10 Forgotten Disneyland Attractions You’ll Never Get to Ride

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney

Just as Walt Disney stated in this timeless quote, Disneyland has continued moving forward with the creation of new attractions that have more innovative technology and storylines from recent movies. Unfortunately, Disneyland does not have endless space available to continue building and expanding. To make room for those updated attractions, several have been closed or demolished entirely, never to be seen again.

Here are the most memorable Disneyland attractions that have been replaced and are no longer available in the parks.

PeopleMover

For Guests who wanted to experience Tomorrowland at a more relaxed pace, the PeopleMover was a beloved attraction. Opening at Disneyland in 1967, the slow-moving train of cars was the perfect option for riders who were not looking for an intense ride.

The PeopleMover ran continuously above Tomorrowland, occasionally traveling directly through the various attractions in the area. The narration provided throughout the ride offered additional information to guests about the rides they were moving past.

Unfortunately, although it was a beloved attraction, the PeopleMover closed in 1995, and the track sat vacant for two and a half years until it was repurposed into Rocket Rods. However, it does still exist at Walt Disney World, taking guests on a behind-the-scenes journey through shops and attractions.

Rocket to the Moon

Based in Tomorrowland, the attraction Rocket to the Moon opened in 1955, less than a week after Disneyland did. The original ride was housed beneath a giant, futuristic-looking spaceship and took guests on a trip away from Earth into outer space. Riders were in seats that surrounded several central viewing screens showcasing their journey through space.

In 1967, as the United States began to realize that travel to the moon could be a real possibility, the attraction was reimagined into Flight to the Moon. It was similar to the original ride with a few minor changes, including a new pre-show focused on Mission Control.

However, the premise of Flight to the Moon became outdated and obsolete once legitimate moon landings had occurred, and in 1975, it was refurbished one last time to become Mission to Mars. Again, the attraction was reminiscent of the first two versions, except that riders were now taking a simulated flight to Mars.

Mission to Mars and its two predecessors, Rocket to the Moon and Flight to the Moon, was permanently closed in 1992, never to be experienced again. The site of the attraction was rebuilt and is presently the home of the Pizza Planet restaurant.

The Skyway

When Disneyland first opened, the park was much larger than many visitors were used to, and guests did not enjoy having to walk a great distance to experience everything it had to offer. Because of this, the Skyway between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland was opened a year later in 1956.

The Skyway was an aerial lift ride with cable cars traveling continuously between the two lands. As it crossed from one end of the park to the other, it passed directly through the Matterhorn mountain, giving riders a unique perspective of the attraction.

After running for almost 40 years straight, the Skyway was closed permanently in 1994 due to safety concerns surrounding the metal fatigue it was experiencing. The Tomorrowland station was demolished soon after the attraction stopped operating, while the Fantasyland station remained in place until 2016 when it had to be removed for the construction of Galaxy’s Edge.

The holes that the Skyway had moved through in the Matterhorn were sealed shut. Guests can still catch a glimpse of some of the old cable cars, which currently sit as attraction props that the Abominable Snowman tore to pieces.

Rocket Rods

Rocket Rods was opened in 1998 on the same track that the PeopleMover ran on initially. In an effort to modernize the space, Disney created this high-speed car ride over the tops of the Tomorrowland attractions.

Before entering the ride vehicles, guests were ushered through a queue that showed a combination of earlier Disney films and more recent footage about transportation and its evolution throughout the decades.

The goal was to provide riders with a glimpse of what futuristic rapid transit could look like. While the idea of Rocket Rods was good in theory, it didn’t work as well in practice. The style of the ride was not suited for the track it ran on, and there were constant technical problems that would cause it to shut down frequently.

Due to budget constraints, Rocket Rods closed in 2000, just two years after it opened. The track and station still sit unused, and what was the ride’s queue is now part of the space that houses Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.

Rainbow Caverns Mine Train

Another attraction that could be experienced shortly after Disneyland opened was the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train. On this attraction, guests rode in train cars that ran on a 2 ft. 6 in. narrow gauge track through various desert-themed scenes.

