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The History of Celebration Florida – Up the Waterfall Episode 45

10 December 2020 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

We rejoin our Up the Waterfall show podcast in full swing, with an episode near and dear to my heart, the history of Celebration, Florida. As you’ll see and hear in this week’s show, I followed the origins of Celebration from the start, and remember driving through the town as it was being built, and always wishing to one day call it home. I actually did, from 2011 – 2013, and enjoyed having a first-hand view of “The Town that Disney Built.”

This week we go over exactly how the town of Celebration came to be, what went into the planning, and what’s been going on since ground breaking in 1994. Celebration was born during a time of great progress in the Eisner-Wells era of the Walt Disney Company. The early 90’s saw the inception of the Disney Vacation Club, EuroDisney (now Disneyland Paris), hit movies and more. It seemed only natural that it would also see the first Disney designed and built town in America.

Here’s some of the Celebration Sales Center preview homes, from 1995 that I mentioned this on the show, see how it’s just a front facade?

Celebration preview center 1995

Whether you’ve visited, lived in, or just driven through Celebration, Florida, we think you’ll enjoy this show and the facts and tid bits we learn along the way. As mentioned on the show, we wanted to share the books we referenced on the show, in case you’d like to add them to your collection or brush up on your Celebration history. All links below are affiliate links, which means if you purchase, a small commission comes back to Zannaland to support our costs. Just click on the book cover below to see the book:

 

 

Celebration The Story of a Town by Michael Lassell
Celebration – The Story of a Town by Michael Lassell
Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture by Beth Dunlop
Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture by Beth Dunlop
CELEBRATION JOURNAL - Inaugural Issue by Carole Engle
CELEBRATION JOURNAL – Inaugural Issue by Carole Engle
The Celebration Chronicles: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property Value in Disney's Brave New Town by Andrew Ross
The Celebration Chronicles: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property Value in Disney’s New Town by Andrew Ross
Celebration, U.S.A.: Living in Disney's Brave New Town by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins
Celebration, U.S.A.: Living in Disney’s Brave New Town by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins
WALT DISNEY WORLD Architecture By Disney
WALT DISNEY WORLD Architecture by Disney
Work in Progress by Michael Eisner with Tony Schwartz
Work in Progress by Michael Eisner with Tony Schwartz
Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas
Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas
Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture by Beth Dunlop
Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture (earlier edition we discussed on the show) by Beth Dunlop

Be sure to check out my other posts on Celebration Florida, including the famous Pirate House and some of the holiday events mentioned on the show! Have you visited or even lived in Celebration, Florida? What did you like (or not like) about the town? Let us know!

 


As always, we thank you for watching and listening! If you enjoyed, please share with a friend so more folks can learn about our growing podcast. Also please leave a review on Apple or Google podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Thank you!

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Filed Under: Disney Past, Up the Waterfall Podcast Tagged With: celebration, Celebration FL, Celebration Florida, Disney history, Disney history podcast, History of Celebration, michael eisner, Up the Waterfall, Up the Waterfall podcast

About Suzannah Otis

A child of the 80's, Zanna climbed trees and roller-skated till the streetlights came on. She sipped her her first iced coffee at age 10 and never looked back. Growing up outside of Boston, all of these things shaped her life, as did the original EPCOT Center, which brought her where she is today.

Zanna is the mother of 2 adult humans, a 13-year old (also human), and 6 (yes, 6) cats. She is also the wife to one husband, who lovingly puts up with all of the above. Zanna tries to find that one little spark in everything, and thanks you very much for taking the time to read this.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jon says

    7 February 2021 at

    Do you know where I can get a copy of the Celebration Journal magazine? Cant seem to locate in the usual places EBay, Amazon, etc. TIA

    Reply
    • Scott Otis says

      7 February 2021 at

      Jon, That’s gonna be a tough find. I was able to get a copy when it was for sale in a Walt Disney World gift shop in 1994 or 1995, right when Celebration was just starting. I have never seen it since. And since it doesn’t even have an “author” or even a copyright date, it’s just such a rare find. I can only say, keep looking and set up an eBay search for yourself. Good luck!

      Reply

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