Disneyland Park – The Origin of Disney's Fantasy World
Disneyland Park is one of the two theme parks that make up the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, near Los Angeles. It is Disney's original park and the foundation for the company's worldwide theme park empire. In Disneyland Park, you'll find all the entertainment and fun options for kids and adults, including iconic attractions like Thunder Mountain or the Matterhorn, Sleeping Beauty's Castle, many fantastic amusement rides, play areas, and meet-ups with Mickey Mouse and all his friends.
How much time should you dedicate to Disneyland Park?
It's highly recommended to dedicate a full day trip to Disneyland Park with the kids. The day includes, of course, a mix of rides, rest, meals, and particularly fun experiences until the evening fireworks.
22 things you must see and do in Disneyland Park (for both the big and small)
- The parades on Main Street USA with the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle in the backdrop
- The fireworks show at Fantasmic! Fantasmic!
- An indoor cruise on Pirates of the Caribbean
- A spin with Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger
- Diving in to find Nemo on the Submarine Voyage
- Riding the Space Mountain
- An exhilarating experience at Star Wars: Millennium Falcon – Smugglers Run
- The spinning Astro Orbiter
- Sailing to Tom Sawyer Island on the Mark Twain Riverboat
- The mad tea party
- Exciting karting at Autopia
- The streetcars of New Orleans Square
- Enjoying the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh with the little ones
- A Disney classic on It's a Small World ride
- A journey through the small world of Disney on the Storybook Land Canal Boats
- Peter Pan's Flight
- The world of George Lucas at its peak in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- The fast-paced roller coaster Big Thunder Mountain
- Spending time at the Frontierland Shooting Arcade????
- Indiana Jones Adventures
- Journey through the Alps on the Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Sail on Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes
Note! This page is about Disneyland Park only
Click here for all the information about the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California…
Click here for the complete guide to attractions at Disney California Adventure Park…
What is Disneyland Park?
Disneyland Park is the official kickoff to everything we know as Disney theme parks and beyond. Disney's economic and tourist empire was built on Walt Disney's transition in the 1950s from a production studio creating stars on the big or small screen to a real-life opportunity to touch those characters and experience movie plots in the most magical place on Earth.
- The foundation for Disneyland is Tivoli Gardens park in Copenhagen, Denmark, which itself was based on the Tivoli fairs held in Paris in the 19th century. These were inspired by the Villa d'Este in the town of Tivoli in Italy, near Rome
- Disney aimed to build a large park combining Tivoli park's attractions with the traveling carnivals popular in the USA
- The goal is to establish in one place amusement rides alongside entertainment and leisure options for adults
- Disney later added the element of themed hotel stays to provide a round-the-clock experience
The park opened on July 17, 1955, and since then, it has become one of the must-visit attractions in Los Angeles. Disney replicated this theme park in Orlando, Florida, opening the Magic Kingdom in 1971, followed by the unique Epcot Park, representing Disney's vision of the fantastic future world.
- In the 90s, both the California and Orlando parks underwent significant expansions. In Orlando, a massive resort and two more theme parks were created, while in California, hotels were added, and the park expanded into the California experience.
- Later on, Disney also opened parks in Europe and Asia.
The Structure of Disneyland Park
Disneyland Park is centered around Main Street, which leads from the entrance gate of the park (the main transportation hub that also leads south to the California Adventure Park) to the central round plaza, which is dominated by Sleeping Beauty's castle. From this central square, paths lead to the park's eight sections:
- Adventureland
- New Orleans Square
- Critter Country
- Frontierland
- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
- Mickey's Toontown
- Fantasyland
- Tomorrowland
Map of Disneyland Park
Everything there is to see and do at Disneyland Park
A tour of Disney Park and the seven segments surrounding the central round square, clockwise:
Main Street, USA
Main Street is based on the main street in Marceline, Missouri, where Disney grew up. As you enter the park on the left side, in the northern part of City Hall, you'll still find Disney's apartment in the park today. The street itself is full of souvenir shops, restaurants, a cinema, and places to relax and have a drink.
Sleeping Beauty Castle – The castle is the iconic landmark of Disneyland, which was then replicated in all theme parks worldwide. It is a replica of Neuschwanstein Castle in southern Bavaria, on the border of Germany and Austria. You can cross through the castle at its lower part after passing over a bridge from Main Street.
Adventureland
Adventureland is a piece of jungle within the park with trails between the trees and adventure-related attractions. Within the jungle, there are flowing streams and quite a few popular rides.
Main Attractions of Adventureland:
- Indiana Jones Adventure – A ride through a dark space featuring scenes and projections of adventures with Indiana Jones in mysterious temples across Central America
- Jungle Cruise – A boat journey on the river of Adventureland
- Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room – A show featuring more than one hundred and fifty singing birds
- Adventureland Treehouse – Formerly the home of the Swiss Family Robinson, now dedicated to Tarzan
New Orleans Square
New Orleans Square is a recreation of the vibrant Creole city in the mid-19th century. In the square, you can experience the lively urban landscape of historic New Orleans, enjoy the amusement arcades, and watch the iconic streetcars of the era.
