History of Disney’s California Adventure and Grand Californian
Jeff Barnes, Ph.D., also known as “Dr. Disneyland,” joins the podcast to discuss Disneyland history circa the 1990s and early 2000s when Disney’s California Adventure and the Grand Californian Hotel opened up. Disney wanted to transform Disneyland from a single-day park to a multiple-day destination in Southern California. DCA and Grand Californian were essentially built in the parking lot for Disneyland. After Disney acquired the land for the current Mickey and Friends parking lot, the City of Anaheim paid to have the parking structure built to revitalize the 2-mile area surrounding Disneyland. The city wanted to transform the area into a tourist and convention district. The city used hotel taxes to fund the clean-up efforts. Disney was also considering building a second gate a few miles away in Long Beach. The city successfully kept the second park within its city limits and was able to meet its revenue goals.
