Disneyland Park is the original Disney theme park. Dreamed up and brought to life by Walt Disney himself, Disneyland created the blueprint for all of the magical destinations that followed. Since welcoming its first guests in July 1955, Disneyland has become a must-visit for those who want to experience a blend of Disney history and the magic of one of America’s classic vacation destinations.
Inside Disneyland Park, you’ll find nine themed lands to explore, each filled with attractions, entertainment, dining, and shopping. With something for everyone, from thrill seekers to fairytale fans, there are plenty of opportunities to step inside the animated Disney stories you know and love – and ride some famed attractions, including original rides that date back to the park’s earliest days.
Though Disneyland Park is smaller than many of its counterparts around the world (including all four of Walt Disney World’s theme parks), don’t expect to see all of its sights and explore all of the attractions in just one day. While you’ll cover less ground as you walk the park, you’ll notice that nearly every corner of Disneyland features something you’ve got to experience. Regardless of your kids’ ages, you can easily spend multiple days covering all there is to ride, watch, and taste.
Explore Disneyland Park
- Disneyland Lands
- Disneyland Dining
- Disneyland Shopping
- Disneyland Entertainment
- Disneyland Transportation
Disneyland Lands
Adventureland
Leave the city and bustling vehicles of Main Street, U.S.A. behind as you enter the tropical, far-flung regions of Adventureland. Designed to evoke the look and feel of the remote jungles of Asia and Africa, Adventureland is where you can set sail on a cruise down the rivers of the world – and see some incredibly rare sights, like the backside of water – or catch the colorful, melodic birds singing their songs.
Home to attractions like the world-famous Jungle Cruise, the Adventureland Treehouse, and Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, you’ll have the opportunity to explore whole new worlds… and try some of that delicious Dole Whip!
Critter Country
See critters of all kinds come to life in Disneyland’s Critter Country. Once known as Bear Country and the original home of the famed Country Bear Jamboree, this land has since morphed into a family-friendly destination with character meet-and-greets, delicious treats, and rustic, nature-inspired theming.
Home to attractions like The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, you’ll have the chance to see critters of all kinds (including real ones out on the water!) as you explore this tucked-away corner of the theme park.
Fantasyland
Photo by Dom Tabon
Step into the world of Disney’s most beloved animated fairy tales as you wander underneath the arches of Sleeping Beauty Castle and enter Fantasyland. Here, you can fly over London with Peter Pan, tumble down the rabbit hole and enter Wonderland with Alice, and take one seriously wild ride with Mr. Toad. Filled with vibrant colors and storybook-inspired Bavarian village architecture, Fantasyland is a must-visit destination whether you’re at Disneyland with kids under 10 years old or adults who are kids at heart.
Home to attractions like King Arthur Carrousel, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant, you can enter the fantastical worlds of beloved fairy tales and have a truly fantastical experience exploring this central land.
Frontierland
Enter Frontierland at Disneyland, and you’ll be transported back to the early pioneer days on the American Frontier! Surrounded by the rustic storefronts, early railroad tracks, and towering peaks of Big Thunder Mountain, this land brings that pioneer spirit to life. A classic steamboat sails by on the Rivers of America, and you’ll find thrills in the form of both Old West-inspired entertainment and attractions to enjoy.
Home to attractions like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Mark Twain Riverboat, and Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, kids and adults alike can run freely in Frontierland. Plus, don’t miss the pioneer-inspired entertainment at Golden Horseshoe Saloon, paired with some classic American comfort food.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Photo by Brian Shih
Pass underneath the tracks of the Disneyland Railroad, and you’ll find yourself transported back to the early 20th century on Main Street, U.S.A. – complete with horse-drawn vehicles, turn-of-the-century fire trucks and double-decker buses, and more. This bustling street introduces you to Walt’s theme park, giving you the opportunity to meet characters (Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and the rest of the sensational six often make appearances here!), browse shops, and pop into restaurants for a bite to eat.
Framed at the end with Disneyland’s iconic Partners statue of Walt and Mickey before the glittering Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street is home to attractions like the iconic Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in the Main Street Opera House and the Main Street Cinema, where classic cartoons play daily.
