Although Walt Disney was born in Chicago Illinois, he considered his home town Marceline Missouri. When he was a young boy he grew up on a farm in Marceline and the little town made a lasting impression on him.

In 2001 in honor of Walt’s 100th Birthday, Marceline put on a huge party. One of the events that took place was a barn raising on the original Disney Farm. I was lucky enough to participate in the barn raising. Although I wasn’t able to hammer too many nails in perfectly, I greeted townspeople and guests and invited them to hammer in a nail too. After guests would hammer in a nail, I asked them to sign it. Even if the signatures were covered up, I told them, “Walt will know its there.”

Before I get ahead of myself, I must explain that Walt Disney had a barn at his backyard home at 355 Carolwood Drive, in Holmby Hills California. This miniature barn was where he worked on his miniature railroad, the Carolwood Pacific. He borrowed the name from his street and kept the CP initials of the Central Pacific Railroad. The barn still exists today but was moved to Griffith Park in Los Angeles in the Live Steamers area. See my other article about Walt’s Barn or go to the Carolwood Pacific Historical website for more information.

At the dedication of the unfinished barn to Marceline, the mayor, Disney Imagineers, many Marceline residents and out-of-town guests were on hand to enjoy the event. Terri Lynn, the Barn Crew Chief in Los Angeles, and I were asked to make the announcements. A special beam was signed by the attendees of the last Disneyana Convention held September 4, 2001 at the Disneyland Resort. The beam was signed, and carefully shipped out for installation. This beam inspired me to ask others to sign the barn. Kaye Malins, the current owner of the Marceline Barn and former Disney Farm tells me that many more people come to the barn and continue to sign it.

Other things you might want to know, Michael Broggie has written a book about the barns in Walt’s life. It is called, Walt’s Happy Place. You can find it also on the Carolwood website. There Michael explains how an old barn in Missouri inspired Walt to create a barn movie prop. The movie prop inspired Walt to build a barn in his personal back yard. Many years after Walt’s death, the back-yard barn is preserved and moved while friends build a new barn in Missouri to complete the circle and replace the original one that has long gone. This children’s book is based on a true-story.

If you’re ever in Marceline Missouri check out Walt’s Barn! The train station is also an excellent museum dedicated to Walt Disney’s legacy.

In the next few weeks, I’ll share more exciting adventures that surfaced as a result of my volunteering at Walt’s Barn. These photos were a generous going-away gift from Walt’s Barn Crew in California. Stay tuned for celebrities and more fun!

Walt’s Barn is the best kept Disney secret in Los Angeles. Back in the early 1950’s Walt Disney had a little red barn in his back yard where he would tinker with his 1/8 scale train engine, the Lilly Belle. As many people know Walt Disney had a small railroad called the Carolwood Pacific in his back yard. The barn sat at 355 N. Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills near Beverly Hills California. This little barn is considered the birthplace of Imagineering and inspiration for Disneyland. Walt wanted to share his train with the public, but the privacy and insurance risks were too great. Instead he imagined a place where “parents and kids could have fun together.”

Although the train track was removed shortly after Walt’s death, the barn remained on the Disney Family estate for over 45 years. It was used primarily as a storage shed for gardening equipment, but the tiny building was cute and had the use of forced perspective to keep it quaint. Shortly after Walt’s widow Lilly died, in 1997, the only surviving daughter decided to sell the property. Although the Disney Family home no longer exists, the barn was saved, and moved to Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Located at the Los Angeles Live Steamers section where Walt Disney was a founding member.

The barn is open to the public every month on the third Sunday from 11:00am to 3:00pm.

Operated by volunteers of the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society the barn is 80% the original structure with a new roof and foundation for fire code purposes. Guests who visit the barn are invited to ride the Los Angeles Live Steamers 1/8 scale trains and to bring a picnic lunch. The barn has a small display of some of Walt’s train memorabilia. Quite often a Disney Legend or Imagineer will be asked to be the special guest at Walt’s Barn. Often Michael Broggie, author of Walt Disney’s Railroad Story can be on hand.

I’ve been asked to join the Board of Governors of Carolwood Pacific Historical Society. My time in volunteering there has been well spent. Not only is the barn crew a wonderful group of people, the visitors to the barn are so taken by the barn; those who knew Walt and those who only wished to. If you have free time to spare, and you live in the LA area, I strongly recommend spending a Sunday afternoon there or two!

The parking is free and the volunteers request only a modest donation to LALS for your visit.

To learn more about the activities at the barn check out www.carolwoodpacific.com.

