Things to do aside from downtown Disney

[petunia]

Things to do on early arrival day? Obvs we will explore downtown area, but anything else to do for an afternoon/few hours? Unsure if we will rent a car or just uber to and from airport..

 

[bbeagle]

Things to do on early arrival day? Obvs we will explore downtown area, but anything else to do for an afternoon/few hours? Unsure if we will rent a car or just uber to and from airport..

Depends on which airport you're coming into.

If you're coming into LAX, drive by the Hollywood sign, drive through Beverly Hills, go to Santa Monica or Malibu and dip your toes into the Ocean.

 

[petunia]

Yes LAX

 

[dcassetta]

Garden Walk or an Angels game if you go during baseball season.

 

[pharmama]

Since you're going during the holidays I would definitely visit the lobby of Grand Californian for the general holiday atmosphere and decor as well as the gingerbread house (find all the hidden mickeys. You may need to go up to the second floor balcony area to be able to see them all..). If they're having them this year, the carolers at the GCH are AWESOME in the evening too. Also Santa photos if you are so inclined.

You could consider a visit to Trader Sams at the Disneyland hotel as well (under 21 are allowed up until 8pm).

 

[cmph]

I second the Trader Sam's recommendation, and just plain taking your time to enjoy the non-parks areas. We are not locals, but we were in the area recently for non-DL reasons and had some free time. Could not justify the cost of 1-day park tix for a half day, so we decided on a Downtown Disney + Trader Sam's itinerary. I was still bummed that we didn't get inside seating on our last trip, so this made up for it!

It was really such a relaxing outing. Every other trip, we're so parks-focused, and we rush through non-parks things. Knowing it was purely time to wander Downtown Disney and DLH made that whole area so much more enjoyable. We took our time browsing stores, taking photos, poking our nose around the new DVC tower, and enjoying seasonal things (Halloween season - so pumpkin carvings at DLH, and Scare-olers).

 

[LKing]

Are you planning on using a car during the rest of your trip? Hotel parking is $$$ and might not be worth it.

Have you been to So Cal before? How old are the people in your group and what do they enjoy doing?

 

[crystal1313]

We always enjoy checking out the Anaheim Packing district. We plan on going there our next trip on our rest day.

https://www.anaheimpackingdistrict.com/

 

[petunia]

Are you planning on using a car during the rest of your trip? Hotel parking is $$$ and might not be worth it.

Have you been to So Cal before? How old are the people in your group and what do they enjoy doing?

I think we will end up renting a car. First time for us..2 adults and 2 teens.

 

[LKing]

If you haven't been to the beach before, I think that is a must see. If you are flying into LAX, LGB or SNA, it would be easier to drive directly to the beach from the airport, and then head to Disneyland.

Bbeagle shared some suggestions if you are flying into LAX. If you are flying into SNA, you might want to check out Newport Beach and Balboa. If your teens are thinking about colleges, UC Irvine (CA public school) is very close to SNA airport. Chapman University (private school) is close to Disneyland.

Not sure of your interests, but Angel Stadium offers tours. https://www.mlb.com/angels/ballpark/tours

 

[ParkHopper1]

We always enjoy checking out the Anaheim Packing district. We plan on going there our next trip on our rest day.

https://www.anaheimpackingdistrict.com/

While there are no shortage of food options at DTD and the Resort Hotels the Anaheim Packing District is also one of our faves for break away from the Parks. Well worth the Uber ride.

...be sure to save room for the pick a flavor custom dipped then add toppings of your choice gelato bars for dessert!

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

I always rent a car for the day from Alamo when arriving at LAX and drop it off the next day at the Hertz location near DL. I will run some errands, visit one of the beaches, and shop at locations exclusive to CA.

 

[fantasia73]

We flew in early last month. By the time we got our luggage and drive through the LA traffic, we were hungry for lunch. So took our time eating in Downtown Disney. Checked into the hotel and unpacked. Took a nap and rested. Then went out for dinner in Downtown Disney, shopped and walked through the Grand Californian. We knew that once we started going into the parks, we'd be less interested in shopping in Downtown Disney. And we were right!

 

[Bossy22]

We always spend the first afternoon/evening in downtown disney just getting ready for the week ahead! We buy things like autograph books (if your kids are that age and enjoy that sort of thing) and just enjoy it all before we have a quick dip in the pool and an early night to bed because the week ahead will be loooonnnnnggggg! (but in a good way lol) We then take an afternoon on a day off (we book a day off to sleep in a spend at the pool or the beach but we always take a few hours to go check out all the cool stuff around the hotels (lobbies, grounds, etc). Have a great trip!!!

 

[Aspencreek]

We always enjoy checking out the Anaheim Packing district. We plan on going there our next trip on our rest day.

https://www.anaheimpackingdistrict.com/

While there are no shortage of food options at DTD and the Resort Hotels the Anaheim Packing District is also one of our faves for break away from the Parks. Well worth the Uber ride.

...be sure to save room for the pick a flavor custom dipped then add toppings of your choice gelato bars for dessert!

Couple of you have mentioned the Packing District and I've never even heard of it before. What is there to do and how long would you plan for a visit if we popped over to check it out?

 

[wabbott]

We've driven the coast from LA to Anaheim a couple of times. There's no better place in the Los Angeles Basin to be stuck in traffic than here. Killer views of Santa Catalina, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes, San Pedro and Huntington Beach. Beats the freeway view hands down.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Couple of you have mentioned the Packing District and I've never even heard of it before. What is there to do and how long would you plan for a visit if we popped over to check it out?

It is kinda like a giant foodie food hall...but not a mall or airport food court...with everything from sit down places to incubator pop up local counter service eateries...tons of great options that everyone can find something they like and eat in the common areas. You could spend hours just grazing bites and drinks from various shops to a quick in and back meal.