4 Easy Add-ons from Disneyland Resort

When entertainment mogul Walt Disney opened his Anaheim amusement park in 1955, the whimsical rides and attractions were meant to re-create fairy-tale magic. Since then, Disneyland Resort has grown to two theme parks, three hotels, and the Downtown Disney District. But it also offers countless forms of entertainment, thrills, and great dining. Here are five ways to experience it—appealing to all ages and different definitions of magic.

Stay at Disney’s Grand Californian

Booking a stay at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel offers two kinds of treats: First, the woodsy, Arts and Crafts-style interior is incredibly soothing after a fun-filled theme park day. The hotel also offers easy access to both parks and Downtown Disney, and even has its own entrance gate to Disney California Adventure Park. Stay here and you can also take advantage of Extra Magic Hours, which grants hotel guests early entrance to the parks. Whether you stay overnight or not, take some time to relax in the lobby, or have dinner at the Napa Rose restaurant, which artfully channels California wine country cuisine.

Explore Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Disneyland Park’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge transports you to an alternate universe—namely, Black Spire Outpost, on the Outer Rim planet of Batuu. You’ll see strolling cast members, who belong to either the Resistance or the First Order, but you may be most drawn to the otherworldly porgs and tauntauns available in The Creature Stall, or the robotic buddies you can create at the Droid Depot (to be a true Jedi, get your own lightsaber at Savi's Workshop). Make your way to the area’s debut ride, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which lets you take on the duties of a pilot, gunner, or flight engineer aboard Han Solo’s famous ship.

Enjoy the time machine of classic rides

Most Disney fans would agree that Fantasyland, tucked behind Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, is the original heart of Disneyland Park, with its 1950s-era rides such as Dumbo the Flying Elephant or the spinning cups of the Mad Tea Party. Don’t miss the relatively newer classics in other parts of the park, too, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, which opened in 1967 (the last ride that Walt Disney himself oversaw) and Splash Mountain, which debuted in 1989. Fun fact: In the course of a full day, the song “It’s a Small World” plays about 1,200 times.

Let it go at Frozen: Live at the Hyperion

See a classic Disney story in a whole new way at California Adventure’s Hyperion Theater. This Broadway-level production of Frozen has become a hit for its rotating sets, ice-shooting special effects, and serious song-belting by Elsa and her supporting cast. While you can line up to see one of the daily performances, you can also lock in your seat using the Disneyland Mobile App, or booking the Frozen dining package which includes both a reserved seat and a three-course meal at Carthay Circle Restaurant, the fine-dining spot modeled after the movie theater that debuted Snow White.

Play at Pixar Pier

Fans of Pixar films—such as the Toy Story series, The Incredibles, and Inside Out—will love the Pixar Pier section of Disney California Adventure Park. The boardwalk-style area (formerly known as Paradise Pier) blends movie magic into rides and attractions such as Incredicoaster, the Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, and the Pixar Pal-A-Round Ferris wheel. The Pixar theme extends to food, too, from the Señor Buzz Churros and Jack-Jack Cookie Num Nums to the sit-down Lamplight Lounge, filled with Pixar sketches and memorabilia. Stop in at Knick’s Knacks for movie themed T-shirts and toys, copies of Pixar concept art, or custom portraits made by the on-site character sketch artist.

Plenty of people come to Disneyland Resort just for the classic rides, the Main Street parades, or to snap selfies in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Serious fans, though, know to pace their activities around one vital feature: snack time. Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park have both launched a variety of only-in-Disneyland culinary experiences, many of which have developed their own cult followings. While some legendary Disneyland snacks are seasonal—like the hand-pulled candy canes, available in limited amounts during the holiday season—here are 10 snacks that you can enjoy year-round.

Mickey Beignets

The New Orleans Square area of Disneyland offers two options for the Crescent City-inspired, mouse-shaped pastries. If you want to sit down for your snack, go to Cafe Orleans, where your order includes vanilla crème anglaise and fruit-coulis dipping sauces. Fans also rave about the non-mouse-shaped beignets in Downtown Disney at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen.