The original iteration of the attraction was in operation from 1956 to 1959. Then, when the surrounding scenery was reimagined in 1960, the attraction reopened as Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland. It remained that way until 1973, when construction began to permanently change the ride into Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

For many years after, the massive waterfall that poured from Cascade Peak down into the Rivers of America remained near the former ride site. The waterfall continued to run until it needed to be shut off in 1998. The peak was found to have severe structural damage from the large amounts of water it had been continuously pouring for so many years, and it was permanently dismantled.

Adventure Thru Inner Space

Another Tomorrowland attraction that you’ll never get to experience again is Adventure Thru Inner Space. This dark ride opened in 1967 and gave guests an inside look (literally) into the makeup of a snowflake.

At the beginning of the attraction, riders were shrunk down to a minuscule size and given a tour around the “inner space” of the molecules and atoms that make up each snowflake. Then, as the snowflake began to melt, they were blown back up to their normal size as the ride came to an end.

While the attraction was entertaining to guests at the time, the immense popularity of the Star Wars franchise overtook the interest of realistic science. Adventure Thru Inner Space was ultimately replaced by George Lucas’ Star Tours attraction, which opened in 1986.

The Jolly Trolley in Mickey’s Toontown

When Mickey’s Toontown opened in 1993, the Jolly Trolley opened with it. Similar to the Skyway, the Jolly Trolley was built as a fun and relaxing way to travel from one end of the land to the other. However, as the park grew increasingly more crowded, operating the trolley began to present safety hazards as it attempted to navigate the overflowing walkway.

The Jolly Trolley eventually reached the point where it could only run on days where the crowds were sparse and there weren’t major concerns about an unsuspecting guest accidentally being injured by the moving vehicles. Only 10 years after it opened in 2003, Disneyland’s Jolly Trolley stopped operation permanently.

Be sure to read all about the newly reimagined land in our guide to Mickey's Toontown, including dining, merchandise, hidden details, and more!

Country Bear Jamboree

The Country Bear Jamboree is a classic attraction that is beloved by Disney fans all over the globe. While the attraction originated at Walt Disney World, it was recreated and began operating at Disneyland only a year later in 1972.

The attraction entertained guests with musical performances done by Audio-Animatronic bears and other critters. A variety of memorable American folk songs were included in the revue, and it was a nice, relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the theme park.

In 1986, Country Bear Jamboree was redone to Country Bear Vacation Hoedown, which sadly did not see the same initial success that its predecessor did. The whole attraction was shut down in 2001, and it was replaced with another attraction that starred a certain favorite bear: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The attraction remains in Walt Disney World. Click here for an analysis of the cost of a Disney World trip.

Mike Fink Keel Boats

One final Disneyland attraction you will never get to experience again are the Mike Fink Keel Boats. These free-floating boats began traveling around Tom Sawyer Island in 1956. They were 38-foot-long props that were used in the filming of the Davy Crockett TV show just a few months prior.

The two boats were named The Gullywhumper and the Bertha Mae, and these operated until 1994. The attraction closed at the end of that summer so the keel boats could be refurbished, and it didn’t reopen again until 1996.

In 1997, the Mike Fink Keel Boats closed permanently due to an incident that occurred with The Gullywhumper. While out on the water one day, the boat began rocking side to side and eventually capsized, dumping the full load of passengers into the Rivers of America. Although no one was majorly hurt, a few people sustained minor injuries, and Disneyland stopped operating the boats as a safety precaution.

The Bertha Mae was auctioned off after the attraction closed, but The Gullywhumper remained moored near Tom Sawyer Island as a prop for several years. It ultimately had to be removed in 2009 when it began to flood and sink due to water damage. Click here for a tour inside the exclusive Disneyland Club 33.

America Sings

“America Sings” opened in the old building that originally housed Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. Shortly after Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the Carousel of Progress was moved to Florida, and a few years later in 1974, America Sings was the next production to grace the theater.

Each “room” in the old Carousel of Progress theater held different animal audio animatronics singing patriotic and American folk songs from various eras. Unfortunately, it eventually became stale to guests, and it was closed in 1988.

While the attraction itself was never to be experienced again, many of the animatronics were placed throughout Splash Mountain so they could continue being enjoyed. It will be interesting to see if those animatronics remain the ride even after the Splash Mountain retheme that will change the attraction into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!

Because the attractions at Disneyland are constantly changing, there are many more not included in this list. Which Disneyland attraction do you miss most and wish you could experience again?

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This article was created by Disney Dose.