You may have heard that Walt Disney considered Marceline, Missouri to be his hometown and that Marceline was one of the inspirations for Disneyland’s Main Street. You may have even considered visiting Walt’s hometown, but wondered what there would be to see and do.
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Tips for Visiting Marceline, Missouri
I’ve been to Marceline twice now and there is much more than I expected. After my first visit, I left feeling like there was so much that I was missing, so I made sure that I was much more prepared the second time around. Here are some of the things that I learned along the way.
When Should You Plan a Trip to Marceline?
The Walt Disney Hometown Museum is open seasonally. The museum is typically closed from December through February, so keep an eye on their schedule— the museum is something that you don’t want to miss!
Be There When the Post Office is Open
You will want to be able to have a stamp canceled from the “Walt Disney Post Office,” so make sure you are there when the post office is open.
Plan Time to See the Disney Sites in Kansas City
There is a lot to see in Marceline, but it’s worth saving some time to see the sites in Kansas City as well. (We’ll share some tips about this beautiful city of fountains and BBQ in a future article.
How to Get to Marceline
Concerned about how to get there? Turns out, it’s simple! If you fly into Kansas City International Airport (MCI), once you get out of Kansas City, it’s just a couple of main roads to get to Marceline. My friend and I stayed in Liberty, just outside of Kansas City, so we were already right on I-35. We took I-35 North to Highway 36 West. On Highway 36 you’ll pass Chillicothe (home of the sliced bread!) and Brookfield, both of which are great places to stay (Macon is also a great town to stay in if you’re coming from the other direction). You’ll get off Highway 36 right at the Marceline exit (Rt 5) and you’ll pass the Disney family farm. You can’t miss it!
There is a ton of information on planning your visit to Marceline on the Downtown Marceline Foundation’s website, including information on dining, shopping, and lodging.
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What to See in Marceline
There is a lot to see and do in Marceline. The Downtown Marceline Foundation’s website hosts a wonderful map of the town, showing various points of interest. Many of the buildings around town now have QR codes on them, which link to audio that will let you know a little about what you’re seeing. This map really covers everything that I had on my list to see. The one thing that we saw that isn’t on the map – Yellow Creek – where Walt would go fishing as a little boy. It’s about 3 miles west of the Disney family farm.
The Walt Disney Hometown Museum is a must-do! Be sure to leave yourself a few hours to fully explore the museum, because there is a lot to see. Some of my favorite pieces are shown in the photos below, but there is so much more to experience. The museum is open seasonally (typically closed December through February), and they do occasionally have special events that you may want to consider attending, so be sure to check their website ahead of planning your visit.
While you’re downtown, be sure to stop by the Walt Disney Post Office, the only place you can get a stamp canceled with Walt’s name on it! See the Zurcher building, the alleged inspiration behind Coke Corner at Disneyland park. Stop by Ma Vic’s cafe and grab a Dusty Miller – a Marceline must-have dessert. And don’t forget to do some shopping! You’ll find one-of-a-kind merchandise at the museum’s gift shop and so many of the shops on Main Street (a.k.a. Kansas Ave) are so quaint, especially Magnolia Antiques, where sometimes you can find vintage Disney merch. You can definitely see how downtown Marceline helped to inspire Main Street, USA in the parks.
Also be sure to visit the Disney family farm where you can sign your name in a replica of the barn that would have stood on the property in Walt’s time there, and see the “son of dreaming tree,” which is a sapling from Walt’s favorite tree where he would spend countless hours as a child.
While you’re in Missouri, make sure to save time to check out the places in Kansas City! The building where Laugh-O-Gram studios used to be located, The Disney’s house, and Kansas City’s Union Station are some of the highlights. There is an organization called Thank You Walt Disney that is currently working to restore the Laugh-O-Gram studio and to give the building new purpose. Addresses of the places that my friend and I visited are below! Please keep in mind that the residences are still privately owned, so be sure to be respectful of the current owners.
Resources to Help Plan Your Marceline Trip
In addition to the Walt Disney Hometown Museum and Downtown Marceline websites, there were a couple of books that I found to be very useful in planning my trip and deciding what to see. First, Walt Disney’s Missouri: The Roots of a Creative Genius, which is sadly out of print (I was able to find a used copy). This book is packed full of great background information. I didn’t realize that Walt spent most of his childhood in Missouri, having been born in Chicago and moving to Marceline at age 4 and then leaving Kansas City for California when he was in his early 20s (there were a couple more years he spent in Chicago in between) and that many of the great animators from the early days of animation were Walt’s Laugh-O- Gram colleagues who would eventually follow Walt to California. When we were in Kansas City, we came across the book Walt’s Pilgrimage: A Journey in the Life of Walter Elias Disney, which provides the locations of many great sites to see all over North America.
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Let’s Hear From You
Armed with this article and resources above, you’ll have everything you need to plan a fantastic trip to Walt’s home state! Have you visited Marceline, Missouri? Did you attend the special Disney100 Marceline trip from D23 hosted this summer? Will you be seeing Walt’s boyhood city for yourself? Share your thoughts and experiences below!
Editor’s note: We extend a deep appreciation to Melissa Vanderwood for this extensive guide to visiting Marceline. We are very grateful for allowing us to share her article on MiceChat.
About Melissa Vanderwood
Melissa is a WDW college program alumni who developed an interest in Disney because of the attention to detail in the parks. She enjoys Disney history with a particular interest in 1960s era Disneyland. She is interested in learning about the groundbreaking innovation in all aspects of the company from parks to animation as well as learning about Walt Disney himself. She enjoys spending her time in the parks looking at the windows on Main Street, finding remnants from old attractions, and appreciating the little Easter eggs.