When Disneyland first opened to the public in July 1955, five total lands were unveiled to the public: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. The new theme park spanned across 160 acres in Anaheim, California, replacing fields of orange groves that once lived where the happiest place on Earth currently resides. The Disneyland Railroad chugged around the lands, the Jungle Cruise had audio-animatronic animals welcoming guests in, the Mad Tea Party flung families around in a silly-spinning adventure, and of course, Disneyland would not be complete without a ride dedicated to its first princess, Snow White.

Despite the amount of offerings that Disneyland originally had and continued to build upon, Imagineers followed Walt’s original vision from the beginning; Disneyland would never be completed. It has continually evolved and grown over the years, with the most recent addition of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019. Feedback was constantly taken from the public in the early years about what could be improved. They added Date Nite at Disneyland in 1957 to introduce nighttime entertainment to the park, they added thrill rides in the 1970s and 1980s to appeal to a teenage audience. One of the first ever major changes and additions they made occurred in July 1966, with Disneyland’s first new land since it’s opening: New Orleans Square.

New Orleans Square. Image from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlm0yAomYx0

the inspiration behind new orleans square

It’s no surprise that Walt was a huge American history fan, especially with his dedication toward attractions like the Carousel of Progress and Greatest Moments with Mr. Lincoln. He also loved to draw inspiration from real life locations and centralize them right in Disneyland, as he did with Main Street USA from his childhood town of Marceline, Missouri. When thinking of an extension for Disneyland and having the small bit of real estate to do so next to Adventureland, installing a New Orleans-inspired Square worked perfectly with the waterfront of the Rivers of America. Guests could enjoy shops, restaurants, and the views of the Mark Twain Riverboat. It would be more focused on the walking and relaxing experience as opposed to high-speed thrill rides.

The architecture style of New Orleans Square was inspired by the New Orleans French Quarter in the 1850s, with iron detailing on railings, windows, long balconies, rounded edges, courtyards, and rows of multiple story buildings along the riverfront. Herb Ryman, who originally helped Walt draw the first designs of Disneyland, also helped him out with the concept art for this new land.

Concept art for New Orleans Square. Image from: https://comics.ha.com/itm/animation-art/serigraph/-new-orleans-square-disneyland-limited-edition-fine-art-print-94-300-walt-disney-1987-/a/7207-96357.s

Along with the architecture, the atmosphere needed to feel right too, with flowers hanging from balconies, mardi gras beads hung around the area, live jazz bands playingtheir music through the “streets”, and jamabalaya being served at the French Market counter service restaurant. Some of the other little shops guests could enjoy included Lafitte’s Silver Shop, a bookstand, a candy cart, a one-of-a-kind shop, and more French-themed shops. The goal was to have many quaint shops that housed special treasures, ones you could only find there in New Orleans Square. The French Market restaurant has been a part of New Orleans Square since the beginning, serving Creole cuisine and home to Dixieland jazz musicians.

The French Market Restaurant. Image from: https://blog.disneygeek.com/2023/02/26/jeanine-bids-adieu-to-french-market-disneyland/

opening day of new orleans square

Construction began for the new expansion in the beginning of the 1960s, with a grand opening date of July 24, 1966. A $15 million expansion, Walt noted that it costed more than the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The grand opening was an exciting day for the park, and just as everything else Disney did, they wanted guests to be immersed in the full New Orleans experience. Special guests and press arrived in style as they cruised the Rivers of America in the Mark Twain Riverboat, catching a glimpse of the beautiful buildings of the square. Live jazz bands played above from the balconies as patrons moved about the winding streets. A marching jazz band later made their way through the crowds of cheering guests. Walt Disney gave the opening speech and invited the Mayor of New Orleans, Victor Schiro to speak as well. During his speech, Victor made Walt an honourary citizen of the city of New Orleans by presenting him with a medal. Then, Walt presented Victor with a key to Disneyland’s New Orleans.

“You know I think we ought to share this mayorship. You are the mayor of Disneyland New Orleans, I’m the mayor of old New Orleans, and so we ought to swap. You want to go to the city of New Orleans and take over for a while, leave me here and let me run this.”

— Victor Shiro

Walt Disney and Victor Schiro at the grand opening of New Orleans Square. Image from: https://d23.com/a-to-z/new-orleans-square/

The grand opening of New Orleans Square would be the very last time the public saw Walt Disney at his park, as he passed away just 5 months later.

new orleans square attractions

When New Orleans Square opened in 1966, it only had one listed attraction, the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. Technically, this attraction wasn’t even built specifically for the new land, it simply existed before in Frontierland as the Frontierland station, and still was listed under Frontierland as well. As mentioned before, the focus on the land was to provide the dining and shopping experience more heavily than the rides.