Mickey’s Toontown
Visit Mickey Mouse himself right in his hometown: Toontown! This whimsical and welcoming land is where Mickey and his friends reside, and it’s a totally toon-filled experience. When you enter Mickey’s Toontown, welcomed by the sounds of gags and mischief from Disney’s classic animated cartoons, you’ll find plenty of chances for little ones to run freely and explore. Designed to welcome visitors both young and young at heart, this land offers open spaces to relax, gather, and play, plus quiet, sensory-free areas for snoozing or sitting.
Home to attractions like the family-friendly Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the first-ever attraction starring Mickey himself, and the exciting Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster, Mickey’s Toontown offers plenty of thrills and excitement for kids. However, there’s even more to see regardless of your age, like Mickey’s House, Minnie’s House, and Goofy’s How-to-Play Yard.
New Orleans Square
Photo by Brian Shih
Wander into the lively city of New Orleans when you visit New Orleans Square at Disneyland. Inspired by the Crescent City in the 19th century, this land is decked out with touches of some of the South’s most iconic architectural cues, from wrought iron balconies to towering columns to cobblestone streets. With narrow walkways, freshly-made mint juleps, and the exciting tunes of jazz bands playing in the center of the land, you’ll feel like you’re in the midst of a Mardi Gras celebration all year long.
Home to attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean, a Disneyland classic, and the much-beloved Haunted Mansion and its 999 happy haunts, there’s so much to see and do in New Orleans Square. Plus, don’t miss the food – with restaurants like the Southern-inspired Tiana’s Palace and the in-attraction Blue Bayou, eating here is just as thrilling as experiencing the rides.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Travel off world and head to Batuu during your Disneyland visit! Star Wars fans and anyone who loves a fully immersive theme park land absolutely can’t miss the magic of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which is where you’ll leave the world you know and head to an entirely different planet. Here, you’ll have the chance to build droids, encounter members of the Resistance, and perhaps even pilot a spaceship of your own.
Home to two attractions – the always-popular Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – Galaxy’s Edge offers a solid mix of thrilling ride adventures and exciting opportunities to find entertainment as you wander throughout Batuu. You never know who you might encounter, from BD-X droids to Sabine Wren to Kylo Ren to Din Djarin, the Mandalorian… but you can be sure the characters from your favorite Star Wars stories are hanging out!
Tomorrowland
Photo by Dom Tabon
Step into the future – or the future that almost was – inside Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. Originally meant to reflect the possibilities and technologies of tomorrow in the form of the future, the original Tomorrowland underwent a reimagining in 1998 that transformed it into a place offering a glimpse of the “retro-future” of Jules Verne. Here, you can rocket into space at thrilling speeds, dive underwater and explore the vast ocean landscape, and even take a tour around the galaxy with some of your favorite Star Wars characters.
Home to attractions like the popular, high-speed Space Mountain coaster, the competitive blaster shooting dark ride Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and the iconic Disneyland Monorail, Tomorrowland offers a unique combination of historic Disneyland attractions and modern spins on old favorites. Whether you hop aboard a Star Tours vessel or cruise along the Autopia, there are thrills for guests of every age and interest here.
Disneyland Dining
At Disneyland Park, you’ll have a wide range of different dining options. You can choose from:
- Quick-service restaurants, which offer speedy, time-saving meals you can order and carry to a table of your choosing (or enjoy on the go)
- Table service restaurants, which offer a more traditional dining experience, with servers; these typically require an advance dining reservation
- Snack carts and stands located throughout the park, including popcorn and churro carts
While table service restaurants can require reservations, most restaurants offer same-day walk-up availability. Just keep in mind that these openings can be especially limited at Disneyland’s most popular restaurants, like Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square and character breakfasts at Plaza Inn.
Disneyland Shopping
Each land offers at least one store to browse, though the variety of options can vary quite a bit. Through the lands within Disneyland, you’ll encounter shops themed to their location.
For example, shops line Main Street, U.S.A. inside turn-of-the-century buildings – and each building offers a different mix of items, from holiday decor to home goods to baby and children’s clothing. Head over to Tomorrowland, and you’ll find out-of-this-world shops with a selection of items themed around its futuristic attractions, such as Star Wars merchandise.
