The first of the Disney theme parks to be built was Disneyland. It opened in 1955. Located in Anaheim, California, Disneyland now offers two parks and the Downtown Disney district. Disneyland Park was where it all started, and it's home to the original Sleeping Beauty Castle. Disney's California Adventure features some hair-raising rides.
Disney's second park opened in 1971. Located outside of Orlando, Florida, Walt Disney World is one of the top travel destinations in the world. It's now made up of four main parks: the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom. Walt Disney World Resort is also home to two water parks; they are Disney's Blizzard Beach and Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. There's also an area known as Downtown Disney with restaurants, shops and entertainment. The signature castle at Walt Disney World is the Cinderella Castle, and it's located in the Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney World is the largest Disney resort.
In 1983, Tokyo Disney Resort opened. It's located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. There are two parks there, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. It's the only Disney Resort that is licensed--yet not owned--by Disney. Tokyo Disney Resort features some Disney classic rides, like Dumbo the Flying Elephant, It's a Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Disney's second venture outside of the United States is Disneyland Paris. It opened in 1992. It's located in Marne-la-Vallée, a suburb of Paris. There are two parks in the resort: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. Disneyland Park features some classic Disney rides, while Disney Studios has a movie theme.
Hong Kong Disneyland is the latest resort. It opened in 2005 in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It's the smallest of the Disney resorts, only offering one park. It features four lands: Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Main Street, U.S.A.
