Xanadu

**Tampa** · 04-21-2005, 07:09 PM

It's not affiliated with WDW... it's not even alive anymore. It's a small white dome (marshmellow) house that is... "The Home Of The Future.. echo echo echo...." anyone visiting WDW from south Florida, passing through Kissimee are surely familiar with it. I'd be sure to take eye of it each WDW trip growing up. Now it's nothing more than a ghost. I recomended on this one website that WDW should buy it, restore it and place somewhere on property with a theme revolving around the architects theme. If done right, it would sell and probably blow up into a cartoon for them again... if approached right.

Anyone know it?

http://www.lostparks.com/xanadu.html

-Tampa

**JLTraveling** · 04-21-2005, 09:44 PM

I used to love Xanadu!! It was cheesy and dated when I was a kid. But such fun! It would work well with Tomorrowland's "The Future That Never Was" theme.

**jarmitc2032** · 04-21-2005, 10:38 PM

Didn't disneyland have "The Home Of The Future."

**rosworms** · 04-21-2005, 11:46 PM

dang... and i thought this was a thread about the movie, "Xanadu"... with Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly... and the best soundtrack ever....

**Tampa** · 04-22-2005, 12:26 AM

Really JL? Where'd ya migrate to WDW from? I lived in Ft Lauderdale/ Broward since forever and when I recently moved to Tampa and back and when I was there I'd drive over to Orlando just to see it, I didn't have the nerve to enter it... all dirty and nasty but finally I went up close.

**zcook9** · 04-22-2005, 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by rosworms

dang... and i thought this was a thread about the movie, "Xanadu"... with Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly... and the best soundtrack ever....

I love that movie! My husband thinks I'm cheezy or

. I also love... now don't everyone laugh... "Roller Boogie"

.

**JLTraveling** · 04-22-2005, 05:14 PM

I was raised in Lakeland...lived in Orlando for awhile. Just got back to the area a couple of months ago after 3 years in New Orleans. I only ever toured Xanadu a couple of times, but it was actually really cool, in a "future from the perspective of the 70s" sort of way. They previewed all sorts of weird technologies that were sort of a sideline "not as good as we have now" but must have seemed like futuristic marvels when the place was built...think laserdiscs instead of DVDs. I think it would be fun in retro-Tomorrowland.

**viks** · 05-25-2005, 06:26 PM

i went there when i was 9, i don't remember the actual point of it though? I remember being too scared to crawl into the bedroom (i got clastraphobic) and sitting at a strange breakfasty bar round thingy, and everything being white

**Conceited Ape** · 06-17-2005, 12:09 AM

Yeah, Xanadu.

One of my few retained memories from 2003 was paying central Florida a visit, and stumbling upon the derilect home of the future. It sort of broke my heart. One of those fond memories of being a little guy, and now it's joined the ranks of so many other fly-by night Kissimmee area businesses.

Everytime I pass by that giant orange wholesaler on 192 and reading the sign proudly declaring SINCE 1991, I'm reminded of how with that particular neighborhood, that actually IS saying something.....

**Tampa** · 06-17-2005, 01:07 AM

good point, Ape. The only established landmarks there that are emblazoned in my head are Xanadu, McDonalds and the Travel Lodge (I think) that's behind Mickey D's. Anything beyond that, doesn't matter, cept' the women. I wouldn't even remember the lodge if they didn't have a sleepy bear mascot statue out front.

I always enjoyed passing up Wet N' Wild, because when I'm in that area, I've got bigger and better things in store.

and now they've got purple street posts.

**viks** · 06-17-2005, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by Conceited Ape

Yeah, Xanadu.

One of my few retained memories from 2003 was paying central Florida a visit, and stumbling upon the derilect home of the future. It sort of broke my heart. One of those fond memories of being a little guy, and now it's joined the ranks of so many other fly-by night Kissimmee area businesses.

Everytime I pass by that giant orange wholesaler on 192 and reading the sign proudly declaring SINCE 1991, I'm reminded of how with that particular neighborhood, that actually IS saying something.....

I stayed in that area in 94, i guess a lot must have changed. Is by any strange chance the thing there which is like 2 cranes (bad description) and they hoist you up to one and drop you and you swing between them? That used to fasniate me , espec at night

**Conceited Ape** · 06-17-2005, 02:20 PM

Viks, it sounds as though you're describing Old Town, just down the road a piece from the ruins of Xanadu. OT is a tourist-trappy area (go figure) with a lot of souvenir stores, an arcade, a few rides I'm not sure I'd trust with my life (the crane/slingshot job you mentioned being one of them), and if I remember right, a walk-through haunted mansion with live actors popping out to say 'boo.'

All in all, not a bad place to spend the evening if you don't have the $$$ for Downtown Disney.

**Tampa** · 06-17-2005, 04:54 PM

they should like gold plate Xan just for being the oldest structure in their history eh?

**20K** · 06-19-2005, 09:17 AM

There was a great site which I can remember reading a few years ago, but I'm not sure if it's still on the go now. I think it was called 'Roadside America', and it was basically an internet guide to really random tourist traps along roads throughout America. They had a long article about Xanadu and its history, and how that its owners had been trying to sell it for years and years etc. It even had a few interior pictures. I'll try and hunt it down now, if any of you are interested.

EDIT - Found the link. And it seems as if there was more than one...