If you ask for my opinion, I’d say right now! But if airplanes, rental cars, road trips or hotel planning is part of the equation, I may need to rethink my answer. Then the answer is; it depends. It depends on how busy, how much you want to see and in some cases what you want to see.

To better help, let’s start with crowds. Do you mind crowds, or would you prefer to skate through the park with plenty of elbow room? Disney Legend Buzz Price, an outside consultant and expert statistician would suggest the week after Thanksgiving. Since Thanksgiving and Christmas are peak seasons, the few weeks in between are relatively quiet, yet most of the attractions are up and running because the park is preparing for these peak attendance times.

My personal favorite time to visit Disneyland is January through March and September through October. These months are lower in park attendance. One caveat is since it is low season then some of the big attractions are down for refurbishment. As a kid my family always visited during Oregon’s spring break which is near St. Patrick’s Day. I missed riding the Matterhorn for about 12 years because of its scheduled refurbishment perfectly aligned to my Spring break. If you dislike crowds then spring and fall have nice weather and park attendance is reasonable. Be prepared to possibly miss one of your favorite “E-Ticket” attractions and watch parade, fireworks, and Fantasmic schedules as they may have limited showings.

Many people feel that their favorite time to visit Disneyland is Christmas through New Years, Easter and summer vacation. These are the busiest times at Disneyland and park attendance can be around 40,000 – 60,000 people or more. This means longer lines to wait in for attractions, food, shopping and importantly restrooms. When I go during these times, I try to enjoy all the other offerings of Disneyland like the parades, shows and atmosphere entertainment. I may also see those attractions I rarely take time for such as Innoventions and Tom Sawyer Island.

During the week, Saturday is the busiest day year round, followed by Sunday, Friday and Monday. If you are planning a whole week in the Orange County-Los Angeles area and are able to wait, Tuesday-Thursday is the least crowded days. Be sure to watch for park hours so you won’t be disappointed if the park closes earlier these days.

Other key occasions to visit Disneyland might include
Candlelight – Usually around the second weekend in December
Unofficial Gay Day – October 1
Bat Day – (All the Goth people come out) last Saturday-Sunday in August.
Disneyland’s Anniversary is July 17.
Holiday Overlay to Haunted Mansion – Usually early October to early January.
Holiday Overlay to It’s a Small World – Usually around Thanksgiving to January.

According to my friend Karlos who works at Disneyland in Creative Foods, he pointed out that Disneyland has created a few healthier options for guests. These are some of the ideas we talked about.

Water is readily available if you don’t want to carry it around.

It’s easy to drink your daily quota in the hot California sun. Water is the same price as soda about $2.75 a large bottle, but it is chilled. Or you can carry it around and fill up at water fountains near the restrooms throughout the park.

Fresh Fruit Carts can be found in certain locations.

Some of my favorite fresh fruit carts are near the Market House on Main Street, at the entry of Adventureland, on the walkway to Splash Mountain, and the Frontierland entry of Fantasyland. There you can purchase fresh grapes, watermelon, pineapple wedges or whatever else may be in season. They often have carrot and celery packages or grapes. Surprisingly the prices of these items are not too high. One of my favorite treats is the enormous pickle for about $2.50.

Cooked up Comics, aren’t just for kids.

Since portion control is a big part of eating better, I often review the children’s meals. They can substitute fries for carrots and some of the meals come with a fruit roll up. The little lunch box it comes in is an extra souvenir.

Share an entrée with a friend or spouse.

Let’s face it sometimes the Alfredo sauce at Tomorrowland Terrace is too good to pass up. If you split it with a friend then you may be able to do some damage control. In fact many of the entrees are large enough for two adults. Again if you ask, you may be able to substitute fries for veggies.

The Plaza Inn has an amazing large chef’s salad.

When I’m really hungry, the salad at the Plaza Inn is large and yummy and the rest of the party can enjoy some of the pasta, fried chicken or other meals served there.

The French Market offers a shrimp cocktail.

The shrimp cocktail paired with the fruit plate makes an excellent dinner. It’s usually more than I can eat, and very low in caloric value.

If I must have dessert…

there are rice crispy treats in many of the restaurants, and sometimes the Gibson Girl ice cream market has frozen yogurt. A girlfriend of my likes to order the waffle cone empty, this treat is relatively low in points too. Some of the ice cream vendors also have fruit bars which are cool and not too dangerous.

