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Finding the Grand Canyon At Disney – Up the Waterfall

24 February 2020 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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Grand Canyon at Disney? Well sure, I’m sure everyone knows about the Grand Canyon Concourse at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and perhaps the Grand Canyon Diorama on the Disneyland Railroad, but there are more than just those connections between the Grand Canyon and Disney.

On this episode of Up the Waterfall, we share and discuss the first appearances of the Grand Canyon as it relates to Disney, and all the way up to current representation in the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Of course as usual, we inject our own memories, experiences and thoughts on all of these connections.

The blog post from Passport 2 Dreams, I will link here. Foxxy actually has two posts on the Contemporary if you’d like to read, they are fascinating and accurate historical accounts of the creation and changes to Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Passport2Dreams: The Contemporary Resort in the 1970’s

and The Contemporary Resort through the 1990’s

Additionally, I wanted to share some photos from our family’s trip to the Grand Canyon in 2016. This was part of a multi-part summer vacation, where we visited Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Canyonlands National Park, as well as the North Rim and South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Parks. (And ended up in Disneyland!) (you can click on any photo to enlarge it)

Grand Canyon North Rim panorama

I mentioned on the show the Grand Canyon Lodge where we had lunch, but I didn’t really have good photos of that, just one from inside showing the view from the windows. But be sure to watch the show on the video below for even more photos, including the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, one of the inspirations for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. So be sure to check those out!

The Grand Canyon North Rim
You can see where Disney gets many of its names – National Parks!
Grand Canyon North Rim
North Rim Visitor Center, where the Lodge is
Grand Canyon North Rim
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon North Rim
Scott standing on a trail at the North Rim
The Grand Canyon North Rim
I loved this view at the North Rim
Grand Canyon Lodge
The Grand Canyon Lodge
Grand Canyon Lodge view
Grand Canyon Lodge dining room
The Grand Canyon Lodge
Dining room view
The Grand Canyon Lodge
Brighty the mascot of the Grand Canyon – rub his nose for good luck!
Grand Canyon Watch Tower
The Watch Tower at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Watch Tower
View from inside the Watch Tower at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon South Rim
View from the top of the Watch Tower at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon North Rim Elk
The big Elk we saw leaving the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

 

Grand Canyon North Rim
Gio overlooking the North Rim of the Grand Canyon – I think it’s much prettier than the South!

 

We hope you enjoy this week’s episode of Up the Waterfall!

How to Listen to Up the Waterfall

You can listen anywhere you download and listen to podcasts, including: 

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(If there’s a podcast service where you can’t find our show, let us know and we’ll get it added there!)

Where to Watch Up the Waterfall

Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and some images of the Grand Canyon represented in Disney over the years. Here’s the latest episode:

 

Feel free to comment below with your memories of the Grand Canyon at Disney, any questions or info you’d like to add, or if it’s easier, head to the Zannaland Facebook page and join the discussion there with fellow Disney or Grand Canyon fans!

How Can I Learn More About This Episode?

Here are some of the books we referenced for this episode (the links will go to the item on amazon.com and are affiliate links – meaning no extra cost for you but a small portion goes back to zannaland if you make a purchase – thank you for supporting our site!):

   

There are a few Sleeping Beauty DVD sets out right now, this one linked here contains the Grand Canyon short mentioned on the show.

 

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Filed Under: Top Stories, Up the Waterfall Podcast Tagged With: Disney animated Shorts, Disney history, Disney live-action movies, Disney past, Disney's Contemporary Resort, disneyland railroad, Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon Concourse, Grand Canyon Diorama, Up the Waterfall podcast

New Sweepstakes Offers D23 Members the Chance to Win a Once-In-a-Lifetime Tour

17 July 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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Hot off the presses, check out this latest bit of news from D23 – a sweepstakes for the ultimate Disney fan (that’s you!) —

 D23-Off-the-Map

In celebration of Disneyland’s 58th anniversary today, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club has launched the “Off the Map Sweepstakes.” Twenty-five lucky D23 Members and their guests will be invited to Disneyland Park to visit four of the park’s little-seen but widely heard of locations: Walt Disney’s private apartment, the Lilly Belle VIP parlor car on the Disneyland Railroad, Circle D Ranch, and the Disneyland Dream Suite.

 

“Our friends at Disneyland will give the winning D23 Members a special glimpse at some of the park’s most amazing hidden gems, special places that most guests never get to see,” said Steven Clark, Head of D23. “Our first ‘Off the Map’ member event in 2012 was such a huge hit that we wanted to reprise it with this special sweepstakes so even more of our members have a chance to visit these truly magical and historical Disneyland locations.”

 

Winners will be able to explore:

·        Walt Disney’s private apartment: Built during the initial construction of Disneyland, Walt Disney’s private apartment is a quaint studio dwelling, filled with Victorian decor, family photos, and antiques selected by the Disney family.

·        Lilly Belle VIP parlor car: Disneyland guests have long taken grand circle tours on the Disneyland Railroad, but few ever enjoy the ride from the elegant Lilly Belle VIP car parlor. Named after Walt’s wife, Lillian, the Lilly Belle is truly a piece of history, built in 1955, and refurbished to its modern state of luxury for America’s bicentennial celebration in 1976.

·        Circle D Ranch:  From the friendly goats at Big Thunder Ranch to the horses who carry guests down Main Street, U.S.A., Circle D Ranch is home to Disneyland’s beloved “four-legged cast members.”

·        Disneyland Dream Suite: This private space above Pirates of the Caribbean was originally planned to be another apartment for Walt Disney, but he passed away before its completion. In 2008, Imagineers used some of Walt’s original ideas and some truly magical surprises of their own to transform it into a fantasy villa like no other.

 

D23 Members may enter the sweepstakes beginning today through August 23 at D23.com. The tour will take place on Wednesday, October 2. Winners will be able to attend with one (1) guest. For complete rules, details, and eligibility please visit D23.com. No purchase required; guests may join D23 for free at D23.com.

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Filed Under: Disney News, Disney Special Events, Top Stories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: bicentennial celebration, cast members, circle d ranch, D23, D23 sweepstakes, disney family, disney fan club, disneyland guests, disneyland park, disneyland railroad, dream suite, family photos, hidden gems, initial construction, lilly belle, member event, parlor car, private apartment, thunder ranch, victorian decor, vip car, Walt Disney

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