For more portable versions, go to the Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square, where an order of three comes in a paper bag and is dusted with plenty of powdered sugar. (Note: Those lime-and-mint beverages in question are non-alcoholic.) With the return of the Fantasmic evening pyrotechnics show in Frontierland, the Mint Julep Bar is now also serving purple-sprinkles-covered Blackberry Beignets.

Dole Whip

This non-dairy frozen treat debuted at Disneyland in 1976, created exclusively for Adventureland by the folks at Dole Pineapple. It has developed a passionate cult following—it has been called “a work of art” and has a podcast named after it—and is now offered at other Disney parks, as well as a few other scattered locations. The original, though, is at the Tiki Juice Bar stand outside the Enchanted Tiki Room. Order yours as a soft-serve, a float with pineapple juice, or be a rebel and ask for the lone pineapple spear. A pleasant surprise: the classic Dole Whip soft serve has only about 100 calories.

Matterhorn Macaroons

These mountain-shaped coconut treats—covered with white-chocolate icing and sugary “snow”—are a rarity among Disney-themed goodies in that they’re based not on a character, but an actual ride. The classic Matterhorn coaster is even within view of the macaroons’ Main Street home, the Mary Poppins-themed Jolly Holiday Bakery Café (look for the telltale weather vane on top).

For anyone who gets confused about the difference between chewy macaroons and the airy sandwich-cookie macaron, try one of the bakery’s Raspberry Rose Mickey Macarons to settle the matter for good. A bonus: The Jolly Holiday has been applauded for having the best coffee in the parks.

Premium Mickey Ice-Cream Bars

The much-beloved Mickey bars, found at kiosks around the two parks, are like the little black dresses of frozen treats: Mickey-shaped vanilla ice cream dipped in Nestlé chocolate. To broaden your horizons, try the Premium Ice Cream Sandwich version, whose wafers get raves for having a little more crispiness than typical ice-cream sandwiches, and whose ice-cream center is comprised of cookies ‘n’ cream.

Little Red Wagon Corn Dogs

While corn dogs may seem like basic fare at theme parks, Disney superfans and foodies alike swear by the Disneyland version, found at an old-school-style food truck, the Little Red Wagon, near the Plaza Inn on Main Street. The secret: These chicken-and-beef dogs are hand-dipped in a house batter, helping them achieve that crunchy-on-the-outside, sweet-on-the-inside perfection. You can also get the same dogs at the Stagedoor Café, in Frontierland, and Award Wieners in California Adventure's Hollywood Land.

Turkey Legs

The jumbo drumsticks offered at hot-food carts around the two parks—like Edelweiss Snacks in Fantasyland and the hot-foods cart in Hollywood Land—have inspired so much awe that an urban legend once floated around that they actually came from ostriches (they don’t). Granted, the hickory-smoked legs look large, even for a turkey (they come from male Toms) and the salt curing gives them an almost ham-like flavor. To be sure, they are a commitment: Each one weighs 1.5 pounds.

Themed Churros

There are more than a dozen churro carts dotting the parks—from outside The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland to A Bug’s Land in California Adventure—and the fried-dough treats have even inspired their own souvenir shirts over the years. Keep an eye out for limited-release variations, like golden-sugar-dusted churros in honor of Pirates of the Caribbean, or the Jedi-worthy, red- and blue-sugared “light-saber” churros in Tomorrowland.

Candy Apples

They’re almost too pretty to eat. Disneyland Resort’s caramel apples offer a canvas for edible artistry, like the Mickey and Minnie apples at Trolley Treats in California Adventure, Winnie the Pooh apples in Disneyland’s Pooh Corner, or the Gourmet Apple of the Month (like a dark chocolate raspberry apple) at the Candy Palace & Candy Kitchen on Main Street (watch staffers making the apples through the confectionary’s window).

Ghirardelli Sundaes

In its cultural and culinary rendering of the Golden State, Disney California Adventure Park has embraced one key representative of San Francisco: Ghirardelli Chocolate. The Disney branch of the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop, located in the Pacific Wharf section, offers up scoops and chocolate-doused sundaes, as well as the clearly-meant-for-sharing Earthquake, with eight scoops of ice cream, eight toppings, bananas, whipped cream, and more. Don’t miss the mural of San Francisco in the shop, which reacts to your order: Buildings shake when you order an Earthquake, and a prospector pans for gold if you get the hot-fudge-and-peanut-butter Gold Rush.

