Rain catching you at Disneyland Paris? Go under the arcades! You can keep on strolling, because you can still reach all the lands without having to get wet in the open air. To find your way around Main Street U.S.A., first locate Sleeping Beauty Castle. Turn towards the building. Discovery Arcade is to the right of you. In any case, day or night, rain or shine, Discovery Arcade never bored me.
This sumptuous building, with its grand lobby lit up like a seductive shopping mall, is a Disneyland activity in its own right. It has been designed to provide access to the different lands whatever the weather. It can also be used in the evening during a show or parade, when it’s impossible to make your way along the main street. Note that the lighting is gas. There’s something for everyone who loves window-shopping. Twentieth-century patents, models and various miniature models are on display, much to the delight of visionaries and inventors. Da Vinci’s bronze Vitruvian Man is a case in point. The statue can be seen on every wrought-iron column lining the driveway. The decor is half retro, half industrial, but it’s chic. The elegance of the place is striking.
Almost all the stores, boutiques, restaurants, galleries and saloons along Main Street USA have double entrances: one from the main street, the other from the side of the arcade.