Next week, a brand-new location built atop the demolished ruins of a once thriving and wildly popular theme park in Orlando will celebrate its grand opening. But many miss the former offering and have reminisced about their visits to the theme park since the announcement of its demise.
Walt Disney’s Amazing Accomplishments
Walt Disney was perhaps one of the last great visionaries of our time.
Walt had a knack for visualizing new, more creative ways of doing things in animation and film–and some of the tools with which to do them–that revolutionized the industry and were eventually adopted by competitors in Hollywood.
Walt Disney is credited with producing the first-ever animated cartoon to feature synchronized sound. In November 1928, Disney’s Steamboat Willie premiered at the Colony Theater in New York City, and the audience was stunned. Never before had they watched a cartoon that included music, sound effects, and the speaking voices of the characters–but Walt Disney delivered that and more.
Steamboat Willie was shown at the theater five times a day and was such a success that he re-released the animated short at the Roxy in New York–the largest theater in the world at the time–just two weeks after the animated feature’s debut.
Walt is also credited with initiating the use of the three-color process of animation for motion pictures, the products of which audiences saw firsthand with the release of the world’s first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in December 1937.
But it’s Walt’s accomplishments in the theme park industry that revolutionized weekend outings and family vacations and ultimately put the tiny town of Orlando, Florida, on the map.
Disney’s Vision Takes Hold & Others Follow Suit
Though Walt Disney died five years before the Walt Disney World Resort opened, he was responsible for the vision of a giant theme park located in Central Florida.
He scouted out the land, and some might have thought he was crazy to buy up swampland in the middle of nowhere with plans to develop the land and build his second Disney park on top of it.
But that’s exactly what happened. After Walt’s death, his trusted team–led by his older brother Roy–pushed forward with the construction of Walt Disney World, which opened to guests on October 1, 1971.
In its first ten years of operation, Walt Disney World was responsible for bringing more than 30,000 jobs to the Orlando area. (Today, that number is over 70,000.)
Orlando, Florida: From Tiny Town to Bustling Vacation Destination
Magic Kingdom was the only park at Disney World until 1982, when EPCOT opened to guests. Seven years later, in 1989, Disney World welcomed guests through the gates at Disney-MGM Studios, and in 1998, Disney World’s fourth park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, opened to guests.
It didn’t take long for other theme park operators to realize the value of building their parks in Central Florida.
Universal Studios Orlando Resort opened in 1990, and since then, numerous amusement parks and theme park locations have popped up in Orlando and the surrounding area.
But in 2001, a totally different kind of theme park welcomed guests through its gates.
A Brand-New Kind of Theme Park Opens in Orlando
The Holy Land Experience, a Christian-based theme park located in Orlando, Florida, was the idea of Marvin Rosenthal, a minister and founder of Zion’s Hope.
Rather than offering visitors an experience based on the ideas of magic, movies, minions, and mayhem, the Holy Land Experience in Orlando offered guests an experience with a message–one of hope.
For nearly 20 years, the Holy Land Experience theme park, located just off I-4 at Conroy Road in Orlando, welcomed guests to visit and experience several themed lands, each one inspired by events chronicled by the Bible.
Conceived in the mid-1990s, the park was created as a way to bring the Bible to life through various immersive experiences. Development of the park began with a mission to create a space where visitors could feel as if they had stepped into Biblical times.
Groundbreaking for the park took place in 1999, with the goal of replicating significant Biblical landmarks and scenes, offering both entertainment and spiritual enlightenment.
Related: Decades-Old Theme Park Demolished as Brand-New Project Takes Over
The Holy Land Experience officially opened its doors to the public on February 5, 2001 with a variety of attractions, which included a re-creation of the Garden Tomb, the Great Temple, and a Jerusalem Street Market.
Live performances and reenactments of Bible stories played a huge role in the experience of the theme park. The park aimed to provide an educational yet engaging journey through the history of Christianity, appealing to both religious and secular audiences. Over the years, the park expanded its offerings, adding new exhibits and performances, solidifying its unique position within the diverse array of Orlando’s theme parks.
The Holy Land Experience is Forced to Close Its Gates
Sadly, nearly 20 years after the park opened, it fell on hard times. Once a vibrant park with regular high attendance, the park ultimately saw a decline in that attendance and was forced to lay off many of its employees. One year later, in 2021, the location was sold to AdventHealth for $32 million.
In late April 2023, demolition crews arrived and began the work of dismantling the many structures that had stood on the grounds of the Holy Land Experience park since its opening in February 2001, including the massive coliseum called “The Church for All Nations,” which could be seen from the interstate.
On June 13, 2024, AdventHealth held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the property where the Holy Land Experience once stood, 4633 Vineland Road. The new location will be an emergency room with 24 bays, imaging facilities, and a medical facility that spans some 19,000 square feet.
A Brand-New Facility Slated to Open Next Week
The new facility is slated to open on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, and though it won’t create nearly as many jobs as Walt Disney World did in 1971–or as many as The Holy Land Experience created in 2001–it is expected to create approximately 60 jobs in the healthcare field.
