Best Things To Do In Disneyland Park In Anaheim, CA [Updated 2026]

This post may contain affiliate links. We may receive a small commission, if you make a purchase. Read Disclosure.

We went to Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, for 10 days and never ran out of things to do! We didn’t just have a couple of family members with us, we had a whole crew of 15 people, to be exact!

This large group did mean we had to cruise through the top attractions at a slower pace, and even with so much time, we didn’t get everything done. At least we have an excuse to go back!

That being said, we did get to experience a lot, and decided to share with you some of our best things to do in Disneyland Anaheim, as well as our top tips for visiting.

Things to do in Disneyland Park Anaheim

Since Disneyland is separated by themed lands, we’ll be dividing this guide into what to do in each zone.

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland has a futuristic space-aged theme with a mix of rides that relate to what life will be like in years to come. Which is pretty awesome! This is one of my favorite lands because it has my second-favorite ride in it, Space Mountain. It is also the zone that seems to have the most thrill rides.

The top rides in Tomorrowland are:

• Astro Orbitor: fly around and around in a rocket, and you can control how high you go.
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: shoot aliens to win points, and defeat Emperor Zurg!
• Autopia: ride in a car that goes along a track.
• Space Mountain: a pitch-black indoor roller coaster. It goes really fast, has sharp turns, and sudden drops. Definitely try to get up front for the best experience. When we were at Disneyland Park, the Halloween party was happening, so Space Mountain was Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy. It’s the same thing, but ghosts come after you.

There are Star Wars attractions like Jedi training and Star Wars: The Adventures Continue, but we didn’t do that stuff because we don’t like Star Wars. Also, the Disney Monorail (that you can get on at Downtown Disney® District) and the Disneyland Railroad stops off at Tomorrowland.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (Formerly Critter Country)

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, formerly known as Critter Country, is the land of Brer Rabbit and his friends. This is my favorite land. Even though it is one of the smallest zones and only has two rides, it’s still really fun because Critter Country has Splash Mountain!

While you are at Critter Country, you have to go on Splash Mountain. It is my favorite ride in Disneyland! And if it’s a hot day, you can cool down by getting soaked!

If you’re unfamiliar with Splash Mountain, it’s a log ride, and it takes you through the adventures of Brer Rabbit.

It was Savannah’s first-ever log ride, and she loved it! The drop at the end is pretty steep, but don’t worry, there are a couple of smaller drops during the ride to get you warmed up. I think we got more wet on the little drops than the big ones!

Now, let’s talk about seating, so you are going to Splash Mountain all prepared. Obviously, you sit in logs, which fit seven people. We only had to take two logs to fit our group, instead of twenty!

At the back of each log, there is a bigger seat that can fit one child and an adult, or two kids. Also, you can choose to sit wherever you like on the log, so luckily I didn’t have to go to the front (where you get the most soaked).

Another ride in Critter Country, good for the little kids, is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. To me, this ride was pretty boring, but our little cousin and Savannah loved it. And, you guessed it, it takes you through the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh!

Definitely take the younger kids who aren’t ready to do the bigger rides yet, or anybody, since it’s a slow ride. The last attraction is Davy Crockett’s Explorer canoes.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do this experience, since we didn’t have time, but I’ve heard it’s cool because you paddle through The Rivers of America.

Also, for a snack, lunch, or the cheapest dinner packages for Fantasmic (more about that later on) go to the Hungry Bear Restaurant.

Critter Country was refurbished into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in 2024 and opened in November 2024. Since the refurbishment, it has added Louis’ Critter Club, a merchandise shop.

New Orleans Square

This is another land we loved at Disneyland Park because:

1. You can eat Mickey-Shaped beignets!
2. You can say hello to the ghosts and ghouls in The Haunted Mansion!
3. And, you usually see Tiana here, walking around and doing meet-and-greets.

Yes, you heard me right. Mickey-Shaped beignets. It’s a thing. Whoop Whoop.

They aren’t as good as the originals in New Orleans, but they still are pretty good. Now you don’t have to wait to eat in New Orleans to try one, just have one at Disneyland! One of the top rides in this land is Haunted Mansion Holiday, a classic Haunted Mansion ride that’s Jack Skellington-themed.

It was pretty cool, especially the stretching room. The Haunted Mansion was done up for Halloween and Christmas while we were there.

It was re-themed to The Nightmare Before Christmas. We only did this experience once because we all thought it was a bit boring. We heard the original version is better.

Adventureland

This is a jungle-themed zone filled with exotic stories and wild rides! It’s definitely a zone that’s catered to all ages, although it’s not very big.

A highlight of Adventureland is the Adventureland Treehouse, which is a giant treehouse filled with quirky rooms and imaginative play areas.

Another attraction worth checking out is the Enchanted Tiki Room to see the audio animatronics, go on a Jungle Cruise to see “wildlife,” and enjoy the thrilling Indiana Jones Adventure ride.

Fantasyland

Fantasyland is the land where fairy tales of Disney princesses and princes come to life. It’s where you will find the iconic Disney Castle, see princesses come to life, and experience tamer rides catered to younger kids.

