Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021

      The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2021. Read More
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    Norwegian Cruise Line Will Require Vaccinations for All Passengers and Crew

    Norwegian Cruise Line Will Require Vaccinations for All Passengers and Crew

    Norwegian Cruise Line hopes to resume sailing out of the U.S. on or around July 4.
    • Travel Deals
    • Attractions
    • BookTandL.com
    • Amusement Parks
    • Festivals and Events
    • Bus and Trains
    • Flight Deals
    • Budget Travel
    • Hotels and Resorts
    • Disney Vacations
    • Airlines and Airports
    • Ground Transportation
    • Travel Guides
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • See All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

LIVE
  1. Home
  2. Trip Ideas
  3. 30 Real-life Places You Can Visit That Inspired Disney Rides

30 Real-life Places You Can Visit That Inspired Disney Rides

By Carlye Wisel
January 31, 2017
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty Images
Disney parks can feel like a fairy tale, but there’s plenty about their inspiring castles, vibrant design, and over-the-top mountain structures that are truly real . Ageless chateaus, Asian villages, and Arizona landmarks have all impacted the design of Disney rides and roller coasters more than you may have realized. From Indian rivers to Brazilian waterfalls and every mountain, national park, and historic city in between, these 30 locales will have you planning your next Disney vacation not to the parks, but the furthest ends of the earth.
Start Slideshow

1 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cadillac Ranch

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: The Washington Post/Getty Images

The Amarillo, Texas public art installation, featuring a line of tipped-over cars, is idolized in the mountain range of Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure.

1 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Millennium Biltmore Hotel

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty Images

Downtown LA’s extravagant outpost—which has been declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument—served as a touchstone for the glitz and glamour of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Walt Disney World. Its gilded Rendezvous Court, complete with curved gold ceilings and plant-lined archways, is distinctly similar to that of the attraction’s cobweb-covered lobby.

2 of 30

3 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sedona, Arizona

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images

The colors of this scenic desert city are a direct correlation to those of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disneyland. When the ride was duplicated at Walt Disney World, its reddish hues were adjusted to match the Floridian sky.

3 of 30

Advertisement

4 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Mustang, Nepal

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Frank Bienewald/LightRocket/Getty Images

According to Imagineer Joe Rohde, this Nepalese district—and specifically, its Kagbeni village—directly inspired the look and feel of Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In fact, the wind-whipped prayer flags throughout this region led to them being hung across the section of the park.

4 of 30

5 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Havasupai Falls

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty Images

The big waterfall moment at the beginning of Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure is rumored to be loosely modeled after this Arizona landmark.

5 of 30

6 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Tivoli Gardens

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Getty Images

This 174-year-old Danish theme park was pivotal in giving Walt Disney ideas for how to further create his very own. Perhaps no similarity between the two is closer than the Rutschebanen, a wooden coaster that flies in and out of a mountain, much like Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds.

6 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Zambezi River

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty Images

The lush trees and greenery surrounding Africa’s 2,200-mile-long waterway were a source of encouragement for Morgan “Bill” Evans’ famed landscaping on Disneyland’s original Jungle Cruise.

7 of 30

8 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Baden-Württemberg

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty Images

The Black Forest region of southwestern Germany served as the inspiration for many Brothers Grimm fairy tales, and influenced the Bavarian village aesthetic of Fantasyland attractions like Snow White’s Scary Adventures and Pinocchio's Daring Journey at the Disneyland park.

8 of 30

9 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: GC Images/Getty Images

The facade for The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is modeled after this historic Los Angeles theatre, most popularly known by its former name Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

9 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Seattle, Washington

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images

The city’s elevated Seattle Center Monorail still uses original Alweg monorail trains, the kind that sparked the idea for Walt to bring such transportation to his parks—following an in-house system redesign—after witnessing them while on vacation to Germany.

10 of 30

11 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ranthambore National Park

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Getty Images

The well-anointed art and design surrounding the Maharajah Jungle Trek’s Asian tigers in Disney’s Animal Kingdom were influenced by hill forts and murals of Rajasthan and Ranthambore—the latter of which houses a reserve of tigers to this day.

11 of 30

12 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chakranadi River

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Courtesy of Google Maps

Kali River Rapids’ thrilling raft ride down the Imagineer-created Chakranadi River at the Animal Kingdom park is actually a thematic version of travels down this Indian body of water.

12 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Neuschwanstein Castle

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Getty Images

The nineteenth-century jewel of Bavaria appears in Soarin’ Around The World at parks in both Anaheim and Florida, but more importantly served as the main model for Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland.

13 of 30

14 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chateau Marmont

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: GC Images/Getty Images

The hallowed haunt for movie stars and power players, which opened on Los Angeles’ Sunset Boulevard in 1929, also served as a point of reference for the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel in The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

14 of 30

15 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pontiac, Illinois

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: AWL Images/Getty Images

Though all three Cars-themed attractions at Disney California Adventure are based on highway outposts that no longer exist, fans can dive into the movie’s motivations at this town’s Route 66 Museum, including items from traveling artist Bob Waldmire, the inspiration for movie’s VW bus, Fillmore.

15 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Matterhorn Mountain

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty Images

Located deep in the Alps between Switzerland and Italy is a dead ringer for the namesake sled coaster at Disneyland in California—or perhaps, vice-versa.

16 of 30

17 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bryce Canyon National Park

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty Images

Utah’s sprawling sienna-colored hoodoos served as inspiration for the boulders throughout Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s rollicking ride at Disneyland in California.

