 map reveals that there have been many changes since then.
- The Main Street Cinema was still a cinema, not a shop.
- West Center Street was not yet filled in to add retail space.
- The Penny Arcade was still an arcade of historic arcade machines, not today’s Hall of Champions (Main Street Athletic Shop opened March 1995), which also replaced the Main Street Bookstore and the House of Magic.
- The Walt Disney Story (April 1973 through October 1992) is not yet on the 1973 map.
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Did you notice that there was no Pirates of the Caribbean ride in the Adventureland of Spring/Summer 1973?
- The map above is missing Pirates of the Caribbean (December 1973) and Magic Carpets of Aladdin (May 2001)
- The Sunshine Pavilion Enchanted Tiki Birds became The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) (April 1998).
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Liberty Square is similar today to how it was in 1973, but Frontierland has gained several major attractions.
- The map above is missing the Tom Sawyer Island Rafts (May 1973), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (September 1980), and Splash Mountain (July 1992).
- The Mike Fink Keel Boats closed around 1997.
- When the Hall of Presidents premiered, Richard Nixon was President of the United States; since then, Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush have joined the attraction.
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Even though Fantasyland is arguably the flagship land of the flagship park of the world’s biggest Disney vacation destination, there’s less to Fantasyland today than in 1973.
- The former Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride space is now The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (June 1999).
- The Skyway to Tomorrowland closed in November 1999.
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea closed September 1994, but the lagoon wasn’t removed until a decade later.
- The former Mickey Mouse Revue space is now Mickey's PhilharMagic (October 2003).
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What an empty Tomorrowland!
- The map above is missing Carousel of Progress (opened January 1975), Space Mountain (opened January 1975), and even the WEDway PeopleMover (opened July 1975, renamed Tomorrowland Transit Authority June 1994).
- The former Flight to the Moon space is now Stitch’s Great Escape (November 2004).
- The Skyway to Fantasyland closed in November 1999.
- The former CircleVision 360 space is now Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor (April 2007).
- The former “If You Had Wings” space is now Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (October 1998).
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