THROWBACK THURSDAY: Skyway

The Skyway's tunnels, which have since been patched up

The Skyway at Disneyland opened way back in 1956, and ran for an impressive 38 years. It took riders in a gondola above Fantasyland, through the Matterhorn, to and from Tomorrowland. Interestingly enough, the Matterhorn was built around the Skyway three years later. While our man-made Matterhorn isn't actually from Switzerland, the Skyway was; a product of the Swiss company Von Roll Holding.

Sadly, the Skyway closed in 1994 due to damage the ride was causing to the Matterhorn. Although most evidence of the ride is gone, various gondolas have been auctioned off or donated to collectors, the Imagineer headquarters, and other such places. But one piece of the original Skyway still exists, and it can be found in Fantasyland. Although the Tomorrowland station was demolished in 1994, the Fantasyland station can be found in the trees behind Dumbo. The stairway queue is still intact and in fact the "entrance" and "exit" signs on the ground are still legible. While I don't recommend that you sneak your way up the stairs and to the station (as I did), it is still entirely possible. However, doing this might cause some trouble with the cast members if you get caught!

Now if you aren't fortunate (or foolish) enough to visit the actual Skyway loading area, here's a video of what remains: