Destination guide

Florida

Florida’s attraction history includes a development planned at the scale of an overnight holiday destination.

The story behind the day out

A park becomes the anchor of a resort

Walt Disney World opened on 1 October 1971. The opening established a resort in Central Florida rather than simply adding another urban amusement ground. The date marks the beginning of the destination’s public operation, while its later parks and facilities belong to subsequent stages. Florida’s park history is therefore partly a history of resort growth: a single familiar name can encompass places developed at very different times.