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    Walt Disney Hometown Museum

    4.8 (41 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Walt Disney Hometown Museum Photos

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    Santa Fe train
    Kathleen R.

    Very cute little museum with great boyhood information. Lovely, cardboard recreations of Disneand main Street. Probably, a good 1 hr and you will see everything. Then, you can drive down main Street which is cute like many old main Streets in the US. You can also drive past his boyhood home but it is privately owned so only a drive by. All is all a cute rest stop along the highway.

    Walt Disney Museum, Marceline, MO
    Ken H.

    I gotta say- this one surprised me. I only wanted to see Marceline to see what Main Street looked like compared to the Disney parks I've visited. (I wasn't disappointed) I did NOT expect the volume of Disney memorabilia that was there. Many signed letters from Walt. Lots of extremely rare collectibles on display. The workers were super friendly and helpful in explaining the museum as well as sites around the town. This is a must see for any Disney fan.

    Chad M.

    I landed in the area of the Walt Disney Hometown Museum and wanted to experience it. I came seeking history and that's definitely what I got. The entire area surrounding the building was welcoming. I was impressed right away! I came here with my significant other and her service dog. I paid Admission for Adults * $10.00 and that was a great price in my opinion. During my visit, I learned a lot about Walt Disney and his family. He definitely had a productive childhood. The information and history kept flowing throughout my time here. My favorite part was the stairs leading up to the second floor with words from Walt Disney. I feel that was a unique feature that they had. Before we exited the building, we looked at what they had for sale near the entrance. I ended up getting a Pen for $3.50. It was a reasonable price. They had the Rush Johnson Memorial Garden outside of the building. I walked around it before I left. It was cool to check out. The customer service was good. I didn't have any issues. Overall, it was an amazing experience, especially for the price it was. I'm glad I went and I might even go back again someday. Date of visit: December 3, 2023

    selfie time
    Jason V.

    Like I said in my review for Walt's Barn, if you're a true Disney nerd or fan you gotta come to Marceline and visit all of Mr. Disney's old haunts! The one thing about Marceline is there is probably no fast way to get there and it is not close to any major populated area. But if you are in northern Missouri, it's waiting for you to visit. It's hard to believe that the man whose name is on the world's biggest media company had his creative start in this town. The museum is housed in an old train station, where Walt and his family once set foot upon arriving from Chicago to live in the area. The Disneys would also catch trains here during there time in Marceline. (Oddly enough, trains go by the town every hour but they don't stop in Marceline!) The museum opened in 2001, and is a tribute to the station and the town's most famous resident. Walt Disney was, no doubt, overly fascinated with trains in his youth and adult life that he would incorporate them in his future works. There is a section in the museum that tells more about that. A lot of personal items from the family were donated by Walt's younger sister, Ruth. The museum gives a lot of perspective of what times were like in Marceline during the Disney's stay there. Walt would return to the town in 1946, as well as 1956, to dedicate a public swimming pool named after him. Lots of history are told in several rooms. I met a lady (probably in her 80s, at least) who is one of the museum volunteers and she is featured in the documentaries being played in the museum. She is probably one of the very few still alive that knew Walt Disney personally. It goes without saying, she was full of stories and she described Mr. Disney as very warm and kind. Be sure to buy plenty of souvenirs from the gift shop. Many books, collectible items, and clothes are available for purchase. I ended up buying a couple biographies about Walt. If you have extra time, be sure to walk around the town for a bit, where there are historical markers that talk about how they related to Walt Disney (like the old theater, post office, etc.). The main drag would influence Main Street USA.

    Sign out front
    Greg J.

    I'm a big fan of Walt Disney. We were visiting KC and I noticed we could detour to Marceline on the way home. It ended up being a much farther detour than I thought. The museum itself is a very low key affair. Much like the many hometown museums scattered around. I'd say actually seeing it wasn't as important as just making the pilgrimage. They have some Disney items that random people have donated and quite a few things from Walt's sister, Ruth. Upstairs is a miniature Disneyland that some guy made. Disney itself has obviously had little to do with the museum. We also visited the downtown area which is said to be Walt's inspiration for the Main Street area of the Disney parks. Walt was gifted with a very good imagination. So I crossed something off my bucket list, but unless you are a really huge fan or if you are in the area, it may not be worth the trip.

    Amazing experience! Beautiful museum and a lot bigger than I thought. Main Street is in walking distance from the museum, too. Michelle at the register made all the difference for us. She made our visit truly one of a kind. She offered to take our group photos and provided us with a lot of information. We took our 5 & 3 year old with us and they had a scavenger hunt thorough out museum that really made all the difference with the kids. Would absolutely recommend!

    Original autopia car
    Walter R.

    The museum was a great stop if you are a Disney history nerd. I love all things Disney history because of what Walt accomplished and how it has defined our existence. The museum was full of a lot of very cool classic Disney pieces but what was more interesting were the more obscure, personal family pieces from Walt's sister, Ruth. I spent a lot longer in there than I thought I would and came home with a deep appreciation for Walt's story.

