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A Long Dead Disney Theme Park Idea Is Taking Shape Again in Utah

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Posted on by Rick Lye 1 Comment
Two actors in 18th-century attire engage with children outdoors. One reads from a book, while the other stands nearby, holding papers. The children sit on the grass under trees on a sunny day, attentively watching.

Credit: Liberty Village

In the early 1990s, fresh off the success of Disney/MGM Hollywood Studios, Disney CEO Michael Eisner was looking to expand the company’s theme parks outside of their Central Florida and Southern California footprints. The Walt Disney Company had always been synonymous with America, so what better place to put a park than outside the nation’s capital?

An aerial view illustration of a theme park with various paths, greenery, and buildings on the left. On the right, an image of a lively waterfront scene featuring a steamship arriving at a bustling, illuminated dock with a crowd of people.
Disney’s America Concept Art. Credit: Disney

So, in the early 1990s, Eisner proposed Disney’s America theme park in Haymarket, Virginia, just five miles away from the Bull Run Battlefield and 35 miles from Washington, D.C.  The American history-themed park would have covered 185 acres and cost Disney $650 million.

Disney’s plan was immediately met with hostility from local residents and historians concerned that Disney would gloss over historical realities and turn the nearby Civil War battlefield into a theme park. The politicians who initially supported the plan quickly turned against it, and less than a year after it was announced, Disney’s America was over.

Now, the concept of Disney’s America is trying to be revived in Southern Utah. Liberty Village will feature 21 replica buildings from the 1700s, including Independence Hall, Monticello, and the Declaration House.

Aerial view of a park with a circular pathway. Surrounding the pathway are trees and various buildings, including a church with a tall steeple, residential houses with red roofs, and a white pavilion. Pathways connect different areas.
Credit: Liberty Village

The group behind the project broke ground in 2022, but very little progress has been made so far. While the group has raised $30 million, it is looking for local municipalities and the state to pick up some of the costs of the theme park.

However, much like Disney’s America, Liberty Village has been controversial. Lex Howard, who came up with the idea and is leading the group behind it, is the CEO of Balance of Nature, a dietary supplement company that the FDA briefly took products off the market.

The prominent spokespeople for Liberty Village have been controversial ex-Fox News host Glenn Beck and right-wing political commentator and conspiracy theorist Dinesh D’Souza, who was convicted of a felony for making illegal campaign contributions and was later pardoned by Donald Trump. 

Until last year, Tim Ballard was also a spokesperson for the project. Ballard is the founder of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), which produced the film Sound of Freedom (2023). That same year, Ballard was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple OUR employees and forced to leave the company.

Despite the controversial people involved with the project, the Utah House of Representatives is moving forward with a bill to provide an additional $3 million in funding.

It appears that the heart of Disney’s America will finally see the light of day in Southern Utah.

in Disney Parks, Theme Parks

Tagged:Disney Theme Parks

Rick Lye

Rick is an avid Disney fan. He first went to Disney World in 1986 with his parents and has been hooked ever since. Rick is married to another Disney fan and is in the process of turning his two children into fans as well. When he is not creating new Disney adventures, he loves to watch the New York Yankees and hang out with his dog, Buster. In the fall, you will catch him cheering for his beloved NY Giants.

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