The St. Petersburg Museum of History and Southern Roots Realty invite you to our monthly lecture series, Happy Hour with the Historian featuring Gary McKechnie. The deal that changed Florida forever.

When Walt Disney realized cheap tourist traps were enveloping Disneyland, he began a nationwide search for enough land to hold every dream he could imagine. What happened next would require a heightened degree of CIA-level secrecy for Disney’s undercover team, who launched a misinformation campaign that included dummy corporations and secret transactions. However, when a keen-eyed reporter cracked the code, Disney was forced to show his hand. Audiences will be amazed to learn of not only subterfuge but also the monumental innovations and engineering feats required creating a whole new world.

Native Floridian Gary McKechnie is a two-time National Geographic author, author of America’s best-selling motorcycle guidebook, and two-time winner of the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award.  McKechnie is also a motivational storyteller, a stand-up comedian, and improv actor. He is also a guest speaker aboard the ships of Cunard, Seabourn, and the Silversea lines.