Why Disneyland Fans Should Visit the Walt Disney Family Museum This Fall

If you consider yourself a Disney aficionado, then a trip to the Walt Disney Family Museum should definitely be on your bucket list. You might not even be aware that such a museum even exists, but it’s been around since October 1, 2009. And it might surprise you that it is not located in Anaheim or Orlando.

Not to be confused with the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, which is located in Marceline, Missouri, this museum tells Walt’s story and the legacy that he left behind in the most creative way. Located within the Presidio of San Francisco, the museum has taken residence inside three buildings allowing 40,000 square feet to be filled with interactive galleries, drawings, photos, films, movie props, listening stations and more.

In celebration of Disneyland’s 70^th anniversary, the museum will host the new special exhibition Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story this November. The exhibit is inspired by the book, The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland. The book is written by award-winning film producer and Disney Legend, Don Hahn and historian Christopher Merritt. Hahn also curated the items to be placed on display.

The museum says that the new exhibit “will take guests behind the scenes of one of the most groundbreaking endeavors of the 20th century—the creation and opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California.”

“Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will showcase the ideas, designs, and artworks behind the fascinating evolution of Walt’s first theme park—explored through the lens of his relentless imagination,” says the museum.

The new exhibit will be a great companion piece to what is already in the facility. It will feature historic objects from Disneyland, early concept art, designs for both realized and unrealized attractions, costume development illustrations, hand-drawn maps, and rarely seen photographs that chronicle the production. The special exhibition’s interactive elements will also provide a more in-depth look at Disneyland’s original attractions and the creative risks that defined them.

Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story will be open on November 14, 2025, and run through, through April 19, 2026. Entry to the special exhibition is free with general admission, but a $5 donation is suggested to help present more inventive exhibitions.

In addition to this new exhibit, you’ll see:

A 12-foot diameter model of Disneyland
Walt’s 26 individual Academy Awards® including the unique Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Honorary Academy Award® (it features a full-size Oscar® and seven miniature statuettes)
Original drawings that Walt created in his youth, and memorabilia from his time served in the Red Cross during World War I
Cartoons and artwork from Laugh-O-gram Films, Walt’s first company
The earliest known drawing of Mickey Mouse, accompanied by an array of 1920’s and 1930’s Mickey Mouse merchandise
One of only three Multiplane Cameras in existence, used to bring proportion and depth to his revolutionary feature films
Interactive stations that allows visitors to synchronize film and music.
A two-story gallery that features the narrow-gauge Lilly Belle miniature train Walt built for his Carolwood Drive home in Los Angeles
Dozens of video screens showcasing Disney television programs from the 1950’s and beyond
An interactive Audio Animatronic™ parrot modelled after Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.