Disneyland is a destination that I would visit time and time again. In fact, this trip was my 7th time visiting the parks. That being said, I’ve never had the opportunity to explore or experience Anaheim and the surrounding areas. My trip really gave me a taste of everything the city has to offer beyond Disneyland and gave me some great information about alternative activities and the best properties in the area.

The trip started with the one and only, Disneyland. Downtown Disney is a great place to experience shopping and dining for those wanting a taste of the Disney Magic before their official park days start. Downtown Disney is located between the two parks and is free to enter. We spent the evening dining at one of the original restaurants in the area, Naples. This is a great place for classic Italian pizza and sides. We learned how to properly shape the pizza crust, add our own toppings, and watch them fire it in a classic stone pizza oven. After our dining experience, we got to shop and explore the area, preparing for our long Disney day the next morning.

There is nothing that beats the feeling of arriving at a Disney park. They truly create a magical experience from the second you walk into the lot. Music plays over the courtyard, you get a distant smell of popcorn and churros, and you have plenty of friendly staff welcoming you to the parks. It’s all fun and games until you enter the park, then it’s go time!

I absolutely DO NOT recommend doing Disneyland in one day. Even with a Lightning Lane and a Park Hopper ticket, you will not get even close to experiencing everything the parks have to offer. With our limited time, we focused primarily on rides and planned our day around getting on as many as we could. We spent the morning in Disneyland, and we managed to get on several rides with minimal wait times. Disneyland is ALWAYS busy; However, November does tend to be slightly slower which worked in our favour. After a long day of running around, we managed to get on around 16 rides, a new record for me! We finished the night watching World of Colour and stayed until the parks closed.

The rest of the trip was spent exploring Anaheim and the surrounding areas. Our first activity was a visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific. The aquarium is located in Long Beach and is a great family friendly activity. They had all kinds of exhibits ranging from fish, frogs, sea otters, penguins, sharks, and more. The aquarium also has various kids’ activities, live animal encounters, and educational shows in the theatre, providing options for the whole family.

After the aquarium, we went to eat some lunch in Anaheim’s Packing District. This is a historical area dates back to 1919 when Citrus became one of Orange County’s booming industries. The main building in the district is the Anaheim Packing House, which was originally a packing plant that served as a hub of commerce for farmers and other local vendors. Later, it was refurbished into a large food hall and community gathering space. Today, the food hall has become a great place to sample diverse dining options and fresh produce.

We got to sample various bites and cocktails from the various vendors in the hall. There are options that will satisfy every palette ranging from charcuterie, ice cream, tacos, curry, pastries, pub food, and much more. I had never heard of this place before, so I wasn’t sure what to except, but this turned out to be a local gem. It is easy to access with Anaheim’s local transportation, making it a quick and easy dining option.

The next day was a beautiful, sunny day in Anaheim and we made out way over to Huntington Beach where we rented E-Bikes to ride along the coast. There is 10 miles of uninterrupted beach, with biking and walking paths along the shore. Right across the street there are various shopping and dining options, making it a great day trip if you are looking for a relaxing beach day. We had some bites and played some golf simulator at Sticks & Stones Clubhouse, then got ready for an Anaheim Ducks hockey game.

We took Anaheim’s local transportation to the ARTIC center, Anaheim’s transportation hub, then did a short 5-minute walk over to the Honda Center. We got to enjoy the game against the Boston Bruins in club level seats, eventually winning 4-3. It was a great way to end the trip and one that will not be soon forgotten!