53. A Trip to Walt Disney's Marceline

In Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, a Disneyland model of Sleeping Beauty Castle by Dale Varner.

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Many Disney fans idolize Walt Disney, and it’s easy to see why we place him on a pedestal. But how many of us know much about his life beyond the common narratives? Marceline, Missouri is known for being the Walt Disney’s hometown during his young life. I had read stories about his time living in Marceline in the early 20^th century. Despite living in St. Louis for most of my life, I’d still never made the trip across Missouri to Marceline. It was time to change that fact.

This episode of The Tomorrow Society Podcast is all about my family’s visit to Marceline in August. We drove a little over three hours each way and made the day trip to experience Walt’s childhood hometown. Our primary destination was the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, which opened in 2001. Housed within a stunning red-brick building that was formerly a train depot, this museum does so much more than just explore Walt’s time in Marceline as a child. Its collection offers artifacts from Disneyland, the Disney family, and other aspects of the Disney Company history.

During this podcast, I also dive into other notable spots from Walt’s history in Marceline including the Walt Disney Elementary school and the Uptown Theatre. We also strolled through the E.P. Ripley Park and searched for the lost Midget Autopia track at the Walt Disney Municipal Park. I even had a celebrity sighting of former Disney animator Floyd Norman in front of the Museum. There’s so much to cover with Marceline, and I summed up the highlights during this podcast to help you plan a day trip to this wonderful town.