Tell me about California Liquor Laws

[avalon451]

Ok, not that I'm a lush or anything! But I read a couple of references here to getting wine or beer, or a MARGARITA?!?! and walking around the parks with it?? Yum!

Coming from Washington, which has some of the strictest laws on the books of any states for open container laws, where you can be served, under-21 on the premises, etc. it's strange to me that you could purchase wine or beer and walk around with it. In WA, you'd be confined to a "beer garden" -- HA-- which, at fairs or festivals, usually consists of a chain-link fence around a strip of parking lot with a couple of beat up aluminum picnic tables in it. Blah. Never done those, never will.

So anyway, where in California Adventure can you purchase such treats, what is available, and where can you go with them?

Again... not because I'm an alcoholic or an irresponsible parent... I'm going with my DD13 and I'm a relative lightweight, but I do enjoy the occasional single glass of wine with a meal or a yummy margarita. And I can see that if it's hot and crowded, it would probably have a great effect on my attitude! I'm much more laid back when I've had a margarita!

 

[dalepool]

Yes, you can walk around DCA while enjoying a drink (Beer,wine ,and or Maragarita's). There is a Maragarita stand near the wharf, wine at the winery--you get the wine in a plastic glass that actually looks like real glass . There are seats to watch the parade from very near the winery to enjoy your beberage. They do not have alchohol at Disneyland. (Well Club 33 does but that is private club). Hope this helps---- enjoy your trip. Have a sip of wine for me.

Happy Planning
Patty

 

[Disney Dreams]

The alcohol laws vary depending upon the event and its longevity. For example, I helped planned a community festival that was a one day event. We had to have a very specific area marked off for alcoholic consumption (aka Beer Garden, as you called it).

More specific to your question, though, at DCA there are several places where you can get alcohol. There is beer at Taste Pilots Grill and Pizza Oom Mow Mow. There is a Karl Strauss beer truck and a margarita stand at the Pacific Wharf. There are also restaurants, like Wine Country Trattoria, where you can get alcohol of various types.

If you get a margarita with alcohol it is in a clear cup. This is how they know you are drinking alcohol. You can wander around the park with it, but cannot leave the gates of DCA with it. They will stop you and tell you that you need to finish it inside the park or dispose of it.

- Dreams

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

To top it off - the clear cups are a bright flourescest color - at least for the beer! You can spot a beer drinker for 100 yards!

We had one Saturday, since it was so hot. We like the Heffeweisen with a twist - they give you option of lemon or orange! We walked all the way around the Paradise Pier area of the park with it. It didn't last past the Maliboomer!

 

[Sherry E]

I am not much of a drinker at all, so on the rare occasion I drink anything alcoholic, I am either supper giggly or super mellow within 15 minutes. This may not be a good thing at DL, where I need to keep a clear head! However, I would like to have a nice frothy, fruity concoction like a pina colada or a daiquiri, or something tropical and sweet. Do they have anything like that in DCA or do I have to go to one of the restaurants/lounges/hotel bars for that sort of thing?

 

[bumbershoot]

Sherry E, you want the Cove Bar.


Gail, I figure the whole place is under their liquor license. But CA laws are much different than WA (though we went to the amazon picnic last month, and although there was a beer garden, we could take the beer out of the fenced off area, which was cool), most definitely. You can buy liquor in grocery stores in CA, for instance! WA is just weird (as evidenced by kids not being allowed when only beer and wine are served, but if a place has a full liquor license then kids MUST be allowed on some part of the premises, explain THAT one to me, LOL...OK I understand why they do it, it just doesn't make common sense!).

 

[ballarinamom]

There is only alcohol available at DCA and not at DL. They try to keep with Walt's vision but it's all ago at DCA! Ditto with the Cove Bar. It's easy in and easy out. Plus there are places in DTD. Just don't try to bring them past security

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry E, you want the Cove Bar. .

The Cove Bar is at the Avalon Cove Restaurant, right? I always liked the idea of Avalon Cove because I LOVE Catalina Island (Catalina and Disneyland are my two favorite places here in SoCal) and the idea of a sort of merging of the two places would be heaven for me! But I have heard that Avalon Cove is not quite 'Catalina enough.' And it is not quite 'