Family Travel: Disney California Adventure, Flickr: harshlight

Radiator Springs in Cars Land

The Disneyland Resort in Southern California is on every family’s top attraction list.  This June, Disney California Adventure completed its five-year remodel and the park has never been more grand.

The biggest addition to the lineup is Cars Land.  Cars Land draws its theme from the popular Disney Pixar films of the same name, and fans of the film will be amazed at the detail and precision that Disney Imagineers used in making the film come alive.  Radiator Springs Racers, the focal attraction in the land, immerses guests even further in the movie by taking them through iconic scenes in classic Disney storytelling fashion.   As if this wasn’t enough, the ride picks up the pace and heads outdoors to a massive recreation of a desert landscape (with the iconic car grill peaks of course!) for a fast-paced race ride where you compete side-by-side with other park guests to the thrilling finish.  Guests must be 40” or taller to ride.  To save time snag a Fastpass near the entrance to “It’s Tough to be a Bug.”

In addition to this incredible ride, Cars Land boasts two additional rides: Luigi’s Flying Tires, which mimics the classic “flying saucers” ride of old-time Disneyland, and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, a tow-truck-pulled spinning ride that is similar and to the famous Tea Cups, but with its own unique take.  Both of these family-friendly rides are available for small children 32” or taller as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

In case you are hungry, Cars Land’s assortment of restaurants and snack stands are revved up and ready to serve.  Flo’s V8 Café and the Cozy Cone Motel offer great food options and plenty of Route 66 nostalgia.

Cars Land may be grand but it isn’t the only newcomer on the Disney California Adventure lineup.  The entire entrance to the park has undergone a complete makeover; it’s now called Buena Vista Street.  Guests now enter the park and are immediately swept into 1920s Los Angeles, the era when Walt Disney first arrived with his Mickey Mouse dreams.  Red Car Trolleys roll down the street, era-specific characters mull about adding to the old-fashioned charm and atmosphere, and live music from shows like the “Red Car News Boys” and “Five and Dime” pull the entire storyline together.  At the end of the street, Carthay Circle, modeled after the original theater where Snow White premiered, now offers guests two brand new dining options; downstairs has quick snacks, drinks, and bites, while a fine dining restaurant awaits upstairs.

Disney California Adventure is open daily.  Single day tickets are $87 for adults and $81 for kids 3-9.

Discount tickets are available with multiple days and/or options selected.


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