The Great Experiment

On my way to the Preview Center, I snapped a few more photos of the center of town. This is probably similar to Walt's original concept for the "Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow" (which, watered-down, eventually became the Epcot park): the main part of town is shaped more or less like a wedge, with businesses and offices (including a movie theater) at the point of the wedge, and homes and townhouses spreading out from there like a rainbow. Around the tip of this wedge is a small lake, with a jogging path along its perimeter.

At the bottom right is a "Goodings" grocery store

Palm trees and a fountain beside the lake

If an alligator eats you, you could face a stiff fine

The local school

A Presbyterian church being built, the first church in the area

Hey, they have FDC here!

The Preview Center was a fancy affair, done up with typical Disney polish.

The Preview Center's observation tower

The Preview Center's front door

Inside, I was led through a room outlining the architectural styles of Celebration, then another room outlining the history of Celebration, and finally I was led to a small theater in which I got to view the four-minute Celebration film, showing happy Celebration citizens talking about how wonderful Celebration is. It showed film from the 1996 'grand opening' Celebration celebration, the highlight of which was 'snow' (probably soap suds) drifting down onto the revelers in the streets. This was about as cheesy as the day got.

The movie room

A scale model of the community and the surrounding area

They really go all out for this

[ Index | Day 11, part 4 ]