“Hey check this out…they need some people to help them with the site” my wife informed me. I bent down slightly to look over her shoulder and let out an “Ooooo” in the Homer Simpson kind of way. You see, I have a unique perspective on things that happen at Disney, especially Walt Disney World and Central Florida. This was an opportunity that I was not expecting, but became very excited about the more I thought of it.

I was born and raised in a small city due west of Orlando, Florida called Winter Garden. Winter Garden is one of many “Winters” in the area, like Winter Springs, Winter Park, or Winter Haven. It has fairly rural roots, and has a very historical downtown that was literally built around a single train track that was the mainstay of the city’s citrus industry. Like many other towns, cities, and communities, Winter Garden had been built and sustained by the citrus industry. Be it oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, or any combination of them, they were grown all around there. Of course, that was before Walt Disney flew over the area and decided that his “Project Winter” for an “East Coast Disneyland” would be built here among the swamplands and citrus groves. So why is Winter Garden so important in this story? It happens to be about 20 minutes north of Walt Disney World, and is one of the communities where many Walt Disney World Cast Members live.

The Orange County Historical Society’s display regarding Walt Disney World in their Downtown Orlando building is called “The Day We Changed”, and for good reason. What has been called “the largest construction project in the world” at the time (no pun intended) would alter the landscape of Central Florida for generations to come. I’m living proof of that: my father is an area native who worked many years in the citrus industry, like his father before him. Myself? I’m currently a graduate student getting my Masters in Tourism.

Now, I will admit that not everyone I know from the area has the same type of story. In fact, I think I may be an exception rather than the rule. However, the effect upon the area has been significantly altered for good and bad, but I would argue more good in the long run. For one, our population has exploded beyond what our infrastructure can currently hold (next time you find yourself in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Orlando you can think of me!), as well as seriously expanding the suburban landscape while burying the old citrus grove at the same time. In sort of an ironic testament to the change, an old area landmark tourist attraction called the Citrus Tower (off of Highway 27 in Lake County) no longer has a breathtaking view of citrus groves: it now has a stunning view of sub-divisions that almost completely encircle it.

It is my past that has come full circle to the present. I loved Walt Disney World and Disney in general as a kid, and then sort of grew out of it since that wasn’t “the cool thing to like or do” growing up in the area. The sad truth is that although we were fortunate enough to grow up in Central Florida, many of us got burnt out and disillusioned with the tourist attractions in the area. Keep in mind that many, many of our parents, siblings, cousins, friends, or us for that matter, worked at Walt Disney World so the place had become a monotonous part of our lives. I was in this state as well, until my last two years of college at the University of Central Florida where I met my wife.

We had agreed to try Disney’s new ticket option: the “Play Four Days Pass.” Since we were looking for places to go on more dates at the time, my then-girlfriend agreed with me that this would be cool: we pay $100 each, and we get four park-hoppers to use before the end of the year since we were Florida residents. We did, and loved every minute of it. I was hooked again, and took my girlfriend along with me.

Of course, you don’t make the money that Disney does by not being crafty. One time we were using the passes, we were (cleverly) told that we could apply the $100 already paid for the Play Four Days Pass toward a Seasonal or Annual Pass. For us Florida residents, that means nearly half off the Seasonal price and a third off the Annual price. We took the bait, and bought Seasonal Passes. Of course, by the time the Seasonal passes were up, we had spent so much money on parking that we could have saved hundreds by going with the Annual Passes in the first place (in which parking is covered)! Kidding aside, we probably visited Walt Disney World at least 75 times in that one year…which if you do the math is at least every weekend plus many more visits (most were two day trips…visit Saturday and Sunday). Keeping this in perspective, we did live about an hour away, so we had no other expenses except for food and gas. And yes, we got Annuals the next year.

This interest in Walt Disney World and Central Florida eventually prompted me to pursue a career in tourism, which explains the Masters program and why I decided to write this column. I hope to spark your interest in Central Florida tourism every week, by writing about my past and putting a local’s perspective on events in the area, all the while using my Tourism education to try and see events from the industry’s standpoint.

I would like thank Gavin for giving me a chance to write this column, and my wife for everything she does on a daily basis.