Exploring The Lands and Rides of Disneyland Park

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Welcome back to our Disneyland 101 series. This is a series for those planning their very first trip to the Disneyland Resort, focusing on guests who are having their first Disney vacation ever. We are breaking down everything you need to know for your vacation. This post (and the next) are the Disneyland planning guide for those who have never been to the park before and are wondering where the different rides in Disneyland are located. And what is the deal with lands? We are breaking it all down for you today.

Today we are going to go over what you need to know about Disneyland Theme. If you don’t remember, Disneyland Resort consists of 3 hotels (will become four), a shopping district, and two theme parks. The newest theme park is Disney California Adventure, but the original Disney theme park is Disneyland.

There is a lot to know about Disneyland, so this is a very simple overview of the lands and some of the rides and other attractions in each land. This is the Disneyland planning guide for those who want to know the layout of the park and where they will find different rides, so they can navigate their vacation quicker.

Disneyland Park consists of eight differently themed lands. Each land is very distinct. These lands are Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Mickey’s Toontown. Disneyland will soon be adding a ninth land! Star Wars Land which will open in 2019. We will update this post with all that information as the park opens.

In this guide we will do a quick overview of each land. We will cover where it is located and some of the Disneyland rides you might find in it.

Mainstreet USA, Disneyland Park

As you enter Disneyland Park, and go through the entrance tunnels, you will find yourself on Main Street USA. This land is themed after Walt’s memory of his hometown at the turn of the century (not the latest turn of the century- think 1900s). If you stand in the middle of the Main Street Plaza (near the flag pole) facing the castle, you will find City Hall to your left. This is where you will find Disneyland Park’s Guest Relations. If you are in need of a DAS (Dissability Access Service) you will head in there. This is also one of the places to go to get First Visit buttons, Birthday buttons, and other special occasion buttons.

Next to City Hall are a set of restrooms. On the other side of the restrooms is the Main Street Fire House.

Standing in the same spot, behind you will be the Disneyland Railroad’s Main Street Station. This is one of four stops for the Disneyland railroad.

To your right you will find the Hall of Presidents and Great Moments with Mr Lincoln attraction.
As you walk down Main Street you will find shops, restaurants, and more. The Main Street Cinema shows Steam Boat Willie and is a great air conditioned escape.
As you come to the end of Main Street you will enter the hub of Disneyland. This is where you find the Walt and Mickey Statue. From here, you can enter the four major lands.

What is in Adventureland in Disneyland?

The first land you will see on the left of the hub is Adventureland. Before you even go under the sign (pictured above) you will find the Enchanted Tiki Room. This is where you can purchase a Dole Whip. The Tiki Room is a fun little show that you sit and listen to “birds sing words and the flowers croon” while enjoying the air conditioning. Be aware that there is a part where the room goes dark and there is thunder. This may scare some little kids.

As you continue into adventure land you will find Aladdin’s Oasis. This is where you can meet Princess Jasmine and Aladdin. You will also find the World Famous Jungle Cruise in this area. The Jungle Cruise is great for families, and filled with corny jokes. It is one of the original park rides.

You will find a few souvenir shops in this area as well. They have some great Adventureland themed items. As you continue through adventure land you will find the Indiana Jones ride. This is a fun, thrill ride. It is quite jerky and has one drop and blows puffs of air, etc on you.

Indiana Jones ride in Adventureland in Disneyland

Finally, you will find Tarzan’s Tree House. While the stairs may detour you, if you have children, this is a great way to get out some energy. You also get some great views of the park from up there. Keep an eye open for Mrs Potts from Beauty and the Beast as well.

What Rides Are in Frontierland in Disneyland?

Next to Adventureland is Frontierland. Frontierland is themed to remind you of the old west. As you enter Frontierland from either the Main Street Hub or from the walkway between Adventureland and Frontierland (just after you pass the Adventureland sign), you will first come to shops, restaurants and games. Be aware the shooting games cost extra.
The Golden Horseshoe is located here, as is the Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante (Mexican). There is actually a restroom behind the Mexican Restaurant that used to be pretty empty, but lately is quite popular. The toilets in this restroom are quite tall, so some kids may need help sitting on them.

As you walk in, The Rivers of America are in front of you with Tom Sawyer’s Island in the middle. Here you can set sail on the Sailing Ship Columbia or the Mark Twain Riverboat.

If you head to the right you will find the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This is a thrill ride. It has gone under a major refurbishment, and should be reopening early in 2014. It used to be jerky, but when I attended the Disney Social Media Moms On The Road event last year, they hinted it would be made smoother.

Mark Twain Riverboat and Thunder Mountain in Frontierland in Disneyland — The Mark Twain Riverboat with Big Thunder Mountain in the background in Disneyland

If you continue past Big Thunder Mountain you will find a walkway to Fantasyland (and soon the entrance to Star Wars Land).

If you are standing by the Golden Horsehoe, looking at the Rivers of America, and head left, you will head into our next land we will cover…

What Is In New Orleans Square in Disneyland?

Next in our Disneyland Planning Guide is New Orleans Square. I am sure you can guess where this land is themed after. Welcome to New Orleans.

The first attraction you pass as you enter this land is Disneyland’s classic ride Pirates of the Caribbean. You will also find lots of little shops and some restaurants. The Blue Bayou is located in New Orleans Square as well. This is the restaurant that is “inside Pirates of the Caribbean.” If you want to eat there, be sure to make a reservation. Standby wait time is often 30-60 minutes.

As you continue down the main path on New Orleans Square, on the right you will find the loading area to head over to the Pirate’s lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island. This is a great stop if you have children with a lot of energy. They can run around and explore on the island.

