2 Days without park tickets WHAT TO DO???

[FLmomof2]

Any suggestions on things to do on non-park days? We are traveling from the east coast in April and since you can only purchase 5 day tickets we will have 2 days without.

It will be my husband and I and my 2 girls (13 & 10). We won't have a car either. Last time we went I remember something about a red trolley tour?

Also the last time we went we never left the property, if we do leave is there anything to see or do in walking distance?

Any suggestions would be great!!

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

With 5 days in the parks, no doubt you will already have spent some time in Downtown Disney and nearby restaurants, and at a pool if warm enough.

If it isn't a big hit to the budget-rent a car. Two whole non-park days, you can see a lot of things nearby. There are a lot of cool museums in the region, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Safari Park, Knotts, Beaches, Griffith Observatory, multiple shopping venues, Hollywood (be warned-downtown area can be a tad scummy and costumed characters can be quite aggressive for photos), etc., etc., etc.

There are also tours you can do by bus-though we have never done any of them so I can not offer any advice there.

 

[alvernon90]

I second the idea of renting a car for at least one day. Your family might also be interested in visiting Universal Studios.

 

[Girimama33]

Check out these tour websites:
http://graylineanaheim-px.rtrk.com/sightseeing_tours.cfm
http://www.starlinetours.com/anaheim-tours.asp

Knots Berry Farm is close, not walking distance though.
If you rent a car for the day, you can always head to the beach. You could also take the bus too if you are on a budget.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

There are a lot of things to do in the area for the two days you won't be at the parks. I also recommend renting a car for one or two days, and some places you can visit are: 1 day - La Brea Tarpits, Griffith Park Observatory, Hollywood & Highland, Santa Monica Pier... another day - Mission San Juan Capistrano, drive along the coast & stop for a bite to eat, or Knotts Berry Farm, or Universal Studios. There are also a lot of different museums in the area - we have the Museum of Natural History & Science Museum next to each other, with the Endeavor shuttle at the Science Museum.

 

[FLmomof2]

Thanks everyone! I will look into renting a car, surely there must be places close by that rent them. I will start researching these places!

 

[Girimama33]

There are several nearby...even DTD has an Alamo desk. If you are a Costo member, check rates through them....and often.I never find any other site cheaper.

 

[22Tink]

Lots of car rental places. We always rent a car and do a beach day! Knott's is really close. A quick cab or bus ride away. Check into day tours, too. There are day tours that include transportation to San Diego, Universal or Hollywood, etc. Have a great trip!!

 

[JonKPest]

The DL Podcast has a great Day Six section!
http://www.disunplugged.com/?s=day+six

 

[Chris9ty]

We took the Metro 460- it's $1.75 per trip per person and went to Knotts and another day to Medieval Times (there is a pirate dinner show and a museum near by too).
Here's the bus info
http://socalfun.biz.ht/dlr2bp.html


Then one day we took a gray line bus to Universal- Harry Potter may be opening by then. Sure beat trying to drive in the traffic! We took a driver service (or you could Uber) an afternoon at Huntington Beach just to see the Pacific Ocean. There's other beaches of you plan to spend a day there.

 

[FLmomof2]

Thank you all so much! These are all great options!

 

[FLmomof2]

Love that the bus route has pictures!! I like visuals!

 

[Bud Ice]

Plenty to do...

- Pool Cabana at DLR or Mandara Spa
- Downtown Disney (House of Blues Concert, AMC Theater)
- Knott's Berry Farm
- Baseball: Opening Days for LA Angels Baseball
- Medieval Times
- Pirates Adventure
- Beach: Huntington / Newport
- Melting Pot - Fondue Fun!
- Yard House - 100 beers on tap!
- Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana
- Santa Ana Zoo
- Malls: Block at Orange (Outlets), Mainplace at Santa Ana, Brea Mall (recommend), South Coast in Costa Mesa
- Movie Theaters: DTD AMC, Block at Orange 30 screens!, Discount Picture Show at Mainplace ($2 movies), Century 25 at Katella and Main

LA...

- Hollywood & Highland
- Universal City
- Burbank Studios Tour
- Santa Monica Pier
- Beverly Hills / Rodeo Dr (Use "If you love me...")

San Diego...

- Legoland
- Sea World
- San Diego Zoo
- Gaslamp District

 

[justgrace]

Check out the OC Beach Tour. We did this tour in April and it was great! They have a bus that comes to your hotel and takes you to Laguna, Newport, and Huntington beach. Our driver, Tom, was very friendly and knowledgeable. If you do this option, I would try calling them directly. I think it was pretty reasonably priced as well.

It would save on having to drive in Southern California!

 

[freckles04]

I second the OC Beach Tour through the Anaheim Tour Company! Not only do you not have to drive in Southern CA traffic, you don't have to worry about finding parking at the various beaches.

Also, through the same company, look into the Space & Hollywood tour. My 11 year old loved it. They took us to the California Science Center (with tickets to the IMAX show), Hollywood Blvd, In and Out Burger, and finally to the Griffith Observatory with VIP tickets to the planetarium show. We got to watch the sunset over the Hollywood sign. The tour ran from about 12pm-9pm so it was a great way to get a "sleep in" day on a Disney vacation.

We loved both tours so much that we are doing them again in May.

 

[jrsharp21]

Could also catch the fireworks from the Esplanade one of the evenings. Plenty of people sit out there for the fireworks. Grab some treats from DTD, grab a spot, and enjoy. Kind of cool to watch the fireworks come up over the train station.

 

[agamble]

One of those days would be good for a character breakfast at one of the hotels. I'd do the 2 days separate from each other. One day in the middle of the trip is good to break up the park storming and allow for sleeping in.

 

[DLfan4]

universal studios or knotts berry farm

 

[aussiegirls]

Go to Warner bros studios. It's amazing. A million times better than universal. You can get a bus tour that'll pick you up from your hotel and take you there and back.

 

[DisneyPanthersFan]

We took a 10 hour Lux Bus America tour - we did the Best of Los Angeles - LA, Hollywood & Beaches Tour. Lots of fun without having to drive, and we were able to visit both Hollywood and the beach (you have a choice between Santa Monica and Venice). We were able to walk from our hotel to their main transportation center at the Anaheim GardenWalk, but they also have hotel pickup.

We also did the Warner Brothers studio tour thanks to someone on this board recommending it, and we LOVED it!