BACKSTORY (July 24, 1966 —Present): New Orleans Square features some of the nicest restaurants, including The Blue Bayou, which overlooks part of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. It features cajun-style food in a fine dining atmosphere. It is famous for its Monte Cristo sandwich. Many have noted its similarity to the Chicken Plantation Restaurant, which was torn down to make way for the construction New Orleans Square.
THE STORY OF THE BLUE BAYOU TERRACE (from the back of a vintage menu)
Walt Disney cherished the traditions that made our nation great. In Disneyland, he gave those traditions life again, so that those who come here may relive the story of our country's past, in the days when America was the land of the pioneers.
Little more than a century ago, New Orleans was such a place. They called her the Crescent city, after the crescent bend in the river, and her name spoke for many worlds. She was French, and Spanish, and frontier American. She was Queen of the Delta when cotton was king, and the steamboat ruled the Mississippi.
Here in New Orleans Square, Walt Disney recreated many of the worlds that once were old New Orleans. One of these worlds surrounds you now-the mysterious water wonderland of the bayous. Here where Spanish moss drapes the live oak trees, where shrimp boats hide amongst the cypress, where a waterfront shanty stands in the shadow of a graceful antebellum mansion-here are the strange sounds and marvelous sights of the Louisiana bayous.
The Blue Bayou Terrace is a world that knows no day. Moonlight shines here all day long; nighttime is eternal. Towering overhead at one side of the Terrace is a rare, unnatural tree, "species Disneydendron," named long ago for its creator. In truth it is based upon a legend nearly as old as the Crescent City; under the ancient "dueling oaks," Creoles of old New Orleans are said to have met to settle "affairs of honor."
The experience of the Blue Bayou Terrace is an adventure in moonlight dining. The peace of the old bayou surrounds you with its water lapping against the shore and the rhythmic chirping of crickets. An old bullfrog can be heard; and somewhere in the distance a banjo plays as the fireflies flicker about.
And if perchance the sounds that float across the bayou are neither music nor water creatures, remember this: the boats that sail here chart a course for high adventure...and nearby lurks the wildest crew that ever sacked the Spanish Main! True gentlemen of fortune one and all, the infamous PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN await the pleasure of your particular company.
"Weigh anchor now, ye swabbies! We sails with the tide! And only them that dares to sail among us will ever know the terror that lurks in the Black O' Night an' the angry seas below!"
With Over 25 Restaurants, Disneyland Offers a Menu for Every Taste!
No company in entertainment annals has provided visitors with such a variety of fabulous things-to-do as Disneyland — even in dining the Park excels. In fact, some of the finest eating places in all of Orange County are found in the Magic Kingdom.
Located throughout Disneyland are more than 25 restaurants and refreshment centers, each designed in the “theme” motif of its location.
A stroll down Main Street, U.S.A., takes Disneyland guests to one of the Park’s newest and most elegant eating places, the Plaza Inn. Designed in lavish Victorian splendor, complete with rich red brocades, gleaming crystal and dramatic stained glass, the restaurant provides guests with an elegant buffet featuring succulent dishes priced to fit every budget.
The completion of a new $22-million Tomorrowland this Summer brings one of the world’s most unusual refreshment complexes to the world of Disneyland — Coca Cola’s Refreshment Gardens, offering sandwiches and soft drinks, and featuring a futuristic approach to climate control. Without exterior walls, the climate in “Refreshment Gardens” is comfortable no matter what the weather.
On the banks of New Orleans Square’s Blue Bayou, the starting point of Disneyland’s new Pirates of the Caribbean adventure, is perhaps the most unusual of all the Park’s — if not the world’s — restaurants, the Blue Bayou Terrace. Here, visitors enjoy gourmet prepared delicacies as they dine in the evening — all day long! Crickets chirp, fireflies float among the cypress and clouds drift past an ever-present summer moon.
One of the Park’s most popular restaurants for several years — the tropical Tahitian Terrace is located in Adventureland. Here, Oriental and Cantonese foods are served in the lavish setting of the South Sea Islands. Highlight of an evening meal at the Tahitian Terrace is an authentic Polynesian show by the Royal Tahitian dancers featuring the hula, the flaming sword dance and South Sea Island music and songs.
Of course, there are many other eating places throughout Disneyland — in fact several in each “land.” But, the best thing about this variety of places to dine is the variety of food. Everything from hamburgers and tacos to lobster and inch-thick teriyaki steaks — served buffet-style or by waitress, indoors or outdoors, and, of course, with children’s plates to satisfy families of all ages and size.
