Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is home to some of the park’s most popular attractions. With the Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage clustered together at the end of the street, this area sees a lot of traffic. Slow down on your way to these big name highlights and take a moment to enjoy the rich theming of Sunset Boulevard that takes you back in time to another era entirely.
1. The Victory Garden and WWII Memorabilia
The Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is not a modern representation of the street. Here you find yourself in the late 1930s to early 1940s, around the time of World War II. The area is instantly dated with its numerous war references. Beside Catalina Eddie’s you’ll find a Victory Garden, easily identifiable by the giant sign. If that’s not clear enough, the scarecrow wearing a gas mask will help complete the setting.
Victory gardens were planted in the United States during World War II to help prevent food shortages. Canned vegetables were rationed and trains and trucks that would have otherwise transported produce were put into use transporting soldiers and weapons. Victory Gardens were responsible for 40% of the vegetables grown in the U.S. by 1944.
This entire outdoor seating area along Sunset Boulevard is dedicated to the WWII era with everything from signs along the buildings to tiny pieces of memorabilia in the center of the condiment stand.
2. Snow White at Carthay Circle
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater on December 21, 1937. The Once Upon a Time gift shop on Sunset Boulevard is set inside a building modeled after Carthay Circle. Posters for Snow White adorn the building inside and out. Look behind the register in this gift shop and you’ll see pictures from the film’s premiere showing the theater as well as Walt Disney himself.
3. The Pacific Electric Red Cars
The Pacific Electric Red Cars were a major means of transportation at the turn of the century. The track gradually grew until it ran up and down Sunset Boulevard. The streetcars continued running until the mid-1950s. On this version of Sunset Boulevard, the trolley car has taken the form of a souvenir and popcorn stand. Though they don’t move, you can see trolley tracks peeking out along the street near the Tower of Terror.
4. Hollywood Glamor at the Hollywood Tower Hotel
The Hollywood Tower Hotel is perfectly placed to serve as the most noticeable icon on Sunset Boulevard. It towers over the street and fits in perfectly with the era and theme. You may notice the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel bears some resemblance to both the famous Sunset Tower Hotel and the Hollywood Tower apartments.
The Hollywood Tower Hotel that houses the Tower of Terror has an intricate story line. It opened in 1917 and became a bustling Hollywood destination by the 1930s. On Halloween of 1939 (so the story goes), the hotel’s elevator was struck by lightning. It plummeted down its shaft forever sealing the fate of its five passengers, who you can still see haunting the premises. The hotel was abandoned that night and everything remains as it was, from hats and coats casually left about the lobby, to a game of Mah Jong in the middle of the action.
At the head of Sunset Boulevard, you can see a billboard advertising the hotel at the height of its popularity while the attraction queue is a chilling tour through a glamorous destination frozen in time.
5. The Original Starbucks Logo
The new Starbucks location at the head of Sunset Boulevard has a distinctly vintage look. The logo outside is brown instead of green and features the original Starbucks mermaid. Though the logo only dates back to 1971 when Starbucks debuted at Seattle’s Pike Place Market, it’s as close as you can get to a period appropriate pick, and any Starbucks fan is sure to notice that it looks distinctly different from the stylized icon used today.
6. Historic Route 66
The original 1926 alignment of Route 66 took it right across Sunset Boulevard. Though the junction is less quaint today, the two are still connected. On this historic stretch of Sunset Boulevard, you’ll find a sign for Route 66 with a pile of vintage luggage at the base. Clearly this signpost is a much-visited landmark for hopeful stars to land and take in their surroundings.
Sunset Boulevard is frozen in time, offering guests a unique chance to step back into the Hollywood of days gone by. You can become a part of Hollywood’s history here, too, and find some stunning photo ops while you’re at it.