17 of 30

18 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty Images

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World differs from Disneyland’s original, as imagineer Tony Baxter chose to instead mimic rockwork from the sandstone buttes of this Southwestern expanse for the Florida iteration.

18 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Château d’Ussé

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images

The storybook home in France’s Loire Valley may have inspired the author of Sleeping Beauty, but its design and color scheme was one of a few structures in the area that ultimately helped formulate the royal castle of a different princess, Cinderella, at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

19 of 30

20 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sierra Nevada

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: lucentius/Getty Images

The Grizzly River Run whitewater raft ride at Disney California Adventure and its surrounding Grizzly Peak rock formations emulate those of the famed mountain range and national park in central California.

20 of 30

21 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bergen, Norway

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Ryhor Bruyeu/Getty Images

With its sunset-hued buildings, surrounding mountains and storybook Bryggen neighborhood, the region served as the perfect inspiration for the Frozen film’s location of Arendelle, which has been brought to life as Frozen Ever After Epcot’s Norway Pavilion.

21 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Castillo San Felipe del Morro

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: De Agostini/Getty Images

The 16th-century San Juan citadel serves as the real-life touchstone for Castillo del Morro, the entrance and exterior of Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World bearing a resemblance beyond its name.

22 of 30

23 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

The Cabildo

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Science Source/Getty Images

The spire atop the front of Pirates of the Caribbean’s exterior at Disneyland was modeled after that of this government building-turned-museum in New Orleans’ Jackson Square, which is also where the Louisiana Purchase was signed.

23 of 30

24 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bali

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: UIG/Getty Images

So much of the Indonesian island’s art, culture, and design have weaved its way into Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s here that locals partake in a tree carving ceremony that inspired the animal-covered trunk of the park’s Tree of Life, which houses the beloved “It’s Tough To Be A Bug!” show in its base.

24 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Mother Colony House

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Courtesy of Visit Anaheim

The historic Anaheim, California landmark—located just a mile outside of Disneyland Park—is home to an oversized fig tree that served as the model for Adventureland’s Swiss Family Treehouse, now known as Tarzan’s Treehouse.

25 of 30

26 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Angkor Wat

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Matteo Colombo/Getty Images

The Cambodian ruins inside the Jungle Cruise attraction are said to be inspired by this famed temple complex, as well as other structures from the Khmer empire.

26 of 30

27 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

The Himalayas

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty Images

The Serka Zong section of Animal Kingdom’s Asia, with its towering Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain attraction and museum-like queue, was designed as a Himalayan village melding Nepalese, Indian, and Thai influences.

27 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Iguazu Falls

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Kitti Boonnitrod/Getty Images

One of the most wowing moments in Soarin’ Around The World, which can be seen at both Epcot and Disney California Adventure, comes from feet dangling freely over the stunning cliffs of this Brazilian waterfall system, the largest in the world.

28 of 30

29 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Kennedy Space Center

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Courtesy of Kennedy Space Center

Fans of Epcot’s Mission:SPACE can reach new heights with the Cape Canaveral base’s Astronaut Training Experience, allowing guests to further participate in outer space simulations of real NASA astronauts by mimicking inversions, microgravity, and shuttle launches on site.

29 of 30

30 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Trondheim

Real Life Places That Inspired Disney
Credit: Publisher Mix/Getty Images

The Norwegian city is home to the Sverresborg Open Air Museum of Cultural History and its Detli House, a 19th-century cabin that is a dead ringer for Anna and Elsa’s Royal Sommerhus meet-and-greet at Walt Disney World’s Epcot.

30 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Carlye Wisel

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 30 Cadillac Ranch
    2 of 30 Millennium Biltmore Hotel
    3 of 30 Sedona, Arizona
    4 of 30 Mustang, Nepal
    5 of 30 Havasupai Falls
    6 of 30 Tivoli Gardens
    7 of 30 Zambezi River
    8 of 30 Baden-Württemberg
    9 of 30
    10 of 30 Seattle, Washington
    11 of 30 Ranthambore National Park
    12 of 30 Chakranadi River
    13 of 30 Neuschwanstein Castle
    14 of 30 Chateau Marmont
    15 of 30 Pontiac, Illinois
    16 of 30 Matterhorn Mountain
    17 of 30 Bryce Canyon National Park
    18 of 30 Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
    19 of 30 Château d’Ussé
    20 of 30 Sierra Nevada
    21 of 30 Bergen, Norway
    22 of 30 Castillo San Felipe del Morro
    23 of 30 The Cabildo
    24 of 30 Bali
    25 of 30 Mother Colony House
    26 of 30 Angkor Wat
    27 of 30 The Himalayas
    28 of 30 Iguazu Falls
    29 of 30 Kennedy Space Center
    30 of 30 Trondheim

    Share options

    Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
    Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Sitemap
    • Travel Guide Sitemap

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    Travel + Leisure Group
    Other Meredith Sites

    Other Meredith Sites

    • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
    • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
    • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
    • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
    • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
    • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
    • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
    • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
    • Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
    • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
    • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
    • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
    • More this link opens in a new tab
    • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
    • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
    • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
    • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
    • Parents this link opens in a new tab
    • People this link opens in a new tab
    • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
    • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
    • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
    • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
    • Shape this link opens in a new tab
    • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
    • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
    • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
    MeredithTravel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

    View image

    30 Real-life Places You Can Visit That Inspired Disney Rides
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.