Lastly, if you remember to wear really comfortable shoes, then you can encourage your feet to do some walking and count the exercise against your food points. A friend of mine recommends SAS sandals which I must admit are the most comfortable sandal I’ve ever worn. My sister swears by her Teva sandals, but mine are a little too stiff for a whole day of walking. My waffle cone eating buddy suggests Paul Green shoes if you can afford them. They are a lot less touristy and you can walk in them all day. Although my American accent gave it away, I had the look right as I tested these great shoes at Disneyland Paris. Of course sneakers are the norm at Disneyland, but do not wear Keds. Trust me, your feet can’t take it; there’s just not enough support.

Sleeping Beauty Castle
Look on the front of the castle, facing Main Street, look over the doorway. There is crest with three lions on it. This is the Disney Family Crest. Once you recognize the crest, you may notice it at Walt Disney World’s Cinderella castle too.

Tribute on the Matterhorn
As you ride the Matterhorn, you may notice a pick axe and crate in one of the caves. These items are well lit and seen in a snowy area. The crate says, “Wells Expedition” and is a tribute to the late Frank Wells. Frank Wells joined the Walt Disney Company in 1984 with Michael Eisner as the President. Immediately before joining the company he climbed the tallest summit on each of the seven continents. His book Seven Summits about his adventures is a very interesting book. Frank died in a helicopter accident in 1994 and the tribute on the Matterhorn was places there soon after.

Small World Tribute
For those people who think that the “it’s a small world” attractions is the closest thing to world peace, then why not pay tribute to the lady who helped Walt Disney make the concept come to life. Mary Blair designed the attraction and helped build it for the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. Fellow Imagineer Rolly Crump created a special doll that looks like Mary and had it placed in the attraction. As you travel through the European room, look at the Eiffel Tower and notice the doll holding the balloons part way up the tower. The Mary Blair doll is dressed in a jumper with boots. The doll was put there before Mary’s passing she died in 1978.

Hidden Walt Disney
At the end of Main Street in the Baby Center there is a baby photo of Walt Disney. Walt is about 10 months old, but not a lot of people know that it’s there.

There are a few special privileges to those people who know Disneyland well. It isn’t advertised, but if you ever wanted to enhance a friend or family members trip or celebrate a birthday or occasion with a little extra flair, consider one of these special access rides. These rides are never guaranteed, and they are up to the decision of the engineers, but if you ask politely, smile big and are willing to perhaps wait a little you can be one of the special people who get a ride bonus.

On the Railroad
Did you know that if you board the #1 Engine (C K Holliday) or the #2 Engine (E P Ripley) at Main Street Railroad Station, you can ask to ride the tender? (That’s up front with the engineer and fireman.) It’s true; the tender can only seat one to two small adults. Ask the conductor (the person opening the gate) and the engineer, if no one else has called the seat, you may ride the tender. Be aware that this is a very warm place to sit and you must ride entirely around the park, but it is well worth it. The engineer and firemen love to talk about the trains and how it works.

On the Mark Twain
If taking a special access ride makes your day at Disneyland, try boarding the Mark Twain Riverboat and quickly climb the stairs as high as you are allowed to go. Before the boat takes off you may ask the engineer to ride in the booth. You may be asked sign the ships log and ring the bell along the way. It’s a great view and very few people know about it. There is only about enough room for 3 adults.

On the Monorail
The only other special access ride I’m aware of is in the front, or back of the Monorail. More people are aware of this ride, and about 4-5 adults can ride along with the engineer. The secret is to walk all the way to the front and be the first person in line. If people get out of the front then you have a better chance to ride. The Monorail is one of the fastest rides at Disneyland and you can ride it one-way or round trip from the front.

During the New York World’s Fair in 1964-1965 Walt Disney had learned the value of having a private dining place for his sponsors. Walt was persuaded to have a “lessee club” like many of the other exhibitors at the fair. When the New York World’s Fair closed, Walt agreed to bring back to Disneyland, along with “it’s a small world”, and “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” a place to “lessees club.”

As New Orleans Square was being built, an apartment was created for Walt. The apartment is was open to the public for a time as the Dream Suite. It’s now been remodeled as the exclusive Dream Suite. You can find it above the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean. The apartment easily connected to what would later become Club 33. Club 33 was created so that Walt could entertain dignitaries, celebrities, members and his personal guests in a quiet area. Here he would offer first class cuisine, nestled in magnificent décor.

Academy Award winning set designer Dorothea Redmond, known for her work on “Gone with the Wind,” “Rebecca,” and “Rear Window,” was asked to create some watercolor sketches for Club 33’s design. Emile Kuri accompanied Walt and Lilly Disney to New Orleans to furnish the club with antiques and other furniture. Emile Kuri is also known for decorating Walt’s apartment above the fire station and many films such as “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” where he won an Oscar and “Mary Poppins” where he was nominated for one.

