Carousel of Progress

Just got back from hot and sticky Florida where we were visiting a large rodent and his Magic Kingdom =)
One lesser promoted attraction was the Carousel of Progress located in Tomorrowland. It was first presented by Walt Disney at the 1964 World's Fair and depicts all the great advances made in the 20th century. The hook is that the audience spins around a circular stage rather than the set changing, thus acting like a carousel.
It's not as thrilling as the roller coaster rides, but as an old house lover it was fascinating to see all the changes in architecture, decor and styles of living. I've often thought our electric was a great illustration of the various wiring methods through the years. In the 1920's part, it was fun to see knob and tube wiring strung down the wall and cloth covered braided cords plugged into the ceiling lamps since wall outlets were not available. And they even blew a fuse! (Know how that feels?)
Of course the whole experience is sensory overload, but one other detail that caught my eye was the progression of British architectural styles in the United Kingdom shops at Epcot. In just four rooms they presented Tudor, Baroque, Elizabethan, and the Arts and Crafts styles. I have a feeling most people only see the trinkets on the shelves and miss the larger illustration.

Comments

  1. Glad you enjoyed yourself! I have to admit that at 16, I also missed all that fabulous stuff.

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