Cozy Cones

In the Cars Land area of California Adventure, “refueling” takes on new meaning at the Cozy Cone Motel, a snack stand with five different cone-based treat options, from the chili-filled Chili Cone Queso to the flavored-popcorn Pop Cones. Reviewers have especially loved the stand’s Chicken Verde Cone and the Red’s Apple Freeze, a slushy made with apple juice, passion fruit, toasted marshmallow syrup, and mango foam. 

Disneyland Resort turns into a Halloween wonderland throughout October. Halloween events—some scary, some not—include holiday decorations at both theme parks, a ghoulish version of Disneyland Park’s Space Mountain, and a nightmarish makeover at the Haunted Mansion. In Tomorrowland, freaky ghouls amp up the scream factor at Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. And of course, there’s the iconic Haunted Mansion, that gets decked out as Halloween Town, hosted by Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s classic film, A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Disney California Adventure Park has gotten its own Halloween makeover, too: Guardians of the Galaxy takes on a Monsters After Dark theme, while Cars Land’s “Haul-O-Ween” zone features costumed characters and the morphing of Radiator Springs into Radiator Screams. For some seasonal music, go by Mater’s Junkyard, rendered into Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree.

Disneyland Resort offers spook-free options too, including a massive hand-carved Pumpkin Festival on Main Street U.S.A. Check out the strolling characters in their Halloween garb (including a fair share of Disney villains), and see a traditional skeleton display honoring Dia de los Muertos in Frontierland.

Insider tip: Consider splurging with tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party. Or join a Happiest Haunts Tour, where a “ghost host” scares up special pranks and adventures as you tour the parks; offered throughout the Halloween season. 

While Cars Land grabs much of the spotlight in Disney California Adventure Park, there are plenty of other amazing attractions in this part of the resort. A ride that ranks as one of the resort’s biggest crowd pleasers is Soarin’ Round the World in Grizzly Peak Airfield. Strap yourself into simulated hang gliders to swoop through the air and get bird’s-eye views of iconic locations around the globe, such as the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Sydney Harbour, and two places that inspired features in the Magic Kingdom: the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps and the “Sleeping Beauty” castle in Bavaria.

Next up (and preferably when it’s hot out), get the thrill of a whitewater rafting trip in the Sierra Nevada with a splash-and-douse ride down the Grizzly River Run. Ride a clanging streetcar along Buena Vista Street, a carefully recreated homage to a Los Angeles neighborhood circa 1923, when young Walt Disney first arrived from Missouri. Have fresh-made chocolates or hand-dipped caramel apples at Trolley Treats, or—if you’re a grown-up—a retro Manhattan in the stylish bar at Carthay Circle, also serving classy fare by Chef Andrew Sutton in a swanky setting that feels like a vintage Hollywood supper club.

For classic rides, head to Pixar Pier, which opened in summer 2018 (formerly known as Paradise Pier) and features the Incredicoaster, midway games and a Ferris wheel—all featuring characters from Pixar movies such as The Incredibles, Inside Out, and the Toy Story series. The movie-character theme extends to food, too, from the Señor Buzz Churros and Hangry Dogs to the sit-down Lamplight Lounge, filled with Pixar sketches and memorabilia. Through summer 2018, all of Disneyland Resort is getting into the spirit with Pixar Fest, which features an array of Pixar-inspired entertainment—like the Pixar-character-fueled Paint the Night parade in California Adventure, the Pixar Play Parade in Disneyland Park, and the new nightly fireworks show, Together Forever—A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular, over Disneyland. Also don’t miss, at California Adventure’s Hollywood Land, the Pixar Shorts Film Festival, showcasing the acclaimed short films that precede Pixar’s movies.

Open-air cafés, street musicians, sparkling boutiques, and soaring temples to everything Disney—this tempting pedestrian zone in Anaheim is as must-see as the resort's two theme parks. If you’re hungry when you get here, you won’t be for long: find creative and delicious dishes at born-in-California favorites like La Brea Bakery Café (the outdoor seating under leafy trees is particularly nice). Feel like you’re relaxing on an Italian piazza at Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria. Or bump it up a notch with contemporary Mediterranean cuisine at Catal, created by Los Angeles-area chef-restaurateur Joachim Splichal.

