California Adventure was originally planned to be WestCOT styled after Epcot at Disney World, the idea was apparently scrapped due to its cost.  The idea was re worked into a California themed park.  This is a wonderful extension of Disneyland and offers a lot of fantastic rides and shows.  Here you will find some great tips specifically for each land…

BUENA VISTA STREET

1. Chamber of Commerce, Information and guest relations, here you will find answers to all of your resort questions.

2. Red Car Trolley, hop aboard for a scenic tour down Buena Vista Street and through Hollywood Land. Conductors will offer fun details about California Adventure.

3. Fiddler Fifer & Practical Café, Starbucks coffee served.  This is usually our first stop in the park.

4. Carthay Circle theatre, is a replica of the theatre where Walt Disney premiered his movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937.

5. Buena Vista Bugle, Is a great souvenir newspaper with entertaining stories.  The paper can be found near the Red Trolley stop near the front entrance or at the Starbucks.

HOLLYWOOD LAND

1. Disney Animation, Sorcerer’s Workshop, an interactive walk through featuring Magic Mirror Realm and Beasts Library.

2. Anna & Elsa’s Royal Welcome, here you can meet and greet Anna & Elsa from Frozen.

3. Animation Academy, a great way to stop and relax in an air-conditioned building. This is one of our favorite things to do in the park, learn to sketch a Disney character from a Disney Animator. Every 30 minutes throughout the day a new character is taught, go to as many sittings as you would like.

4. Turtle Talk with Crush, this is a fun, interactive experience with Crush the turtle from Disney’s Finding Nemo.

5. Monster’s Inc, take a ride through the Monster’s world with Mike and Sully. Notice Roz at the end of the ride, she is interactive.

6. Muppet’s 3D Vision, see the Muppets in this hilarious 3D and live action show with appearances from Statler and Waldorf, the famous hecklers and the crowd favourite, Sweetums.

7. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, always a thrilling time aboard this haunted elevator which rises and falls repeatedly. The Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror is the tallest building in Anaheim at 183 Ft.

A BUGS LAND

A Bugs Land is perfect for any little ones that do not meet the height requirements of the bigger rides.

1. Francis Ladybug Boogie, is similar to the Mad Hatter Tea Party in Disneyland, however it is a bit slower and the riders have more control over the level of spinning.

2. Flik’s Flyers, take a ride through the sky in a discarded food carton.

3. Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies, Great bumper cars. As fun for adults as it is for small kids.

4. Princess Dot Puddle Park, this mini water feature is an excellent place for kids to cool off and get a little wet, terrific on a really hot day.

5. Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train, this is an extremely short train ride. The smell of animal crackers are a highlight.

CARSLAND

1. Radiator Springs Racers, This ride is amazing. It will take you on a tour of Radiator Springs where you will see many of the characters from cars interact as you pass by. The ride concludes with a high speed race that is worth the wait in line. Cadillac range can be seen in the background which was inspired by the half buried Cadillacs in Amarillo, Texas. The six tall fins apparently are Cadillac Models from 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961 and 1962.

2. Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, a square dance hosted by Mater which swings riders around in tractors with unexpected turns and tight corners, it is sure to please.

3. Luigi’s Flying Tires, a new spin on Disneyland’s original Flying Saucers in Tomorrowland from 1961 to 1966. Enjoy riding on a tire that floats on air as you bump into one another.

PARADISE PIER

1. California Screamin, This is without a doubt our favorite ride in the park. 120 foot high steel roller coaster with a one mile track reaching speeds up to 55 mph. Neil Patrick Harris reportedly does the count down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Scream…(Minimum height 48”)

2. King Triton’s Carousel, take your pick of a variety of sea creatures on this one of a kind carousel.

3. Toy Story Midway Mania, ride and shoot moving targets in this 4D game starring your favorite Toy Story characters.

• Take advantage of heading over to this ride first thing in the morning as this attraction does not offer Fast Passes.
• The animatronic of Mr Potato Head is the most complex animatronic created by Disney Imagineers.  He has the most lines of dialogue of any animatronic and can also remove and attach his own ear.

4. Games of the Boardwalk, Try your luck and skill with old fashioned Midway styled games of chance. Goofy About Fishin, Bullseye Stallion Stampede, Casey at the Bat and Dumbo Bucket Brigade.

5. Mickey’s Fun Wheel, Offers two different Gondolas, a stationary one which does not rock, the other swings in and out of the Fun Wheel. There are two lines, so pick the one you want, swinging or non-swinging.

6. Silly Symphony Swings, inspired by the 1935 classic Mickey Mouse short “The Band Concert.” This attraction takes riders spinning through the air on swings, always fun. (Minimum height 40”)

7. Goofy’s Sky School, a great roller coaster styled ride with a lot of quick tight turns and sudden drops. This is a more thrilling ride for kids and adults. (Minimum height 42”)

8. Jumpin Jellyfish, is a parachute jump styled ride (Minimum height 40”)

9. Golden Zephyr, soar through the sky in a retro spaceship that is reminiscent of old time sci-fi movie serials.

10. The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, is a dark ride that is based on the movie with amazing animatronics, your Little Mermaid fans will love this ride. Ariel’s Sisters can be found hidden above the Little Mermaid ride, they are Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella and Alana.

GRIZZLY PEAK

1. Redwood Creek Challenge, where you can rock climb, zip line, navigate a maze of rope bridges and become a senior wilderness explorer.

2. Grizzly River Run, On a hot day you will love cooling off on this extremely wet ride. Enjoy the feeling of riding the rapids. Another great one for your Must List!

3. Soarin Over California, Enjoy the feeling of hang gliding over some great California sights. You can even smell the pine of the forests and the orange groves. Another for your Must List! Take the opportunity to ride this one as much as you can, rumor is Soarin Over California is going to be replaced with Soarin Over the World. Soarin over California takes 4 minutes and 41 seconds. The best view boards from row one and ensures you will fly the highest and you will not see feet dangling in front of you.