The Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida is one of the world's most famous vacation destinations. This iconic resort is now located in what once was thousands of acres of swamp and marshland. Through spy-like moves and innovative strategies, Walt Disney and his cadre of creative leaders turned this massive swamp land into today's Disney World. This books shares the amazing behind the scenes story of how Disney's Florida resort, code-named Project Future, rose from the marshes of Central Florida to become one of the world's most popular theme park resorts.

Get the Trusted Source of Information for a Successful Walt Disney World Vacation The best-selling independent guide to Walt Disney World has everything you need to plan your family's trip-hassle-free. Whether you are planning your annual vacation to Walt Disney World or preparing for your first visit ever, this book gives you the insider scoop on hotels, restaurants, and attractions. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2021 explains how Walt Disney World works and how to use that knowledge to make every minute and every dollar of your vacation count. With an Unofficial Guide in hand-and with authors Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa as guides-find out what's available in every category, from best to worst, and get step-by-step, detailed plans to help make the most of your time at Walt Disney World. There have been lots of changes at Walt Disney World, from park opening procedures, to rides, restaurants, and hotels. Here's what's NEW in the 2021 book: When to visit Walt Disney World to get lower crowds and bigger hotel discounts Details on how COVID-19 and social distancing measures have impacted Walt Disney World Resort Tips on how to get a spot to experience Disney's fantastic new Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance blockbuster attraction How to "Rope Drop" Disney theme parks to get on the most popular rides faster Ten tips for finding the cheapest Disney World tickets (and a free online search tool to do all the work for you) The latest on discounted stroller rentals, car rentals, and vacation homes Reviews of Disney's swanky new Riviera Resort, plus the new Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure rides for families The best hotel rooms to request at every Disney resort

America's first theme park, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, is one of the largest family-owned and -operated independent parks in the United States, and its success is no accident. From moving Interstate 64 closer to the small town to introducing free unlimited soft drinks, four generations of the Koch family have amplified the legacy of this iconic Indiana attraction. Holiday World & Splashin' Safari celebrates the history of the Koch family and Santa Jim Yellig; the origins of Santa Claus, Indiana; and the early years of Santa Claus Land. The story continues with the expansion from Santa Claus Land to Holiday World, the addition of the park's famous trio of top-ranked wooden roller coasters, and the development of Splashin' Safari Water Park, ranked one of the top water parks in the country. For three-quarters of a century, the Koch family has launched the park into worldwide renown and national recognition. Featuring over 100 color illustrations, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari relives this joyous past while looking forward to the thrills fans can expect in the next 75 years.

Behind the scenes at a creationist theme park with a mission to convert visitors through entertainment Opened to the public in July 2016, Ark Encounter is a creationist theme park in Kentucky. The park features an all-timber re-creation of Noah's ark, built full scale to creationist specifications drawn from the text of Genesis, as well as exhibits that imagine the Bible's account of life before the flood. More than merely religious spectacle, Ark Encounter offers important insights about the relationship between religion and entertainment, religious publicity and creativity, and fundamentalist Christian claims to the public sphere. James S. Bielo examines these themes, drawing on his unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the Ark Encounter creative team during the initial design of the park. This unique anthropological perspective shows creationists outside church contexts, and reveals their extraordinary effort to materialize a controversial worldview for the general public. Taking readers from inside the park's planning rooms to other fundamentalist projects and diverse Christian tourist attractions, Bielo illuminates how creationist cultural producers seek to reach both their constituents and the larger culture. The "making of" this creationist theme park, Bielo argues, allows us to understand how fundamentalist culture is produced, and how entertainment and creative labor are used to legitimize creationism. Through intriguing and surprising observations, Ark Encounter challenges readers to engage with the power of entertainment and to seriously grapple with creationist ambitions for authority. For believers and non-believers alike, this book is an invaluable glimpse into the complicated web of religious entertainment and cultural production.

In this beautifully illustrated treasury, discover 100 beloved and little-known Disney adventures--from labyrinths under Sleeping Beauty's Castle to a dinner club with Walt Disney World's top chefs to a tour of the Galapagos Islands--that will make for a lifetime of magical, memorable experiences. Wake up to the sight of giraffes grazing outside of your window. Soar 400 feet into the sky on a hot-air balloon ride over Walt Disney World. Watch the Disneyland fireworks from The Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge, far away from the crowds. Taste your way through 11 countries of the world at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. Take a jet trip around the world. All these experiences and more bring the magic of Disney alive--and you can find 100 not-to-be-missed adventures in this one-of-a-kind collection. From the most beloved signature experiences--Epcot's International Flower Show, breakfast with beloved characters at Chef Mickey's, and getting dolled up like a princess before your day at the park--to the hidden VIP wonders like a private dinner in the wine cellar the Grand Floridian or drinks at the exclusive, members-only Club 33, this illuminating guidebook celebrates and reveals the best experiences in and around Disney resorts and parks all over the globe. Discover the magic that awaits, including: A training session at the Jedi Academy at Disney Hollywood Studios, where you can make your own light saber and fight Darth Vader Magical meals at a rotating dinner club featuring Walt Disney World's best chefs, each themed to Disney lore A 5.7 million-gallon salt water aquarium at Epcot Seas, where you can swim with angelfish, dolphins, eagle rays, and sharks A private after-hours tour of the Luxor Temple in Egypt, where Adventures by Disney gets you away from the crowds for an intimate experience Secret off-the-menu items around the park, including a cherry milkshake at Carnation Cafe and ice cream nachos at the Golden Horseshoe The ultimate viewing spots for nightly fireworks throughout all the Disney Parks Disney's Halloween party, a one-of-a-kind theme night in the happiest place on Earth A 5K Challenge on Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, where you can soothe sore muscles post-race with a beachfront massage A private jet tour around the world, led by expert National Geographic explorers And so much more! Along with beautiful imagery that will help shape your bucket list, this fantastic guide includes pilgrimages to historic Disney sites, like Walt's hometown haunts in Chicago and Tam O'Shanter's in Los Angeles where there's a table named in his honor. Plus, National Geographic provides the inside stories of some of Disney's most beloved attractions. Each of these 100 adventures--from Walt Disney World in Orlando to the Galapagos Islands to Disneyland Tokyo--will have you believing in magic and wonder all over again.

Sunny Vale Pleasure Gardens, near Brighouse, was the Belle Vue or Alton Towers of West Yorkshire. It opened as a garden in 1880, and became a popular venue for sunday strollers, local sunday school groups and day trippers. This collection features 180 images, complemented by captions and reminiscences of the Gardens throughout its long history.

Theme park studies is a growing field in social and cultural studies. Nonetheless, until now little attention has been dedicated to the choice of the themes represented in the parks and the strategies of their representation. This is particularly interesting when the theme is a historical one, for example ancient Greece. Which elements of classical Greece find their way into a theme park and how are they chosen and represented? What is the "entertainment" element in ancient Greek history, culture and myth, which allows its presence in commercial structures aiming to people's fun? How does the representation of Greece change against different cultural backgrounds, e.g. in different European countries, in the USA, in China? This book frames a discussion of these representations within the current debates about immersive spaces, uses of history and postmodern aesthetics, and analyses how ancient Greece has been represented and made "enjoyable" in seven different theme parks across the world, providing an original and ground-breaking contribution to theme park studies and classical reception.