Walt Disney's Hometown: Marceline, MO

Did I scream out loud when we saw this newly finished mural? You already know I did.

You know you’ve made it when your hometown names the swimming pool AND the new elementary school after you. During his lifetime, Walter Elias Disney had both of these honors bestowed upon him by Marceline, Mo., the town where he spent his early childhood years. Though his family lived there just a few years, Walt once said that more things of importance happened to him in Marceline than anywhere else. Marceline left its mark, and Walt certainly left his. Still today, his impact on this small Missouri town is evident everywhere you look. We’ve wanted to visit Marceline for years to see the main street that inspired the Main Street, USA, so we were glad to finally make this dream a reality.

We started our visit exploring E.P. Ripley Park, where Walt played as a boy and developed his fascination with trains. You might recognize the name E.P. Ripley as Walt named the first steam engine at Disneyland after his favorite childhood park. The park now features a caboose and steam engine, which the town painted with “Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad” ahead of Walt and Roy’s visit in 1956.

Our favorite part of entering any Disney park is getting to walk right down the middle of Main Street, USA (anyone else having flashbacks to their sing-a-long VHS?) and Marceline’s Main Street famously inspired the avenue we all know and love so much. You can still imagine what this street might have been like when the Disneys moved to town in 1906. Although time has changed this small town, there is charm at every corner, and there are several nods to the Disney family along the way.

The Disney script on the windows outside of Ma Vic’s Corner Cafe lured us inside, and it was immediately clear to the Ma Vic’s regulars what brought us to Marceline. Hi, we came in matching dresses and made a stranger take multiple photos of us in the street. Can you tell we’re Disney people?! The menu offers classic diner fare and a famed ice cream dessert called the Dusty Miller. We split the nachos and cheeseburger (no bun for Meggie – GF bread isn’t a thing in Marceline), and it was every bit diner delicious. Pro tip: if you visit the Walt Disney Hometown Museum and show your ticket, you get a free mini Dusty Miller!

We also met a group of honors students from Western Michigan University taking a class called “Walt’s Pilgrimage,” where they trace the course of Walt’s life, starting in Chicago where he was born, onto Marceline and Kansas City and then onto California, where they get to visit Disneyland. This is a class. For college credit. BRB registering at Western Michigan.

After lunch, we made our way to the main attraction: the Walt Disney Hometown Museum. We cannot stress enough how kind everyone working at the Walt Disney Hometown Museum is. All of the employees and volunteers loved our Dapper Dan-inspired dresses and were so gracious that we made a visit to their town. The museum is filled with family heirlooms, letters and tidbits of information. We really enjoyed getting to learn seldom-heard stories about Walt’s life and learning more about his boyhood in Marceline and his visits as an adult.

A true treat was getting to meet Inez and her daughter Kaye, who hosted the Disneys in their home when they visited Marceline in 1956. Kaye, a young girl at the time, suggested that Walt and Lillian stay in her bedroom, and Walt gladly obliged. Both had such lovely stories of meeting the Disneys over the years and a clear passion for preserving Walt’s connection to their Missouri town.

Finally, we made our way to the Disney Family Barn and the famed Wishing Tree, where Walt spent time dreaming as a young boy. The original tree is no longer there, but they have planted one of its saplings in its place. The scenery on the farm is truly idyllic. Inside the barn, guests are welcomed to leave their names written on the wooden frame – you know The Pixie Dust Pals had to leave our mark.

Overall, visiting Marceline was a special experience that every Disney fan should add to their bucket list. Glad we got it check off of ours!

The Walt Disney Hometown Museum also hosts their third annual Dreaming Tree Gala at Epcot this fall – if you’re around you should check it out!