60 Days to 60 Years was just the beginning…what will the next 60 years bring? My friends, it has truly been an honor to follow along my incredible friends as they shared special moments from the history of Disneyland — 60 years worth of history in 60 days. For me, this post is simple, because there is no research to be done to try and dig up photos of things that were put in operation in, for example, 1962 (by the way, that was the Adventureland Expansion and Swiss Family Treehouse from Inspired by Dis). All that I need to share with you is what I’m thinking on this incredibly historic date in Disney history, and to be able to say Happy Birthday Disneyland!
I am beyond words for the incredible faith, trust, and Pixie Dust that my dear friend Didi has shown in me to give me this slot in the rotation. While you are reading this, I will be at Disneyland. My family has been fortunate enough that we are able to make this journey, a journey that spans more than airline miles, more than expense — no, this journey is both a journey to Disneyland’s past, a remembering of all that went on during those sixty years, as well as a journey towards Disneyland’s future, a wondering of what the next sixty years will bring.
When we took our first trip to Disneyland two years ago, I had a countdown series on my site, and each day was a look at one thing that I was interested in experiencing at Disneyland. The last post was about walking the same steps that Walt walked, about trying to see the park through his eyes, to remember Walt, and the legacy he built, and to do honor to that legacy. I imagine that some of the people are going to Disneyland today to be able to say “I was there on the actual day.” In some ways, I guess I’m partly the same way. My family was extremely fortunate to be able to be at the Magic Kingdom on Walt Disney World’s 40th birthday, and now we’re able to do the same thing at Disneyland for it’s 60th. That’s a memory, an experience, that I will never forget, nor will my wife and daughter forget it either. But being there on the actual birthday goes beyond just being there to say we were there. Being there on this day is our way of telling the world how great Walt Disney was, and that we are not there just to ride rides and see parades and eat food; no, we are there to honor Walt Disney himself, to remember him on this special day, to tell the world that it is a better place because he lived, and that in celebrating his legacy, we are showing the world that there is some good left in this world.
Sixty years from now, Disneyland will be changed, there is no doubt of that in my mind. Sixty years from now, Magic Bands will have arrived, technological marvels beyond my imagination will be in existence, and who knows — the Monorail may actually hover over the ground, not ride on concrete rails. However, one thing will not be different. In sixty years from today, people will still come to Disneyland, not only because of the rides, the stories, and the churros; no, people will still be coming to Disneyland to pay homage to the man, to Walt Disney, and to marvel at the creative genius that dreamt up this incredible wonderland, all because he wanted to see families able to ride rides with their kids, instead of just sitting and waiting while their kids enjoyed themselves.
In the end, this incredible oasis was put in place for one big reason — so that, in years to come, as kids get older, life gets in the way more often, and so forth, when that happens, families will be able to remember that day, when families were able to put aside their worries, their life distractions, and remember what it is like to be carefree once more. That, to me, is Walt’s greatest legacy.
Thank you all for stopping by today, as we conclude this incredible look at the 60 years of Disneyland. If you missed some of the posts, I urge you to check them out in our links below, and I want to thank each and every one of my fellow bloggers for their inspiration, their dedication, and their commitment to this great project. Most of all, I want to thank my friends Didi from DISTherapy and Gayle from The Disney Gals for including me in this incredible series. It is truly an honor to be included in such company.

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