To most guests visiting Walt Disney World, it represents the premier place to vacation and be a "Kid" again. With its attractions, shows, restaurants and fireworks, it is the most visited spot in the world. But the "World" is so much more. It is a place of history, stories, secrets and trivia; but most of all it is a place of Details. These details are what makes Disney's four theme parks so special and different than other venues. To the true Disney lover, the details are what it's all about. But the majority of guests are here for a limited time and most are running around trying to see and do everything in that short time; these details are never seen or appreciated. It's the classic case of not seeing the forest through the trees!
But if you ever wondered how that attraction came about, or when was this built or how long this has been here, you can look no further than the guru of Disney history, trivia and yes details, than Lou Mongello, author of the "Walt Disney World Trivia Books" and owner of the "DisneyWorldTrivia.com" website. In addition to the website and books, Lou is also the host and owner of the Award-winning weekly podcast- The "WDW Radio Show" (http://www.wdwradio.com) where you can hear news, rumors, history, trivia, contests, even help with plans for your Disney Vacation. It's all free to download or listen right from your browser! Lou's books and Website are a trivia lover's dream come true. If you cannot find the answers here, you can E-mail Lou and he will get the answer for you. Lou's love for Disney started when he first visited the Magic Kingdom at 3 years old, just months after it first opened. Over the years, he has collected memorabilia, books, and merchandise and learned everything he could about this Park that Walt built and he decided to share this love and trivia with fellow fans. Lou's idea for the audio books came years ago when he was looking for something similar that you could take to the parks and also enjoy at home. Since there was nothing out there, Lou decided to supplement his books with these Audio Guides.
In addition to his Website and books, Lou is now working on a series of "Audio Guides" to Walt Disney World. These "Guides" written and narrated by Lou Himself will take the listener on a tour of the "World" starting with the Magic Kingdom's seven themed lands and then the rest of Disney's theme parks, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and EPCOT. When I first heard about the series of Audio Books, I could not wait to sample them. I am a huge Disney history and trivia fan myself and often refer to Lou's site.
After listening to the first guide, "Main St. USA" I can say that Lou has a winner on his hands. This is the perfect companion for any Disney lover, for it's like having a personal guide at your side. In an easy narrative style, Lou lets us in on the history and hidden secrets of Main St. USA. He begins with a brief history of how the Magic Kingdom was created, the land purchases Walt made to build his park and he tells of how the Magic Kingdom resorts, The Contemporary, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian reflect the themed lands in the park ( I never knew this!) Next, we are treated to the how and why of the architecture of the buildings, and the most fascination aspect of Main St, the explanation of all those names and businesses you see on the second floor windows. Lou also tells of the stores long gone, and what they sold. There is so much more on this first audio book in the series, but I do not want to revel anymore and spoil it for you.
The guide is well narrated; Lou even has the sounds of Main St. USA softly audible in the background, so if you close your eyes, you can almost smell the popcorn cart and hear the Walt Disney World Railroad; you feel as if you're on Main St, walking with Lou as your personal guide. The details and history pointed out will satisfy the Disney hardcore fan to the novice. There is a lot of research involved in making the guides and the end result shows the effort. Even the audio chosen for the background was recorded live at the Magic Kingdom by Lou and took many hours of editing to make it just right.
Where can you get your copy of this and future Audio Guides? Just log on to Lou's site, WWW.DISNEYWORLDTRIVIA.COM and click on the link to the store. You can order the CD for only $9.99 or you can order the instant download audio file for just $7.99. I highly recommend this first in the series of Walt Disney World Audio Guides; they are informative, fascinating and best of all, they can be enjoyed anytime you feel the need to "Visit" Walt Disney World without leaving your armchair.