Our kids were too old for this land, so we just wandered through, but if you have kids below the age of 6, they’ll probably enjoy this zone.

Some of the top rides in this land are:

• Peter Pan’s Flight: a gentle, slow ride based on the classic Peter Pan story. On this ride, you sail through Neverland on a tall ship.
• Snow White’s Enchanted Wish: a story ride where you follow Snow White as she tries to evade the evil Queen.
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant: ride in a flying elephant and get an aerial view of the park.
• Mr Toad’s Wild Ride: A go-kart track.
• Matterhorn Bobsleds: a fun rollercoaster with a mythical monster story.
• Storybook land canal boats: a gentle boat ride on a river.
• King Arthur Carrousel

Frontierland

While Tomorrowland takes you into the future, Frontierland takes you to the past. It has a Mark Twain theme and is designed to transport you back to turn-of-the-century America.

My favorite ride in this zone is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a rollercoaster that takes you around cavernous cliffs and steep boulders on a haunted runaway train!

In Frontierland, you can board the Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island and ride the Mark Twain Riverboat (a steamship), or sail on an 18th-century vessel.

It’s also where you can watch the stage show, Fantasmic! where Disney heroes and villains battle it out, starring Mickey Mouse!

Fantasmic! Light Show

This is what you have all been waiting for: the Fantasmic light show! You can get tickets for this show separately from your entry ticket. We went online and got one of the cheapest dinner deals, a 3-course meal package from Blue Bayou Restaurant. From $35, you get a tasty and healthy dinner and reserved seating for the show.

The seats were pretty good; we were close to the front. The show was awesome, and I definitely recommend it. The lights and special effects were really good too. My favorite part was Maleficent as the dragon. That’s all the spoilers I’m giving you.

Watch our Fantasmic highlights in our video at the bottom of this blog post!

There are two shows in the evening. I recommend the first show. You can then hang around to watch the Fireworks over the castle. They have a few light displays happening on the river at the same time.

Mickey’s Toontown

Toontown is an “animated land” where everything is made to look animated. It’s quite cool, as all your photos end up looking like cartoons!

Some of the top attractions in Toontown are Donald’s Duck Pond, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Chip N Dale’s GADGETcoaster, Goofy’s How-to Play Yard, and visiting Mickey and Minnie Mouse’s houses.

This zone is catered towards younger children and toddlers, and our girls are a bit old for this area now.

But we did want to see Mickey’s House. We waited about an hour to meet Mickey inside his house. It was worth it, though, because there was stuff you could interact with throughout the house.

And at the end, we got to meet the one and only, Mickey Mouse. Mum was happy we met Minnie Mouse at the character breakfast because there was no way she was waiting for over an hour for her at her house.

We also saw Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Minnie, and Pluto at Toontown. It is where they live after all!

Meeting the characters from your favorite Disney movie, book, or show around the park is something we all want to do. The characters are so true to life (I mean, fantasy life) and give you so much time and attention.

Even Mum was a bit smitten. (Be sure to speak to Gaston. He was hilarious – Caz).

Tips For Meeting Your Favorite Disney Character!

• Instead of just taking pictures with Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, you can get their autograph! You can buy autograph books in many stores around the Disney parks, including Downtown Disney. All the kids in our group did it, and it made our Disneyland experience that much better.
• Get the Disneyland app so you can see where your favorite characters might be. You’ll find the characters in the land where their stories belong. E.G. Captain Jack Sparrow can be found in Adventureland/New Orleans near the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
• Try a character breakfast, so you can see a lot of characters at once! And you don’t have to line up; you just wait for them to come to your table. We did the Minnie Mouse breakfast at Plaza Inn, and the buffet breakfast is good too.

• Look out for schedules, so you can get to the character you want to see before the lines get big.
• Go see the more popular characters first. You can’t get fast passes for them, so best to do them before the queue gets too big.

When we went to meet the princesses, we got all dressed up. I was Jasmine, Savannah was Belle, and our cousin Brooklyn, was Elena of Avalor.

It was fun to meet the princesses we were dressed up as! While our parents were waiting in line with our autograph books ready, we watched the Rapunzel show, so we weren’t bored waiting in line. That’s one good thing about The Royal Hall in Fantasyland. There is usually a show on.

Get Your Disney Merch!

An absolute must for your trip to Disneyland is to get Mouse ears. You just have to. It isn’t the same without rocking a pair of Minnie or Mickey ears.

Savannah and I got the Rose Gold ears. In my opinion, they are gorgeous. Anything Rose gold is gorgeous. Mom got the Millennial Pink ears. They are pretty too. Dad just got boring black Mickey Ears.

I had my eyes on the Rose Gold backpack for the entire two weeks. It’s sooo pretty. But mom didn’t let me get it because it was too expensive (like $80!!) She relied on the Rainbow Spirit Jerseys, which Savannah and I now wear all the time.

Two stores I would recommend for Disney Merch, ears, autograph books, and more are:

1. World of Disney (Located at Downtown Disney)
2. Elias & Co. ( Located at California Adventure Park)

Elias & Co. is my favorite store. It’s so big, and has lots of awesome stuff, including walls of Rose Gold bags that I didn’t want to let go of.