    Lakin W.

    I'm a huge Disney fan. I even moved to Florida so I could frequent Walt Disney World. Needless to say, when my girlfriend and I took a trip to Kansas City to visit her family, I knew we had to make a detour to Marceline to see the WDHM. The WDHM is a must do for any Disney fan. As a Disney fan who has watched documentaries and read books about Walt Disney's life and family, I still learned a lot from walking around the museum. I didn't expect to learn as much as I did. The museum isn't huge (it's housed in the train station that Walt arrived at Marceline in when he was four), but the two stories it does have are loaded with stories and memorabilia that make the ten dollar entry a great value. My girlfriend's family (who are not big Disney fans like I am) also enjoyed the museum a lot more than they expected to. The staff are very proud of their museum and their hometown. They even hand out maps showing you where you can go to see Walt's childhood home and the site of the Dreaming Tree where Walt would go to think. The WDHM also has a small gift shop in the entry. I purchased a T-Shirt on clearance for only twelve dollars and also got some cute shotglasses with the signature Marceline Mickey street sign on it. If you're a Disney fan (or even if you're not!), definitely make sure to go to the WDHM if you're in the area.

    Sitting at Walt's (replica) desk
    Amber M.

    What a great museum! My guy and I are pretty avid Disney fans and we couldn't wait to visit Marceline when we got sent to Kansas City to work for an extended period of time. We're both former cast members and have seen our fair share of the parks, but have never seen the place where the magic began. The museum, itself, is in the old train station that Walt Disney himself came through during his visits back to his hometown. I really enjoyed how well this place tells the story of Walt and his family. Both of us learned so much about the Disneys and Walt's life in Marceline that inspired him. We also got a tour from a woman who is a Marceline native who actually had Walt Disney stay at her house in the 1950s! It was really great listening to her stories about Walt Disney and Marceline. After we were done walking around the museum, they handed us a map and gave us directions on where to go to see the original Main Street USA that inspired "Main Street" in all of the Disney parks around the world. We were also given directions to go visit the home where Walt and his family lived when they resided in Marceline. Marceline, MO may be a small town, but it's full of Disney love. Both of us had such a great time and highly recommend making the trip to visit Walt Disney's hometown.

    Walt Disney Hometown Museum
    Shawn B.

    We had a great time learning about Walts younger years and seeing the memorabilia associated with Walts time here. This is the town where Walts love of trains originated. Walt visited several times and even donated a ride from Disneyland to their park. There is lots of great history here for train and Disney fans alike.

    Son of Walt Disney's original dreaming tree.

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

    Great place! Learned more than I did working in The Disney Stores! Just loved the Museum!! :)

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Very friendly people. Place is very informative. If u are in area well worth the time to visit

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    3 years ago

    We had a great time there. If your a Disney fan, this is a must visit. Very informative and an extremely friendly little town.

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    Walt's Barn

    Walt's Barn

    5.0(2 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    Sure, maybe you've been to Disneyland or Disney World, or both, but you're not a true Disney nerd…read moreor fan until you've been here. What IS Walt Disney's barn, you ask? First off, it is just north of Marceline, and you'll see signs to point there. It is on the same land as Walt Disney's old family home, where he grew up while a young boy. The house, the barn and Walt's dreaming tree are all on private property. Nobody is allowed near or inside the old house (unless you actually know the owners), but anyone is welcome on the pathway behind the trees. Be sure to respect the property. The path (which has a small parking lot) leads to where Walt's original dreaming tree was, and to the barn. Signs point to everything, and there are historical markers on the path that talk about Disney and why he treasured this place. Walt's dreaming tree was struck by lightning in 2008 and in 2015, it was finally removed. A new "dreaming tree" was planted soon after. The barn, which was actually a replica built by volunteers in 2001, was considered to be Walt Disney's happy place. They encourage visitors to sign their names and maybe write a special thank you to Walt and Roy Disney for the memories. Sharpies are provided. Yes, I did make my mark inside the barn! Do not write outside the barn. Don't be that guy. Be sure to check this nice piece of Disney history. It's so hard to believe that the man whose name is on the world's biggest media company had his roots in the small town of Marceline, Missouri. One would think there would be numerous visitors there, but I was the only person.

    Well, I just had to check out more Disney history, so I landed here! I came here with my…read moresignificant other intending on it being a special spot. A huge plus of this experience was that it was Free To The Public. There were signs throughout the land that were interesting and helped guide me during my visit. Walt's Barn was towards the end of my walk. It was built by volunteers in the summer of 2001 to help celebrate Walt's birthday. It had a rustic look for sure! I was surprised that it was built so recent. I walked inside and it didn't disappoint. Overall, I'm glad I stopped here! It was definitely worth the visit. If I'm ever near Marceline in the future, I'll probably stop by again. Date of visit: Dec 3, 2023

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    Walt's Barn
    Walt's Barn
    Walt's Barn

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    Walt Disney Hometown Museum - museums - Updated July 2026

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