Pirates of the caribbean

When the idea of a pirate themed ride came into play in the early 1960s, Imagineer Marc Davis got to work on designing a walk-through pirate attraction, that would feature a large pirate ships, lots of skulls and skeletons, treasure, and more. Walt and executives thought that this attraction could be grander, so they converted it into a boat ride instead. Marc Davis designed 64 pirates and added humourous elements to the experience, Blaine Gibson worked on bringing these designs to life, along with Roger Broggie, Fred Joerger, and Wathel Rogers who worked on the programming of the animatronics. X. Antencio contributed his voice to the attraction, as he is the infamous voice behind the rides slogan, “dead men tell no tales”. Pirates of the Caribbean officially opened in New Orleans Square on March 18th, 1967.

the haunted mansion

The second and only other attraction still open in New Orleans Square is the Haunted Mansion. In 1951, Harper Goff created a sketch of what he felt the Haunted Mansion should look like, and where in the park it should be located. He placed it on Main Street, to hover over all of the other otherwise joyous looking buildings on the street. Ken Anderson continued developing that idea in 1957, and created a full map and models of the house. He moved it over slightly from its original spot, into what would later become New Orleans Square. They modeled the exterior of the house after New Orleans homes in the 1800s. They did want the iron gates that we see today, and for the house to be a large, towering, grand mansion. However, they wanted the details to speak for themselves, as having items falling off the house, overgrown trees and bones along the pathway would make it more “haunted” looking. The Haunted Mansion officially opened in New Orleans Square on August 9, 1969.

the disneyland dream suite

Despite this not being an “attraction” that was always open to the public, it was a significant part of New Orleans Square. During the concept-developing and construction of the land, Walt decided he wanted a second apartment within the park to house himself and his family anytime they visited. It would be a larger suite than the one he had above the firehouse on Main Street USA. Construction workers focused on the buidling of this apartment, assisted by Gone with the Wind designer Dorothea Redmond. This apartment would be called The Royal Suite. As it approached finishing touches, Walt tragically passed away, and the project was put on hold.

In October 2007, it was decided that the suite be renamed the Disneyland Dream Suite, and become a place guests could reserve to stay the night and be surrounded by some of Walt’s biggest inspirations. They wanted to make use of Dorothea’s designs and make this an exclusive opportunity. It was and is still used largely as a prize for various giveaways.

Disneyland Dream Suite. Image from: https://www.eater.com/2018/9/17/17846692/disneyland-resort-21-royal-cost-exclusive-dining-experience

Club 33

Another exclusive area that would be “hidden” from guests within New Orleans Square was the elusive Club 33. The idea of the club was born from walt’s time during the 1964 World’s Fair, where he was wined and dined with several corporate sponsors and VIP guests in exclusive lounges. He wanted to have a place to offer the same opportunity for other special guests, corporate sponsors and people of high ranking to come and enjoy in Disneyland. Dorothea Redmond helped them again with the designs of the lounge, and decorator Emil Kuri who added authentic New Orleans antiques.

Club 33 is comprised of various areas for guests to enjoy outside of just the Main Dining Room. They are greeted by the Gallery, in which original artworks, sketches, and props from old Disney movies and attractions are on display. The Main Dining Room is decorated to represent the early 19th century, with chandeliers, antiques, and florals. In the Trophy Room, diners could enjoy a talking vulture in the center of the room to mimic The Enchanted Tiki Room, and bring that signature Disney magic to the experience. Club 33 officially opened on June 15, 1967. It is still open and operational today for special dining experiences.

Club 33. Image from: https://www.orangesmile.com/extreme/en/forbidden-areas/club-33-in-disneyland.htm

new orleans square today (2023)

Much of New Orleans Square has remained the same since it’s opening 57 years ago, with its two signature attractions, original architecture, and even some of its original restaurants like Café Orleans (originally named Creole Café), the Blue Bayou Restaurant, and Club 33.

With the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, replacing Splash Mountain in Critter Country, it made sense for Imagineers to pour some of the Princess and the Frog themed aspects into New Orleans Square, as that’s where the movie is based. The French Market Restaurant, which has been present in the land since the beginning, will get a makeover to become Tiana’s Palace.