A very sweet girl recently went through her old Disney stuff with her mother, and came across a guide book from 1976 that she was gracious enough to give to me for some research. It is literally quite a find, so I thought I would share it with you guys as well!

As mentioned, this guide book comes from the summer of 1976, when patriotism was in full swing at Walt Disney World resorts. According to the book, the “Spirit of ‘76″ parade, filled with a 20 foot ice cream con, a musical river boat, and more, made their way along Main Street every day. To further celebrate the nation’s 200th birthday, the Hall of Presidents was complimentary to all guests that summer.

It’s incredibly interesting to look at a guide book from the early days of Walt Disney World, as it gives you a snapshot of where exactly the park was at that time. Back then, they still used the A-E ticket system, and it’s interesting to see how they rank each attraction. Ticket prices were (obviously) must lower in those days…a 2 Day, 17 ticket book cost an adult $15!

The guidebook also includes a “Photo Tips” section from GAF, the “official film of Walt Disney World,” as mentioned in the ad on the back cover. It’s filled with simple little tips to help make your family photos of your summer of ‘76 trip to Disney World better.

Two incredible maps are also found within the book…one of The Magic Kingdom itself, and the other of Walt Disney World Resort in general. The map of the Magic Kingdom is interesting, because it shows how much the park has grown from 1976 up to today. It also gives a vague outline of where the “show” buildings for each ride actually are, giving away some of that Disney “magic.”

The Walt Disney World Resort map gives a good look at what it looked like in 1976. At the time, Magic Kingdom was the only park that was open, and they only had 4 major resorts for guests to stay at: Contemporary, Polynesian, Golf, and Fort Wilderness.

I scanned the entire guide book into a PDF file for your enjoyment. You can download it by clicking here. Hope you enjoy it!