Once upon a time, one of the world’s greatest filmmakers created the very first theme park, and the world came to marvel at it. Now, more than 60 years later, Disneyland is still the wondrous house that Walt built, and the industry he created still calls Southern California home. In a region filled with enough sights and sounds to keep a vacationer busy 52 weeks out of the year, millions of visitors come to Southern California for no other reason than to spend time visiting Disneyland, other theme parks, and similar destinations. And that’s what this chapter is all about. It’s time to visit Disneyland!

Closest to our hearts and the hearts of many others is Walt Disney’s original Disneyland Park. This is the park that Walt dreamed and built, and shared with us on his weekly television shows. The pavement still echoes with his footsteps, and more than 10,000 “cast members” (all employees help put on the “show” and are “on stage” whenever they are in the public eye) carry on Walt’s vision with love and devotion. Walt’s vision included standards for customer service and imaginative design that still motivate and inspire his cast today. A short stroll away, across a sun-drenched plaza (the Esplanade) is Disney California Adventure park (DCA). While it’s 45 years younger than its big brother across the plaza, DCA boasts a growing lineup of fabulous attractions and is one of Disney’s most beautiful parks—breathtakingly designed vistas open around every bend.

We have no problem spending five or more days at what’s now known as Disneyland Resort, so you must excuse us if we devote a good portion of this chapter to Walt Disney’s pride and joy. But we haven’t left out the other popular parks in Southern California. This chapter covers the ins and outs of admission tickets, detailed descriptions of virtually every park and its attractions, our detailed park maps, tips, tricks, touring plans, and a Touring Worksheet to help you organize your days. We’ll show you how to have the most magical Southern California vacation imaginable.