The drawbridge in front of the Castle is actually a working drawbridge, and has only been lowered twice in its entire life. Once on opening day, and once again in the 80’s when Fantasyland had a major refurbishment and reopened to the guests.
Just above the drawbridge as you enter Fantasyland, you will see a crest on the castle. That is the Disney Family crest.
It took only 364 days from the first shovel to hit the dirt until opening day to build Disneyland.
Main Street is set in 1901, and represents Marceline, Missouri, Walt’s boyhood town.
The organ that was in the Nautilus from the movie 20,000 Leagues under the Sea has come ashore, and now lives in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, in the ballroom scene.
In the early years of the Park, the Rivers of America was stocked with catfish and fishing was allowed off the docks of “Tom Sawyer Island”.
When the original Submarine Voyage opened, it had real mermaids swimming in the water with the submarines.
5 thoughts on “7 things you didn’t know about Disneyland”
Okay, mermaids aren’t real. I’m sure this is subjective, a human dressed as one, yes, but no real mermaids.
I don’t know… it IS Disneyland, after all. If anyone would have real mermaids, I’d leave it to Walt to employ them first.
I always wanted to have my pic made with the mermaids,364 days…. DAYUM
and I wanted the mermaids too
I saw the mermaids, they were young women wearing these mermaid like swim suits and they would sit on this big rock and when you waved at them, they would blow you a kiss. When I took the submarine ride, the guide would tell us to look out the window and we could see them swim. They were basically jumping off the rock swimming down a few feet so the people on the submarine could see them and they would go back to their perch.
The drawbridge in front of the Castle is actually a working drawbridge, and has only been lowered twice in its entire life. Once on opening day, and once again in the 80’s when Fantasyland had a major refurbishment and reopened to the guests. 
Okay, mermaids aren’t real. I’m sure this is subjective, a human dressed as one, yes, but no real mermaids.
I don’t know… it IS Disneyland, after all. If anyone would have real mermaids, I’d leave it to Walt to employ them first.
I always wanted to have my pic made with the mermaids,364 days…. DAYUM
and I wanted the mermaids too
I saw the mermaids, they were young women wearing these mermaid like swim suits and they would sit on this big rock and when you waved at them, they would blow you a kiss. When I took the submarine ride, the guide would tell us to look out the window and we could see them swim. They were basically jumping off the rock swimming down a few feet so the people on the submarine could see them and they would go back to their perch.