Walt Disney's Riverfront Square facts for kids
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| Location | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Opened | Canceled |
| Operated by | The Walt Disney Company |
Walt Disney's Riverfront Square was a fun theme park that was planned for St. Louis, Missouri. It was going to be the second Disney park ever, after the famous Disneyland in California. Disney worked on this park idea between 1963 and 1965.
A Dream for St. Louis
After building Disneyland, Walt Disney said he didn't plan to open more parks. But in March 1963, he met with the mayor of St. Louis. They talked about building a new theme park. St. Louis was updating its riverfront area for its 200th birthday. The park would have been near the new Busch Memorial Stadium. Disney's team, called Imagineering, started drawing plans. They designed new rides for the park.
Why the Park Didn't Happen
The plans for Riverfront Square did not move forward for a few reasons. There were some disagreements about how the park would be paid for and who would own it. Also, Walt Disney wanted to focus his attention on Florida. This is where he would later build Walt Disney World. By July 1965, Disney announced that the St. Louis park would not be built.
What the Park Would Have Been Like
Riverfront Square was planned to be the second Disney park. It would have had many attractions and features like Disneyland. The park was expected to cost about $40 million. It hoped to welcome 25,000 visitors every day.
The entrance to the park would have looked like Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A.. One side of the street would look like Old St. Louis. The other side would look like Old New Orleans. Disney planned to use new technology called Audio-Animatronics. These are moving robots that look like people or animals. They were first used at the 1964 New York World's Fair.
The top floor of the park would have had a large hall for parties. There would also be a restaurant, a lounge, and a bar. These places would have looked out over the Mississippi River. The park would also have had food stands and shops.
Many famous Disney rides were first thought of for the St. Louis park. These include Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. A "Western Riverboat" ride was also planned. Its design was later used for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Other exciting rides and areas planned included:
- Lewis & Clark Adventure, a ride about the famous explorers Lewis & Clark.
- A ride based on the folk hero Mike Fink.
- A New Orleans Square, like the one at Disneyland today.
- The Pirates of the Caribbean ride, with the Blue Bayou restaurant.
- A ride based on the folk hero Davy Crockett.
- An attraction about the Meramec Caverns in Missouri.
- Two Circarama theaters. At least one would show a film about St. Louis.
- A place to see birds, like an aviary.
- A pirate ship that visitors could explore.
- An opera house.
- Dark rides based on Peter Pan, Snow White, and Pinocchio. These rides are now at Disneyland in California.
- A wishing well.
