Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Disneyland put Orange County on the map in 1955. The park included Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. By 1974, a bunch of additional “lands” had popped up in the vicinity of Disneyland. That’s the focus of this updated Yesterland article.

, Curator of Yesterland, October 13, 2023

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Burgerland Hamburgers, 1120 S Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, California

Does a circa-1970 sign sitting on top of a decrepit circa-1960 sign entice you to stop in for tacos, pastrami, burgers, chicken, or shrimp?

It would have been fun if they added signs from the 1980s and 1990s above those as the decades progressed, but that didn’t happen. Instead, it closed. A fast food eatery named Burgerland appeared in a strip mall at 1770 S. Harbor Blvd., just north of Katella. Alas, that Burgerland also closed.

The site of the original Burgerland is now part of Disneyland’s Harbor Cast Member Parking Lot.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

C C Camperland RV Park, 12262 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, California

It’s not just Camperland. It’s “C C” Camperland. Comfy-cozy? Cubic centimeter? Carbon copy? Closed-captioned? Creative Commons?

Looking at Google Streetview, C C Camperland was still in business in January 2009. In its final years, it was listed by TripAdvisor as the number one campground in Garden Grove—but only because there were no others. It had been abandoned by February 2011.

The site is now part of a large, cleared vacant land parcel across Harbor Blvd. from another similar parcel—presumably both ready for more hotels serving the Disneyland Resort and the expanded Anaheim Convention Center—or serving a new theme park that Garden Grove has long hoped to see within its city limits.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Fox Cinemaland, 1414 S. Harbor Boulevard, Anaheim, California

Don’t you wish you could still see Fantasia in a luxurious 1,180-seat theater like this?

Fox Cinemaland opened in 1968 as a deluxe, first-run movie theater with a huge screen and 70mm projection capability. Its address was 1414 S. Harbor Blvd.—placing it right across the street from Disneyland, whose address was 1313 S. Harbor Blvd.

In 1974, the once nicely proportioned auditorium was sliced into three skinny auditoriums with correspondingly smaller screens. The triplex was demolished in 1998.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Magicland Toys & Souvenirs, Plaza Building, Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, California

Magicland Toys & Souvenirs had a real connection to Disney. The shop was in the Disneyland Hotel’s three-story Plaza Building, which opened in 1966.

In addition to Disney-themed toys, Disneyland souvenirs, and practical items like sunglasses, you could buy Gilbert Erector sets. At the time, master showman Jack Wrather’s company owned both the Disneyland Hotel and the A.C. Gilbert Company.

The Walt Disney Company acquired the Disneyland Hotel in 1988. Disney demolished the Plaza Building and the other low-rise portions of the hotel campus in 1999 to make way for the Downtown Disney District, building the ESPN Zone where the Plaza Building had been.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Melodyland, 400 West Freedman Way, Anaheim, California

Melodyland was a theater-in-the-round which became a church-in-the-round.

The 3,200-seat Melodyland Theater, located across Harbor Blvd. from Disneyland, opened in 1963. Audiences could enjoy Broadway musicals, concerts by popular performers, such as Johnny Carson or the Grateful Dead, and even ice shows.

In 1969, Rev. Ralph Wilkerson bought Melodyland for use as a church. Melodyland must have seemed to be a good name for a church too, so he called it Melodyland Christian Center and kept the original Melodyland sign. Melodyland was demolished in 2003.

The parcel of land on which Melodyland sat is now part of Anaheim GardenWalk, a struggling lifestyle shopping center. Freedman Way is now called Disney Way.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Spaghettiland Restaurant, 10722 Westminster Ave., Garden Grove, California

With “Spaghettiland” in a font that mimicked the Disneyland font, it was hard not to look at the sign without thinking of the theme park.

It was called Spaghettiland Restaurant, but lettering on the windows revealed you could also get ravioli, lasagne, manicotti, cannelloni, and more. So why wasn’t it called Pastaland Restaurant? In the 1970s, the Italian word pasta had not yet caught on in the United States as a popular umbrella term for Italian noodle products. That would come in the 1980s.

The building is still there. It’s still a restaurant. In fact, it’s still serving noodle products—only now the cuisine is from across a different ocean. Phuong Restaurant claims to be the “best Vietnamese noodles (Hủ Tiếu) restaurant in town.”

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Statueland, 13960 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove, California

Tired of plush toys as souvenirs? Take home real concrete statues for your yard. Disneyland has fountains, statuary, and planters. Your home should too.

The northeast corner of Harbor Blvd. and Westminster Ave., where Statueland was located, is currently home to a 76 gasoline station and Food Mart.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Trailerland Park, 1211 S. Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, California

C C Camperland wasn’t the only place to park your RV, unhitch your travel trailer, or pitch your tent. Just north of Disneyland, on the other side of the Santa Ana Freeway, was Trailerland Park. A sign at the entrance invited drivers to turn left across busy Harbor Boulevard. It was OK. Dangerous, perhaps, especially if pulling a trailer. But OK.

It’s not surprising the campground on such valuable real estate was replaced by a hotel. It opened as the Holiday Inn Anaheim at the Park, was rebranded as the Hotel Menage, and is now a Four Points by Sheraton.

There’s a driveway into the hotel property on Harbor Blvd. and another on Ball Rd. Neither allows left turns. Raised concrete medians discourage anyone from trying.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Vacationland Recreational Vehicle Park, 1343 S. West St., Anaheim, California

Vacationland Recreational Vehicle Park (1970–1996) was yet another RV park named as a “land.” This one was built by Jack Wrather adjacent to his Disneyland Hotel. After Disney bought the hotel and other Wrather properties in 1988, it became Disney’s Vacationland.

It’s now the site of the Mickey & Friends parking structure. West Street is now Disneyland Drive, with some realignment.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Wonderland Center, 1178 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim, California

So this is where Alice went! Did she also go to the Wonder Bowl bowling alley across the street, with its truly wonderful sign tower?

Wonderland Center strip mall still exists, but it’s now called Wonderland Plaza. Its towering sign has been replaced by a low-to-the-ground sign, in keeping to the standards of the Anaheim Resort District. The liquor store and Marri’s Pizza are still in business. Not surprisingly, there’s no longer a store selling typewriters and adding machines.

The Wonder Bowl bowling alley is gone. Its site is part of the Simba parking lot of the Disneyland Resort.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Dizzyland, 718 E. 4th St. at Lacy, Santa Ana, California

“When you wish upon a Schlitz…”

Those are the words of Orange County historian Chris Jepsen in reaction to this photo of Dizzyland. He wrote, “The building that housed Dizzyland (as well as the building seen across the street) is long gone. I wonder if they got a visit from Disney’s lawyers. It appears the building was The Imperial Cafe in 1941, El Charro Cafe in the 1950s, and Brick’s Tavern in 1960, before serving as Dizzyland from at least 1966 until at least 1975. I’ll bet there wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to make this dive seem like The Happiest Place On Earth.”

Perhaps the bartender was named Walt Dizzy.

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Updated October 13, 2023