The history of Walt Disney World has, in some ways, been the history of Central Florida, and even Florida itself. Impacting almost every part of the local economy, Disney has left an indelible mark on its landscape, both literally and figuratively.

In the early 1960s, a mysterious company started buying up land in Central Florida. Rumours abounded as to the what's, where's, when's and -- most importantly -- the who's for about a year, until Oct. 1965 when the Orlando Sentinel-Star published a huge expose entitled "Is Our Mystery Industry Disney?" One week later, then-governor, Hayden Burns was forced to announce, a bit prematurely, that Walt Disney Productions had purchased more than 27,000 acres of Central Florida land. Plans for the land would be announced formally in Nov. 1965.

On Nov. 15, 1965, Walt Disney came to Orlando announce the project, but was very vague on specifics. Over the next six years, rumours and speculation spread like wildfire as bits and pieces of the Walt Disney World plan sprinkled out. The final plan was unveiled in its entirety in 1969.

Walt's original vision of Walt Disney World was an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (nicknamed EPCOT), a kind of future world where new ideas and concepts for both the personal and public technology could be explored. The cost of building such a community being daunting even for wealth of Disney's stature, Disney settled on building a theme park akin to Disneyland to finance his dream, with the community to come later.

Oct. 1, 1971, Opening Day, got off to a shaky start. Tomorrowland was completely closed off, with only some of the rides in the other lands actually running. Attendance was recorded at 10,000 (well-below projected estimates), and Wall Street went into a panic. But it only took a few days to regain the market's (and the nation's) confidence. Visitors started pouring into the park by the hundreds of thousands that first year, and the numbers have grown ever since.

Attractions: The Magic Kingdom has changed very much in the 25 years since its opening. Patterned after the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the Walt Disney World premiere attraction is broken into seven basic areas. Guests enter Main Street, a early-20th century shopping plaza, with City Hall. At the end of main street is the magical view of Cinderella Castle. For Disney's 25th anniversary Disney dressed the Castle up in a candy-covered helium balloon covering.

The park is laid out like a wheel with spokes. Starting east from Cinderella Castle and moving clockwise, visitors encounter Tomorrowland (showcasing future technologies), Fantasyland (featuring Disney's most beloved animated charters), Frontierland and Liberty Square (celebrating colonial life) and Adventureland (jungle adventure from Africa, Asia and South America). In 1995, the Magic Kingdom opened a new-and-improved Tomorrowland and the next year opened Mickey's Toontown Fair, a private look at the master mouse's domicile.

Getting there: WDW visitors access the main entrance to the Magic Kingdom by taking Interstate 4 to exit 25B (State Road 192.) Less than a mile north on 192, is the main entrance to not only the Magic Kingdom, but a gateway to Disney MGM Studios, Epcot, water parks and other Disney Resorts. Huge, brightly-coloured signs point the way to the Kingdom's parking entrance.

While most of the jazziest and newest rides and attractions lie at other parks, visiting Central Florida without seeing the Magic Kingdom is almost sacrilegious.

Visit the Official Magic Kingdom Website at Disney