From Lonely Planet
Southern California’s theme parks rank high among family favorites nationwide. If visiting Disney’s ‘Happiest Place on Earth,’ getting a thrill from Hollywood’s movie magic or just feeling a powerful need for speed on a rad roller coaster is on your itinerary, this is the place.
Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. Image by HarshLight / CC BY 2.0
Some rides may have minimum-height requirements, so let the younger kids know in advance to avoid disappointment and tears.
Disneyland Park & Disney California Adventure
Topping almost every family’s must-do fun list is Walt Disney’s ‘imagineered’ theme park. All ages of kids, even teens, and the eternally young at heart adore Disneyland, along with next-door Disney California Adventure. You’ll see huge, multi-generational families enjoying the park’s rides and attractions together, from mothers with newborn babes in arms to elderly great-grandparents.
The park aims to be the ‘Happiest Place on Earth,’ an expression coined by Walt Disney himself when it first opened on July 17, 1955. Today, spotless, wholesome Disneyland is still laid out according to Walt’s original plan.
Behind Sleeping Beauty Castle, Fantasyland is your best bet for meeting princesses and other characters in costume. If you only see one attraction in Fantasyland, visit It’s a Small World, a boat ride past hundreds of Audio-Animatronics children from different cultures singing the theme song in an astounding variety of languages.
Pirates of the Caribbean, the longest ride in Disneyland (17 minutes), opened in 1967 and was the first addition to the original park. At the Haunted Mansion, ‘happy haunts’ – spirits and goblins, shades and ghosts – evanesce while you ride the Doom Buggy through web-covered graveyards. Space Mountain, which hurtles you into complete darkness at frightening speed, is one of the USA’s best roller coasters.
For shows, don’t miss Fantasmic, an outdoor extravaganza on Disneyland’s Rivers of America, with its full-size ships, lasers and pyrotechnics. Arrive early to snag the best seats, which are down front by the water.
You can see either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure in a day, but going on all the rides requires at least two days (three if visiting both parks). To minimize wait times, especially in summer, arrive midweek before the gates open and use the Fastpass system, which assigns boarding times for selected attractions. A variety of multiday passes are available. Check the website for discounts and seasonal park hours. Parking is $15. Admission: 1-day pass Disneyland Park or DCA adult/child 3-9yr $80/74, both parks $105/99.
Universal Studios Hollywood
One of the world’s oldest and largest continuously operating movie studios, Universal first opened to the public in 1915, when studio head Carl Laemmle invited visitors at a quaint 25¢ each (including a boxed lunch) to watch silent films being made.
Your chances of seeing an actual movie shoot are slim to none at Universal’s current theme park incarnation, yet generations of visitors have had a ball here. Start with the 45-minute narrated Studio Tour aboard a giant, multicar tram that takes you past working soundstages and outdoor sets such as Desperate Housewives. Also prepare to survive a shark attack à la Jaws and an 8.3-magnitude earthquake. It’s hokey but fun.
Among the dozens of other attractions, King Kong in 3-D scares the living daylights, the Simpsons Ride is a motion-simulated romp ‘designed’ by Krusty the Klown, and you can splash down among the dinos of Jurassic Park; while Special Effects Stages illuminate the craft of movie-making.
Allow a full day to see all the attractions, especially in summer. To beat the crowds, invest in the Front of Line Pass ($149). Parking is $12, or arrive via Metro Red Line. Admission: $77/69 over/under 48in.
Six Flags Magic Mountain & Hurricane Harbor
Velocity rules at Six Flags Magic Mountain, an amusement park with dozens of baffling ways to go up, down and inside out, fast to faster.
Speed-crazed teens can get their thrills on the 16 bone-chilling roller coasters, including the aptly named Scream, which goes through seven loops, including a zero-gravity roll and a dive loop, with you sitting in a floorless chair. If you’ve got a stomach of steel, don’t miss X2, where cars spin 360 degrees while hurtling forward and plummeting all at once. Many rides have height restrictions ranging from 36in to 58in, but there are tamer rides for the elementary school set, plus shows, parades and concerts for all ages.
On hot summer days, little ones might be more in their element next door at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a jungle-themed 22-acre water park with a tropical lagoon, churning wave pools and wicked high-speed slides.
Check the website for discounts. If you don’t have your own transport, look for organized tour flyers in hotels. Parking is $15. Admission: adult/child under 4ft $62/37 (Magic Mountain); adult/child under 4ft $35/25 (Hurricane Harbor).
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