Main Attractions of New Orleans Square:
- Pirates of the Caribbean – The famed amusement ride that inspired the movie series starring Johnny Depp, it's an indoor ride with a pirate world theme, including sound, projections, and more.
- The Haunted Mansion – A journey inside an indoor space simulating a haunted house with ghostly apparitions while walking through the mansion and riding in a doom buggy.
- Disneyland Railroad – A stop on the park's iconic steam-powered railroad.
Critter Country
A large play area opposite Tom Sawyer Island. Originally, the area was part of Frontierland dedicated to Native Americans and later became Bear Country. Now, Critter Country combines playfulness with encounters with various fantasy creatures and loads of entertainment for kids.
Main attractions in Critter Country:
- Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes – A shared canoe ride on the Rivers of America around Tom Sawyer Island.
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – An indoor journey following the 1977 Winnie the Pooh movie.
Frontierland
Frontierland is a section that simulates the Wild West, featuring several popular attractions and the Rivers of America, the surrounding river of Tom Sawyer Island.
Main attractions in Frontierland:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – One of the park's most popular attractions, the Big Thunder is a roller coaster on a winding track over the mighty Thunder Mountain.
- Splash Mountain – One of Disneyland's top attractions, Splash Mountain features a roller coaster ride at 70 km/h. The highlight is the three drops from the train, including the famous splash into the pool.
- Fantasmic! – A thrilling fireworks and acrobatics show held in the southern section of Tom Sawyer Island. You can watch it from the banks of the Rivers of America.
- Frontierland Shootin' Arcade – A simulation of shootouts in Tombstone, Arizona.
- Disney riverboats – A steamship cruise on the Mark Twain around Tom Sawyer Island.
- Tom Sawyer Island – An artificial island surrounded by the rivers of America, filled with challenging trails and plenty of adventures.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
The new section of Disneyland Park is entirely dedicated to the futuristic fantasy world of the Star Wars franchise, George Lucas’s popular franchise. Opened in 2019, on parts of Frontierland, it is now one of the most popular attractions in the park.
Main attractions of Galaxy's Edge:
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – A thrilling simulation journey witnessing the battle between the Resistance and the First Order.
- Star Wars: Millennium Falcon – Smugglers Run – Another simulation attraction related to Star Wars, featuring interaction between six participants who take part in a smuggling mission, each with a different role.
Mickey's Toontown
This is the ground zero of the classic Walt Disney experience, including encounters with beloved characters from his animated films such as Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, and many more classic characters. The place also features a station of the Disneyland Railroad.
Main attractions of Mickey's Toontown:
- Chip ‘n' Dale's GADGETcoaster – A children's roller coaster with a speed of 35 km/h
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway – An indoor journey into the world of Mickey Mouse
- Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin – An indoor journey set against the backdrop of the movie Roger Rabbit
- Mickey's House and Meet Mickey – The iconic character's residence and the place to meet him face to face
- Minnie's House – The fairy tale house where Minnie Mouse lives
- Goofy's How-To-Play Yard – A large play gym and gathering spot with Disney characters
- Donald's Boat – The place to meet Donald Duck
Fantasyland
Fairytale Land was designed by Walt Disney as a place to truly step into the world of fairy tales and experience it as a living place. Today, this section is styled as an Alpine village from the Austrian Tyrol, featuring fantasy rides related to Disney movies.
Key Attractions of Fantasyland:
- Matterhorn Bobsleds – A roller coaster inside the iconic Alpine mountain, the Matterhorn
- It's a Small World – A boat journey through an enclosed space meeting all the world's cultures
- Alice in Wonderland – An enclosed journey following Alice and the White Rabbit
- Peter Pan's Flight – A suspended ride through an enclosed space following Peter Pan
- Storybook Land Canal Boats – A boat ride through miniature recreations of landscapes from Disney animated films
- Casey Jr. Circus Train – A short train ride for kids
- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride – An indoor journey following the characters from The Wind in the Willows
- Pinocchio's Daring Journey – An indoor journey following Pinocchio
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant – A high-flying carousel
- Fantasyland Theatre – An open-air theater with 1800 seats for performances. Currently showing The Story of the Lion King
- King Arthur Carrousel – A vintage carousel in the heart of the section
- Mad Tea Party – A spinning teacup ride
- Snow White Grotto – An artificial cave with a wishing well
- Snow White's Enchanted Wish – An indoor journey following Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Tomorrowland
The realization of Walt Disney's vision, Tomorrowland is a place where one can understand where humanity is headed according to Disney's vision. Tomorrowland is almost fully realized in the Epcot park in Orlando, although there is a similar section in Magic Kingdom.
Main Attractions of Adventureland:
- Space Mountain – One of Disneyland's well-known attractions, a fast roller coaster ride in a closed space setting.
- Astro Orbiter – A large aerial carousel simulating planets.
- Autopia – Go-kart racing.
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin – A closed space journey with Buzz from Toy Story, featuring space adventures and shooting.
- Disneyland Monorail – A station of the monorail line reaching Downtown Disneyland and other park locations.
- Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage – A dive into pool waters in mini-submarines.
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue – A closed space journey across the universe.
