Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Steve on the Speedway! (2009)

Hey, it's me! My sister took this photo from another car on the Tomorrowland Speedway during a trip to Walt Disney World in December 2009. You'll note that I'm also holding a camera. Shocking, I know.

The Speedway is located in the Magic Kingdom and opened with the park in 1971 as the Grand Prix Raceway. It was then shortened in 1987 to fit in Mickey's Birthdayland, while also being renamed the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. A partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway helped facilitate the "Indy" branding. That agreement ended in 2008 and the track changed names again, this time to just Tomorrowland Speedway. The track was modified again in early 2011 to accommodate the Fantasyland Expansion.

It's a historic ride that has a weak theme to "tomorrow" and really long lines, but it's something you just gotta do when you visit!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Virgin Spaceship Earth (1985)

EPCOT Center opened in 1982, and its icon Spaceship Earth anchored a minimalist environment when compared to a park like the Magic Kingdom. Today's photo was shot in 1985, just 3 years after the park opened, and you can see the wide open spaces, trees that still were growing, and lots of white or light colors used in architecture. You can also gaze upon my Mom, Dad, and sister Karen standing patiently while I snapped a photo with a Kodak Instamatic 126 film camera.

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Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Amy gets First Aid (2007)

During a trip to Walt Disney World in September 2007, we camped at Fort Wilderness. Often we would take the boat from the Magic Kingdom to the Fort Wilderness Marina. One night as Amy was stepping from the enclosed cabin onto the open front part of the boat, she tripped over the raised doorway… and fell on her face.

While it was dramatic, the only real damage was a lot of blood and scratches on her right leg. We patched her up that night, but the next day stopped off at the First Aid station at the Disney-MGM Studios to get some additional medical attention. They took a look at it and gave us a bunch of new bandages. Her leg was a bit sore, but she made it through the rest of the trip fine!

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Is this your Laughing Place? (2009)

This picturesque desert setting is actually situated near Splash Mountain, in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. I shot this during a family trip in December 2009.

There was just something about this scene that was peaceful and relaxed, which is great contrast to the typical frenzied pace found at a Disney theme park.

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Pepto Castle (1996)

Did you know that Walt Disney World is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year? Probably not, because Disney has pretty much given up on park-specific commemorations in favor of soulless global marketing initiatives like "Let the Memories Begin." The Magic Kingdom and a few surrounding hotels opened in 1971.

Jump back to 1996, when the resort was celebrating its 25th anniversary. Back then the campaign was officially known as "Remember the Magic," but fans know it as "The Year of the Pink Castle" — one of the biggest marketing blunders this side of Reedy Creek. During the event, Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom was literally painted pink. Brightly-colored inflatable decorations were then added to make the whole structure look like a large birthday cake.

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Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Please don't call this a "big, silver golf ball"!

"Since the dawn of recorded time, communication has revolutionized our lives and changed our world.  We now have the ability and the responsibility to build new bridges of acceptance and co-operation between us; to create a better world for ourselves and our children as we continue our amazing journey aboard Spaceship Earth."

The iconic symbol of EPCOT Center, er, Epcot, is Spaceship Earth, an 18-story geodesic sphere that opened with the park in 1982. I took today's photo during a trip in 2009. Thankfully, it wasn't ruined by a stupid Mickey wand.

It houses a ride originally sponsored by the Bell System (1982-1984) and focused on communications.  This theme was continued when AT&T (1984-2004) picked up the sponsorship after the breakup of the Bell System.  In 2007, the storyline was changed to reflect general technology, thanks to sponsor Siemens AG (2005-present).

Epcot has changed a lot over the years, mostly for the worse, but Spaceship Earth remains an element that still reflects the World's Fair feeling of awe found in the original EPCOT Center.

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Mom, Amy, & Karen startled in Injun Joe's Cave (2009)

Tom Sawyer Island is one of the fun areas to explore at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.  It's still a themed space that hasn't been completely corrupted by modern Disney branding and love of all things princesses, pirates, Pooh, & pins.  Disneyland's version, on the other hand, got a Pirates of the Caribbean redo a couple years ago, with mixed results.  And while some unique elements of WDW's Island aren't in place anymore, such as the eatery Aunt Polly's Dockside Inn, it's still an adventure for any age.

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Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Amy & Greg at the Magic Kingdom (1979)

While last week we looked at a childhood photo of mine taken at EPCOT Center, this week it's time to dive into Amy's past. For that we jump back to 1979 and a family vacation she took to Florida.

Here we see adorable little Amy (age 3½) at the Magic Kingdom with her brother Greg (age 7), posing for a photo in front of Cinderella Castle.  Of course, Amy has her Mickey Mouse stuffed animal, with the pose looking like an affectionate sister/brother moment.  However, in reality, Amy was trying to brush away Greg's arm in a "hey, don't touch me" sort of way!

Over the years Amy & I have had fun adding our own captions to this photo.  What's yours?

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

World Showcase Omnibus (1985)

The year is 1985. The place is EPCOT Center.

While my parents had taken me to Walt Disney World before, this was my first "memorable" trip, which I experienced at age 10. EPCOT Center was just 3 years old at the time. That vacation had quite an impact on me becoming a Disney theme park enthusiast.

Today's photo — taken with a Kodak Instamatic 126 film camera and cropped accordingly — spotlights the World Showcase Omnibus, a double-decker vehicle that used to provide transportation for guests to visit the various countries around World Showcase Lagoon. It was phased out in the mid-1990s, probably because it couldn't contain a gift shop, timeshare information stand, or pin trading station.

Standing in front of the bus is my little sister Karen (age 7), sporting a lovely red Walt Disney World visor… and I'm not sure what she's really doing with her hands. I'm standing cluelessly next to her in my 1985 Walt Disney World shirt (I wore that thing a TON!) and tan EPCOT Center visor. To be honest, I'm not sure if we actually ever rode the bus!

Nevertheless, they are missed in World Showcase, as the buses provided motion, activity, and a unique sense of place.

Theme Park Thursdays feature photos from one of our theme park adventures in the past.

Vintage WDW Logo on SpectroMagic (2009)

Did you know that Walt Disney World celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year? Probably not, given that Disney doesn't seem to care about individual park milestones these days, instead favoring global "Disney Parks" marketing campaigns usually promoting some derivative of "Wishes/Dreams/Magic blah blah."

Today's photo is one of the opening units for the SpectroMagic Parade, a long running nighttime experience at the Magic Kingdom. It debuted in 1991 as a replacement for the Main Street Electrical Parade, and aside from a few hiatuses, has lit up for almost 2 decades now. It was mothballed last year when Walt Disney World's Summer Nightastic campaign brought back the Main Street Electrical Parade once again… which continues to run.

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