For those who love group Disney T-Shirts that make a statement, check out these ideas. 

Watch a Parade

There are always parades at Disneyland, and they are never the same every time we visit. When we visited, there was the Pixar Play Parade, and it was so much fun!

It was at Disneyland Park for Pixar Fest, and featured floats and characters from Pixar movies such as The Incredibles, Toy Story, and more. Another cool feature, the floats have jets that shoot water at you! We sat at the front and got pretty wet. There is also cool themed music!

The parades are usually themed, e.g., ghoulish ones for Halloween and Christmas ones over the Holiday season. Click here to see what parades are happening when you visit!

Finish your day with the Disneyland Fireworks

We watched the fireworks show called: Remember…Dreams come true!

This is an awesome firework show that goes for 16 minutes. Watch Tinkerbell fly over the castle, popular Disney characters share their “wishes”, and amazing fireworks.

But sadly, Daddy didn’t get any good photos worth sharing. The music and fireworks are amazing, and I definitely recommend it. The show takes place on select nights only.

Ride the Disneyland Railroad

I recommend the first thing you do is to go on the Disneyland Railroad (an authentic steam-powered train) that takes 18-minutes to go around the entire park, stopping at different lands along the way.

Instead of walking everywhere, you can just take the train! It wasn’t just a boring old train ride. On the train, you go through tunnels that have displays in them. One was even the Grand Canyon! Another one was dinosaurs.

We did a full loop around the park and then stopped off at New Orleans Square. We wanted to do a full loop first, so we could see all the lands and get excited about what we’d experience at Disneyland.

When you first walk into the park, make sure to look out for the Fire Dept. When you find it, look up to the second level. In the window, there is a light – that was Walt Disney’s Apartment.

While the park was being built, he wanted to stay and watch over the construction. When the park opened, he watched his guests pour into the park. The light is always left on to keep his spirit within the park.

Tips for visiting Disneyland Park, Anaheim

Get the Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Ticket

In case you’re wondering, “10 days in Disneyland! That’s crazy!” Well, the reason for this is that you can get a 10-day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Ticket, which allows you to go around all the parks inside the Disneyland Resort – not just Disneyland Park.

Honestly, it’s great. If you have a big group like us and we still haven’t gotten everything done in all parks, you might need it.

You can go to Disneyland Park in the morning one day, go somewhere else, and come back at night to watch the fireworks or Paint the Night Parade, and you can have rest days. Then you won’t be rushing and exhausted the whole trip.

Get Disneyland Lightning Lane Passes

I love the Lightning Pass in Disney because they save you a ton of time queuing, for only a small additional cost. You can also get the paid add-on to your ticket called Genie+, which is available on the Disney App, Genie.

You can buy a Lightning Pass for one ride (single pass), or you can get a multipass, which allows you to skip the line once on each attraction.

You do need to book your slot on the ride, though, which can take the spontaneity out of your day, but if you’re short on time, this is a huge time saver. You also get deals on ride photos.

Join the single rider line

Another way to skip the lines is to line up in the single rider line; this means you can fill a seat by not sitting with your family.

We wanted to stay together, so we didn’t do this, but we can see how it would be a good ride system if you’re on a budget and don’t want to fork out for the Lightning Pass.

Disneyland Accommodation: The Disneyland Hotel

We stayed at the Disneyland® Hotel for one night as guests of the hotel.

We spent the day hanging out at the pool and going on all the water slides, which was pretty fun. Except for one part when a kid peed in the main pool.. yummy… not. That’s one thing they don’t tell you about the happiest place on Earth, right?

The coolest thing about our hotel room was that on a wall on top of the beds was the Castle, and if you flick a switch, the lights come on and music plays. That part was cool. It was also fun to see characters in the lobby, out the front of the hotel, and around the pool area.

We danced with Goofy out the front of the hotel, and played with young kids around the pool. We also walked around the lobby with Chip and Dale, and met Minnie at her kitchen.

Accommodation near Disneyland, Anaheim

Staying at a Disneyland Resort Hotel can be a very expensive way to experience Disneyland. To reduce your Disneyland costs, consider staying at a hotel near Disneyland. You can find hotels within walking distance or shuttle bus distance.

We also recommend renting a Disneyland vacation home. We rented one that slept 9 people and was only a 10-minute walk from Downtown Disney.

It was awesome and the best way to experience Disneyland with comfort, space, and a lower price. Here are a few of our Disneyland accommodation posts to help you decide:

Final Thoughts

So as you can see, there are a lot of lands, which means lots of rides and entertainment! And don’t forget the parades and shows. Also, you meet characters, and have to visit all the stores. You just have to.

So yeah, there is LOTS to do, and most of us have little time, so we hope this guide helped you to plan your visit and pick out some of your top things to do.

My favorite lands are Tomorrowland, New Orleans Square, FantasyLand, and Critter Country. What’s yours? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

Disneyland California Video

Press play below and discover the Disneyland magic at Disneyland California and California Adventure Park!

More Southern California Travel Tips

Pin To Save It On Pinterest