Sadly Walt Disney died just a few months before Club 33 ever opened. Although no date specifically is credited with the opening of Club 33 it is known that meals were starting to be served as early as May 1967. Mostly utilized by members and their guests, Club 33 occasionally has a celebrity or dignitary visit. It is the only place inside of Disneyland where alcohol is served, but alcohol is not the focus of dining there.

How to find Club 33

To look for Club 33, just turn down Royal Street in New Orleans Square and look for a “33″ sign by a green door, next to the Blue Bayou restaurant. You might see guests coming or going from this secret place in Disneyland.

Hidden Mickey and Trivia

There are no Hidden Mickey’s officially in Club 33, but wonderful movie props and signature pieces by Disney artists instead.

Contrary to popular belief, the lift is not an antique. Walt and Lilly stayed at a hotel in France with a lift very much like it. When the hotelier refused Walt’s offer to purchase the lift, Walt sent a couple of his artists to France to study and draw the lift so that it could be reproduced in Los Angeles.

Movie Props

The legend is true about the phone booth. The functional oak phone booth at the top of the stairs with beveled glass is a movie prop from the 1960’s film, “The Happiest Millionaire.”

Another popular movie prop is a lovely table with a white top. It was used in the 1964 film, “Mary Poppins.” Recently there was a photograph of actor David Tomlinson standing next to the table in the film.

Other Secrets of Club 33

There is a large painting of Pirates of the Caribbean, created for Disneyland Paris hanging in the lounge. The artist made one of the pirates in the bottom border look like Disney Legend Marc Davis. Also hidden among the islands is “Gilligan’s Island.”

What is a Hidden Mickey?
Hidden Mickey refers to the symbol of Mickey Mouse. Typically, the symbol has three circles forming the shape of Mickey’s head. Hidden Mickeys are scattered throughout the park creating a scavenger hunt for Disney guests.

What is “Treasure and Trivia,” found in your book?
Treasure & Trivia can be movie props from films, famous people who may have worked at Disneyland, or just interesting information. An example is in the Star Tours attraction, the R2D2 unit and C3PO are the movie props from the original Star Wars film.

How can teachers or parents best utilize the “Lessons to Learn?”
Walt Disney always tried to entertain the public while having them learning something new. Here parents and teachers can help children appreciate their favorite Disney attractions by going home and reading more about the subject. For example when you ride Pirates of the Caribbean, you load at Lafitte’s Landing. Jean Lafitte was a true pirate in New Orleans who made so much money he paid off officials and became legitimate businessman and politician.

Why are the Windows on Main Street USA so important?
The entrance to Disneyland is built a lot like a movie theater, the second floor windows on Main Street U.S.A. are like movie credits. Walt chose specific people who made significant contributions to Disneyland and honored them with their name and fictitious businesses. Some of the businesses are jokes or personal hobbies, and Chapter Three lets you in on those inside jokes.

Where did you find all this information? OR How long have you been working on the book?
Over the last five years, I’ve read over 300 books and magazines collecting interesting information. In addition I’ve traveled across the country to interview many of the Imagineers who worked with Walt Disney to share in Disneyland Detective.

Where is the book available?
In your local book store, Compass Books at Downtown Disney, and favorite web sites like and Amazon. Or come hear a presentation at a local book event coming up:

–Kendra Trahan is the author of *Disneyland Detective

This enthusiastic investigation of Disneyland’s hidden treasures leads both first-time visitors and aficionados through the legendary theme park while pointing out tiny surprises around each turn. Helpfully organized as a reading tour, this guidebook features the whereabouts of many of Disneyland’s secrets, including the locations of several “Hidden Mickeys,” and original movie props that appear around the park. Also included are original illustrations, trivia, and an exploration of Disneyland’s history, which notes the subtle tributes Walt Disney placed throughout the grounds honoring the people who made the park possible. Also included are fascinating facts about Disneyland and American history that will interest teachers and tour guides as well as the 13.9 million guests who visit Disneyland every year.

Click on cover to purchase

Listen as author Kendra Trahan discusses the book.

About the Author
Kendra Trahan traveled across the country to interview many of the surviving Imagineers from Walt Disney’s era. She volunteers as a docent for the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society, which is sponsored by the Walt Disney Family Foundation. She lives in Rancho Santa Margarita, California.