Main Street, U.S.A.

Castle photo from Main Street at Disneyland.

A replica of Walt Disney's apartment at the Walt Disney Family Museum

Main Street at Disneyland in August 2018

Main Street Vehicles (Disneyland)
Sleeping Beauty Castle Central Plaza Car barn (not open to public) Main Street, U.S.A. Steam train transfer (via short walk inside park)

Inspired by Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, Missouri (as in the film Lady and the Tramp), Main Street, U.S.A. is designed to resemble the center of an idealized turn-of-the-20th-century (c. 1910) American town. According to Harper Goff, who worked on Main Street, U.S.A. with Walt, he showed Walt some photos of his childhood home of Fort Collins, Colorado. Walt liked the look, and so many of the features of the town were incorporated into Main Street, U.S.A.[1] Another significant source of inspiration for the Main Street, U.S.A. concept came from the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, which Walt Disney visited twice in the 1940s.[2]

Walt Disney said, "For those of us who remember the carefree time it recreates, Main Street will bring back happy memories. For younger visitors, it is an adventure in turning back the calendar to the days of their grandfather's youth." Above the firehouse in Town Square at Disneyland is Walt Disney's personal apartment, fully furnished but off-limits to the public. A lamp is kept burning in the front window as a tribute to his memory, except at Christmas where a small tannenbaum replaces the lamp. It is largely decorated for both Halloween and Christmas.

There is a 60-foot-tall (18 m) Christmas tree during Christmas Time, and there is a 16-foot-high (4.9 m) Mickey Mouse jack-o-lantern on Halloween Time, with additional pumpkin ears. In the circular hub in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, the bronze "Partners" statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse is surrounded by smaller bronzes of familiar Disney characters, such as Donald Duck and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.

The Main Street Opera House in Town Square is the oldest building in Disneyland. It formerly served as the park's lumber mill between 1955 and 1961. The cannons that are displayed in the center of the square were used by the French army during the 1800s, although they were never fired in battle. The gas lamps that line the street originally came from St. Louis and were bought for $.03 a pound.[3]

Partners, sculpted by Blaine Gibson,[4] was added in 1993. During the Halloween season, pumpkin busts for each themed land in the park, except Main Street, are seen around "Partners." It is listed as a real street in the Orange County Thomas Guide.

Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade down Main Street, U.S.A.

Street Performers on Main Street, U.S.A.

Instead of being a replica of a small Midwestern American town, Main Street at Walt Disney World features some stylistic influences from around the country, such as New England and Missouri. This is most noticeable in the "four corners" area in the middle of Main Street where each of the four corner buildings represents a different architectural style. There is also no Opera House as there is at Disneyland; instead there is the Exposition Hall. Main Street is lined with shops selling merchandise and food.

The decor is early-20th-century small-town America, inspired by Walt Disney's childhood and the film Lady and the Tramp. City Hall contains the Guest Relations lobby where cast members provide information and assistance. A real working barber shop gives haircuts.[10] The Emporium carries a wide variety of Disney souvenirs such as plush toys, collectible pins, and Mickey-ear hats. Tony's Town Square and the Plaza Restaurant are sit-down restaurants. Casey's Corner is at the end of Main Street and sells traditional American ball park fare including burgers and fries.

In the distance beyond the end of Main Street stands Cinderella Castle. Though only 189 feet (55m) tall, it benefits from a technique known as forced perspective. The second stories of all the buildings along Main Street are shorter than the first stories, and the third stories are even shorter than the second, and the top windows of the castle are much smaller than standard. The resulting visual effect is that the buildings appear to be larger and taller than they really are. Main Street is considered the "opening credits" for the Magic Kingdom. Visitors pass under the train station (the opening curtain), and then view the opening credits on the upper stories of the main street buildings.

Each window has a business name on it, such as "Seven Summits Expeditions, Frank G. Wells President"; each of these people has a connection to Disney. The windows/credits are ordered as they would be for a movie. In addition to the bronze "Partners Statue" of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse in front of Cinderella Castle; there is also the "Sharing the Magic Statue" of Roy O. Disney sitting with Minnie Mouse near the park's entrance. Surrounding the "Partners Statue" at the central hub are several iconic Disney characters featured throughout the park. These include Minnie, Donald, Br'er Rabbit, Goofy, Chip and Dale, etc.