Between Pirates of the Caribbean and the shops and restaurants, and The Haunted Mansion, you will find the New Orleans Train Station. You can hop on the Disneyland Railroad here.
The Haunted Mansion is your last major attraction in New Orleans. This is another classic Disneyland ride. It really isn’t super scary, but there is a few parts that might scare some children.

What Is In Critter Country?

Walking past New Orleans Square you will arrive in Critter Country. This is where you will find Splash Mountain, the Davy Crockett Canoes, and every toddler’s favorite ride (or at all of my toddler’s) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

This is also where you will find Pooh’s corner. A great place to meet Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. If you are hungry be sure to grab a bite to eat at The Hungry Bear. Head downstairs and sit along the Rivers of America to eat. There is also a good bathroom down there to dry off after Splash Mountain.

Let’s head back out to the Main Street Hub and stand at the Walt and Mickey Statue. Look straight at the castle and you will see a walkway to Fantasyland.

Teacup ride in Fantasyland in Disneyland

Fantasyland in Disneyland – Lots of Rides In A Small Space

Fantasyland is probably what comes to mind when most people think about Disneyland. This is where you are going to find rides like Peter Pan, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (aka Tea Cups), Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland and more. The best thing about Fantasyland is that the rides are all very close together, making it easy to jump from one ride to the next.

TIP: Park your stroller and make your way around Fantasyland stroller free!

A few rides to take note of are Pinocchio’s Daring Adventure, Snow White’s Scary Adventure, and Mr Toad’s Wild Ride. While these are all great, iconic rides, they are all a tad scary, so just be prepared before taking your little ones on them.

A few other rides in Fantasyland that are fun for kids are Casey Junior (train), Storybook Canal, and of course, It’s a Small World. The Matterhorn also resides in Fantasyland (as well as in Tomorrowland).

When you are looking at the castle, you will see the main path through the castle, a smaller path to the right. This goes by Snow White’s Grotto and her Wishing Well. You can often find Snow White here. Next to that is the entrance to Pixie Hollow. These are all BEFORE you cross through the drawbridge into the castle.

If you look at the path on the left this is where you will go to get to the Princess Fantasy Faire. Here you can meet all your favorite Disney Princesses and also have story time with one of them. A fun little hint, this path on the left is a great place to get the shot at the very top of this post with Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and the Matterhorn.

Some people are confused on how to get to Small World. If you are at the Tea Cups and Storybook Canal Boats, look towards the Matterhorn and then turn left. Follow that walkway to get to Small World. Across from the ext of it’s a small world is the theater for Mickey and the Magical Map, as well as the loading area for the ToonTown Railroad Station.

If you are looking at Small World, then you are ready to head to our next land

Where is Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland?

If you turn right when you are in front of Small World, and follow that path, you will make your way to Mickey’s Toontown. Before you cross under the bridge, look to the left. This is where you will find the theater for Mickey and the Magical Map. Just past that is the Toontown Train Station. The third stop on the Disneyland Railroad.

Cross under the bridge and you are in every child’s happy place. Toontown is a great place to go with kids. they can explore Goofy’s backyard, which is a play area. They can climb around in Donald’s Boat, explore Chip and Dale’s Tree House. There are lots of fun surprises. Of course, the best things are that this is where Mickey and his friends tend to be out for pictures. Mickey and Minnie have houses here. Minnie is often times at her house for meet n greets. Mickey Mouse is always in his house filming his next big movie. You can go get his autograph and have your picture taken with him there.

Gadget's Go Coaster in Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland — The Goof’s first roller coaster. He looks terrified but immediately asked to ride again.

Toontown has a few gift shops and places to eat. It also has two rides. Both are a bit on the scarier side. Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin is not too bad, but the queue is slightly scary for some kids. The other ride is Gadget’s Go Coaster. This is a small roller coaster and the first semi-thrill ride kids will be able to as far as height requirements.

Let’s head back out to the Mainstreet Hub and head over to our final land…

Tomorrowland in Disneyland

If you are looking at the Castle, standing by the Walt and Mickey statue, to your right you will see the Astro Orbiters at the entrance to Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland is undergoing a bit of a transformation lately. Many people refer to it as the temporary Star Wars Land. You will find storm troopers patrolling the land, the Star Wars Launch Bay and more.

The rides in this area are all pretty popular. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Star Tours, Space Mountain, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Astro Orbitor and Autopia. You will also find the Monorail Station and the final stop of the Disneyland Railroad in Tomorrowland. This is also where you can learn to be a Jedi, check out the Star Wars Launch Bay, and enjoy some music at night.

Both Star Tours and Space Mountain are have fastpass, as they are very popular rides. If you have a Magic Morning entry into the park, these are good rides to hit (if they are open) during this time.

Astro Orbitor ride in Tomorrowland in Disneyland

We have covered all of the lands in the Disneyland Theme Park (until Star Wars Land opens). Hopefully this Disneyland planning guide will help you with your next Disneyland vacation. Next up…Entertainment and Magical Extras in Disneyland.

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Comments

Frontierland Station says

July 14, 2014 at

I haven’t had the chance to visit Disneyland yet, but I can’t wait to experience the original Disney park! I’ll be especially excited to see the lands and attractions WDW doesn’t have. I’m so glad Disneyland still has Toontown. I do miss the WDW version.
:DISTherapy says

July 14, 2014 at

This is a complete Disneyland primer! I just the nostalgia at this park; I can just see Walt strolling through my favorite land there- New Orleans Square. And I can’t wait to run through it again this November and January!!! (Yes, I’m giddy.)
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