Disneyland Entertainment
There’s a wealth of entertainment to be experienced across Disneyland Park – and you don’t have to stick around until late in the evening to see some of the coolest, most exciting shows and spectaculars!
During the day, you can catch everything from cavalcades and parades to performances of the Disneyland Band and Dapper Dans. After the sun sets, nighttime spectaculars come alive with projections, music, and fireworks displays with shows on Main Street, U.S.A. and the Rivers of America.
Just note that entertainment offerings do change regularly, so you may find that parades, fireworks, and daytime shows change both in frequency and scheduled times. Always check the Disneyland app for the latest information about what’s available during the days you’re visiting.
Disneyland Parades
The opening float of Disneyland’s Magic Happens Parade. Photo by Dom Tabon
Disneyland Park typically offers one main parade year-round. That parade does change from season to season; for example, you might catch Magic Happens from January through April, but then enjoy a limited-time parade like the Main Street Electrical Parade during the summer months and the classic Christmas Fantasy Parade in November and December.
It’s common for Disneyland to offer afternoon parade times year-round, with an early showing and a late showing. However, these times can change, especially when nighttime entertainment like the Main Street Electrical Parade is on the schedule. Either way, you can typically expect parades to offer earlier options (making them great for kids who can’t hang out from rope drop to park close).
Disneyland Shows and Spectaculars
Fireworks during Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland. Photo by Danny Shuster
Don’t want to wait for a parade? You have other entertainment options, including stage shows, that take place throughout the theme park. Disneyland Park is home to Fantasyland Theater, which hosts long-running stage shows that guests absolutely love. Once home to Mickey’s Magical Map and, more recently, Tales of the Lion King, it’s a great shady spot to sit and catch a show.
Additionally, you can head over to the Royal Theatre in Fantasyland’s Fantasy Faire area to catch retellings of your favorite Disney princess tales. Live performances of Beauty and the Beast and Tangled bring the stories to life (and you don’t want to miss the humor embedded in the live retellings as an adult, either!).
And you can’t forget about nighttime spectaculars – or, as they’re more commonly known, fireworks shows! Disneyland Park is home to epic fireworks displays, which light up the sky above Sleeping Beauty Castle at the end of Main Street, U.S.A. In recent years, the nighttime spectaculars have expanded, giving guests viewing options on Main Street, near “it’s a small world,” along the Rivers of America, and in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
In addition to traditional fireworks, the long-running Fantasmic! lights up the waters of the Rivers of America during the summer months. You can catch a combination of live stage show set on both land and water, plus some explosive fireworks, during each showing.
Want to catch the latest fireworks-filled nighttime spectacular during your Disneyland Park visit? Note that fireworks aren’t always offered year-round, so you’ll want to know the basics of nighttime entertainment before you go.
Disneyland Characters
Whether you’re hoping to encounter Mickey Mouse himself in Walt’s original theme park for some iconic photos or want to see which Disney princesses are greeting guests during your visit, there are quite a few different ways you can meet and greet your favorite characters at Disneyland.
You’ll find that you can meet characters one-on-one via experiences like:
- Character dining
- Character encounters throughout the park
- Designated character meet and greet locations
While some character meet and greet opportunities may require waiting in line (or even offer the option to get a Lightning Lane through Genie+) or booking an advance dining reservation, most of them are as simple as waiting in line! For example, you can often find Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and other characters hanging out on Main Street, U.S.A., where guests can line up for an individual meet and greet.
Disneyland Transportation
The Mickey & Friends Parking Structure at Disneyland Resort. Photo by Cliff Wang
If you’re looking for transportation that’ll get you to Disneyland Park, you have just a few options:
- Walking from a local hotel or drop-off spot
- Driving your car (or a rental car)
- Taking a hotel or airport shuttle
- Taking an Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) bus
Most guests either walk from their nearby Anaheim hotel or drive in. If you’re driving, you can park at either the Mickey & Friends or Pixar Pals parking structures or the Toy Story parking lot. Once you park in these designated areas, you’ll either take a Disneyland tram or bus to the esplanade, where you can enter either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park.
If you’re taking a shuttle or using ART buses, you’ll be dropped off at the entrance to the esplanade to make your way into the theme parks.