Attractions and entertainment

Main Street Vehicles (Magic Kingdom)
Cinderella Castle Central Plaza Car barn (not open to public) Main Street, U.S.A. Steam train transfer (via short walk inside park)

• Casey's Corner Pianist
• City Hall
• Harmony Barber Shop
• Main Street Vehicles (includes: horseless carriage, fire engine, omnibus, and 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge horse-drawn streetcars[5])
• Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (2012–2021)
• Town Square Theater
• Walt Disney World Railroad (1971-present)
• Flag Retreat
• Citizens of Main Street
• Main Street Trolley Show
• Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
• Move It! Shake It! Mouskedanceit! Street Party

World Bazaar at Tokyo Disneyland during the Christmas Season

The World Bazaar is the alternative of Main Street, U.S.A. It is covered by a glass Victorian-style conservatory roof to shield guests from the Japanese weather. Amongst others, World Bazaar features a 1950s American diner. World Bazaar features the most eateries out of the "Main Streets", with three table service restaurants (four including Club 33). There is also a larger side street called "Center Street" that runs across Main Street which exits on either side into Tomorrowland and Adventureland. This was the first "Main Street" that did not have a train station (the other "Main Street" being in Shanghai Disneyland.) World Bazaar is also home to Tokyo Disneyland's Club 33.

Horse-Drawn Streetcars (Disneyland Park (Paris))
Sleeping Beauty Castle Central Plaza Car barn (not open to public) Main Street, U.S.A. Steam train transfer (via short walk inside park)

This street is themed slightly differently from the others; the decor is more 1920s than turn-of-the-century, though the buildings are almost identical to those in Florida, with influences from the flapper and ragtime eras and an emphasis on baseball culture and the rise of the automobile. Instead of horse-drawn trolleys and Victorian vehicles, plans originally featured trams to fit with the 1920s theme, but were scrapped.

Also, due to often cold, rainy weather in the area, the Imagineers compromised and offered covered walkways on either side of Main Street called "arcades". There is the "Discovery Arcade" on the side closest to Discoveryland, and the "Liberty Arcade" on the side closest to Frontierland. These provide access to all of the shops along the length of Main Street, while giving shelter from the weather. They also provide a passageway when the street is crowded during parades and fireworks.

A cannon located at the Town Square of Hong Kong Disneyland

Emporium at night

Inspired by the main street in Disneyland, the buildings of this Main Street are almost identical to those in Anaheim. Like other main streets, Hong Kong Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. serves as the entrance of the park. Plans originally featured a restaurant under the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad station, but were scrapped due to budget reasons.

The decor is 20th-century small-town America from about the years 1890–1910. Though being very similar to Anaheim's main street, the story of this street is heavily influenced by European immigrants. Plaza Inn has the same exterior design as the one in Anaheim but its theme is about a wealthy American couple who traveled to Hong Kong, fell in love with its culture and cuisine, and returned to create a classical English eatery filled with all the decorations they collected on their journeys. The Market House Bakery was founded by a Viennese pastry chef who brought some of the world's most famous desserts and coffee cakes from the Austrian imperial court.

Instead of using stone as the major building material like other main streets, Main Street at Hong Kong Disneyland was built mainly of wood, which is rare in Hong Kong. There are no horse-drawn streetcars on this street, although tracks for the streetcars can be seen from early conceptual arts.

In early August 2008, The Disneyland Story presenting How Mickey Mouse Came to Hong Kong was closed. It was re-themed to Art of Animation on August 31. On January 21, 2011, a new shop named Center Street Boutique was opened. On August 21, 2012, a new shop named Victorian Collection was opened, between Emporium and Centennial Hall.

Mickey Avenue, the entrance of the Shanghai Disneyland Park, is the park's equivalent to Main Street, U.S.A.. The area is inspired by the personalities of Disney cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Chip 'n' Dale, as well as Disney films including, Ratatouille, The Three Caballeros, and Lady and the Tramp.[11] Avenue M Arcade, the largest gift shop in the park,[12] is modeled after the Carthay Circle Theater.[13] The Storytellers statue, which depicts a young Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, is located at the end of Mickey Avenue and in front of the Gardens of Imagination.

• Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
• Tony Baxter