For sweet-tooths, there’s a branch of upscale cupcake purveyors Sprinkles—the creative cupcake bakery credited with launching the cupcake craze—that’s not to be missed. And save room for a few scoops of artisanal goodness from Salt & Straw, an innovative family-run ice cream shop that offers hand-made, small-batch seasonal flavors like Mummy’s Pumpkin Spiked Potion and Sightglass Coffee Cashew Praline.

There’s also plenty of live entertainment, activities, and shopping: New Orleans–inspired music is the main course at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen®. Take the family bowling at the rock 'n roll-themed Splitsville Luxury Lanes after dining indoors or al fresco at the on-site restaurant Splitsville Dining Room. And load up on gifts at the World of Disney® shop, or browse big-name stores such as The LEGO® Store or Sephora. Disney fans with girly style will appreciate the vintage-inspired apparel and accessories at The Disney Dress Shop, and if your home is lacking some magic, stop by the Disney Home store to find the perfect themed kitchenware and decor. 

Star Wars fans will love Star Wars™: Secrets of the Empire by ILMxLAB and The Void, a total-immersion virtual reality experience with state-of-the-art 3-D imagery and sound. Teams of four, in VR disguise, can engage with their favorite Star Wars characters, as well as with one another.  

Insider tip: You don’t have to have a ticket to Disneyland to visit Downtown Disney (admission is free). Plus no need to stress out over parking—it’s free for up to five hours with validation from participating locations.

Everyone loves a parade, and Mickey Mouse seems pretty fond of them too. Consider the daily Mickey’s Soundsational Parade, which begins along Disneyland Park’s Main Street, and includes a lineup of Disney characters and marching bands playing Disney melodies. Other parades light up the calendar, especially during the holidays. Visitors often line up for prime viewing in advance; keep your park guide handy to make sure you’re at the right spot when parades begin.

If it’s time for a break from the inevitable walking around the resort, kick back with a live show. Favorites include Frozen: Live at the Hyperion, a surprisingly good Broadway-style production in California Adventure Park staged in the Hyperion Theater, in California Adventure Park. Outside on Buena Vista Street, see a hyper-athletic song-and-dance routine by the Red Car Trolley News Boys, or get your bee-bop on with the Five and Dime jazz ensemble.

After sunset, keep an eye out for the fireworks that illuminate the sky above Sleeping Beauty Castle. Starring some of your favorite Disney characters and set to classic Disney tunes, it’s definitely a show you don’t want to miss. And with different shows throughout the year—from the patriotic Fourth of July show to the hauntingly fun Halloween Screams—you’re in for a spectacular treat year-round. (Fireworks are seasonal and subject to change without notice.)

Evenings also bring two different pyrotechnic shows: Disney California Adventure Park has World of Color (closed until late 2018), while Disneyland Park has Fantasmic, a “battle between good and evil” featuring classic Disney characters, which plays out in Mickey Mouse’s mind and across the 60-foot-wide mists over Frontierland’s Rivers of America.

Flying elephants, giant teacups, costumed characters making the rounds—for more than 60 years, this magical world of make-believe is still the happiest place on earth. Fantasyland, with all the low-thrill classics—including Peter Pan’s Flight and It’s a Small World—is the go-to spot for the 5-or-younger set, but lines get the longest there, too, so tackle it first thing. Staying at a Disneyland hotel means you can beat the lines by entering the park an hour before it opens to the public.

When you've had your fill of ride-hopping, skip over to Toontown to blow off steam. Kids will have a blast touring Mickey and Minnie’s homes, where anything goes—from climbing on Mickey’s furniture to snooping in Minnie’s fridge. (Spoiler: It’s stocked with cheese.)

You can always count on this Anaheim park to make it easy on parents. With the Disneyland App, you’ll have access to wait times and the locations of their favorite characters, FastPass machines, and, most important, restrooms. There’s also a well-stocked baby care center with private areas for nursing moms, microwaves for warming food, and little potties for toilet-trainers.