Let me be your tourist guide as I show you one of the wonders of Los Angeles.
Carolwood Barn is a miniature barn used by Walt Disney as a machine shop while operating his miniature “live steam” Carolwood Pacific Railroad layout in the backyard of his home.
Walt Disney remembered having a barn on his family’s farm in Marceline, Missouri, where he would play. As a young kid, he wound try putting on a barnyard circus for his friends in the barn and would “charge” them money. The barn was always a source of magic and wonder to Walt.
In 1949, Walt Disney moved his family to 355 N. Carolwood Drive, Holmby Hills, north of Beverly Hills, California. And that’s how the barn got its name.
The Disney house was sold in 1997 to start the Disney Foundation and later the Museum. Diane Disney Miller, the eldest daughter asked the new owner if they could save the barn, and the new owner agreed.
In 1998, the barn was removed from the Carolwood property, piece by piece, each piece labeled and shipped down to Griffith Park, where it is now located.
On July 19, 1999, Diane dedicated the barn as a new place to learn more about her father. It is open on the 3rd Sunday of the month, admission is free, but donation is welcome. Old and young serve as volunteers.
