Riverfront Square
After a few years of negotiations and planning, Disney finally opened Riverfront Square on June 10, 1966. Walt Disney, Jr. had just completed his sophomore year at USC in time to join his father and Uncle Roy for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Also there were Anheuser-Busch CEO Gussie Busch, Missouri governor Warren Hearnes and St. Louis mayor Alfonso Cervantes.
Dedication Plaque:
RIVERFRONT SQUARE
Dedicated June 10, 1966
FOUNDING PARTNERS
Walt Disney Productions
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Ralston-Purina Company
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
Edward D. Jones & Co.
Trans World Airline Corporation
Attractions
There wasn't really an icon for Riverfront Square except for a marquee outside the park. The park was designed to be indoors so that the park stayed open on rainy days.
The street level of Riverfront Square is divided into two halves. In Old St. Louis, a Mark Twain Riverboat serves as an all-ages restaurant while the Budweiser Lounge offers a place for the adults to kick back and relax. The main attraction of Old St. Louis is the Lewis and Clark Adventure, which takes guests on a canoe ride through a mythological version of the treacherous expedition.
Over in New Orleans Square, you might see the Jambalaya Jazz Band serenade guests. The main attractions of this realm are the Blue Bayou Restaurant and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Also at New Orleans Square is the original Haunted Mansion.
The midlevel section of the park, located one floor below the street level, consists of two Circarama Theatres, two dark rides and an audio-animatronic theatre.
Dark rides
Adventure Thru Innerspace (Sponsored by Monsanto)
Audio Animatronic Theatre
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Circarama Theatres
America The Beautiful
Davy Crockett's Greatest Adventures
The basement level serves as the "show buildings" for Pirates of the Caribbean and the Lewis and Clark Adventure.
TRIVIA
@Nivek
A month earlier, Busch Memorial Stadium opened, replacing Sportsman's Park as the home both the baseball and football Cardinals.