Favorite Things: Guide Maps

Thousands of families are visiting Disney Parks this week and letting the memories begin. Trust me. It's BUSY! They'll be taking millions of pictures and snapping up tons of souvenir merchandise, but what many may not realize is one of the best souvenirs of their trip is already in their hands... and it's free!

I have a decent collection of park guide maps from my visits to Disney Parks over the years. More recently, I've also tried to pick up new ones as things change in the parks. They're always a fun way of looking back at the way things were. The examples I'm sharing today are from my first visits to each of the four parks at Walt Disney World.

The Magic Kingdom guide book from Summer 1978 featured separate page spreads on each land, with information about all the attractions, shops and restaurants. There's also a map and information inside about the rest of the Vacation Kingdom. If you look closely, you can see where my dad checked off each attraction we visited and the alphabetical ticket required for admission. For a better look at this guide book, check out this article.

My family first visited EPCOT Center in June 1983, less than a year after the park opened. The guide map at that time was truly unique to differentiate the Epcot experience from that of the Magic Kingdom. It was a cardboard tri-fold that opened on a map of the overall park, followed by spreads on Future World and World Showcase. For even more information, the back panel of the guide included a rotating disc that could be used to "dial in" details about specific pavilions. Later in the '80s, Epcot would adopt a style of guide book more consistent with the Magic Kingdom's. For an example of a page from that, visit this previous post on the CommuniCore attraction.

I was fortunate to be a guest on May 1, 1989, the opening day of Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios). The guide I have from that day is a real treasure, since there's probably no other park that has changed quite as much as the Studios over the years. Take a look at the original map of the park in this article I wrote celebrating the 20th anniversary of Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The final example I have for you today is the very first guide map produced for Disney's Animal Kingdom. It's from the Cast Preview Days, held in March 1998, more than a month before the park opened to the general public. A quick glance shows you not everything was ready. A couple attractions are labeled "Coming in April," and the entire land of Asia is depicted as a construction zone (Asia opened in 1999).

Click to enlarge the image, and you'll discover all sorts of things that have changed since the early days of Disney's Animal Kingdom. Dinosaur! and the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail are listed under their original names, Countdown to Extinction and Gorilla Falls. Countdown to Extinction states a minimum height requirement of 46 inches (the ride was toned down a bit so the height could be reduced to 40 inches, making it more accessible to a wider audience). There are also listings for several extinct attractions, like the Dinosaur Jubilee and Journey Into Jungle Book show.

This collection of guide maps is definitely one of my favorite things. Every time I crack one open, it's like hopping into a time machine to the Disney Parks of my memories.