Credit: Inside the MagicA former Disney cast member recently shared a photo of an unauthorized vehicle on Main Street, U.S.A., at Disneyland Park. The catch? The car was theirs!
Walt Disney modeled Main Street, U.S.A., after Marceline, Missouri, where he and his brother Roy spent a few years in childhood. The classic American street features shops, dining locations, and countless tributes to those who made Disneyland Resort possible. Take a look up at the second-story windows to see their names!
Main Street, U.S.A., is open to foot traffic most of the day. It’s only blocked off during parades or to accommodate the Main Street Vehicles: the Omnibus, Fire Engine, Jitney, and Horse-Drawn Street Car. These vehicles not only enhance the immersive environment but also transport guests between Town Square (near City Hall) and Central Plaza (in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle).
Of course, in Disneyland Park’s nearly 70 years of operation, other vehicles have made their way down Main Street, U.S.A. In a recent Reddit post, one former Disney cast member revealed that, in 1981, they snuck their car onto Main Street, U.S.A., for a photo in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. From u/SilverArtNW:
That time I parked my car in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle…
That time I parked my car in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle…
byu/SilverArtNW inDisneyland
“I had always wanted to have a picture of my car inside the Park, and on a Tuesday when it was closed & empty, except for maintenance and security, I drove my ’77 Celica from the backlot, down Main Street, parked and snapped this photo,” the former Disney technical artist wrote.
Disney Parks fans were shocked that the cast member got away with driving down Main Street, U.S.A.
“Imagine this happing today, you’d be banned from all Disney locations in addition to terrorism charges from driving through the park with 50,000 guests there,” said u/President_Zucchini.
“You literally wouldn’t even get past the gates,” u/PossibleCash6092 replied.
But the former Disney cast member explained that managers often drove personal vehicles through Disneyland Park when it was closed, so they could drive down Main Street, U.S.A., unnoticed. At that time, Disneyland Park closed on Monday and Tuesday during the off-season.
“Back in my days there, 77-81, supervisors routinely drove their own vehicles into the park on the days it was completely shut down… So me driving past the side gates from inside where I was parked for work was not noticed, except for maybe a curious security guard,” they recalled.
To get past that curious Disneyland Resort security guard, the former cast member concocted a clever story.
“I explained to security when they came up to me that I was contributing to an article in the DisneyLine, the employee newsletter, about employee parking,” they wrote. “The photo was for that article. No more questions asked.”
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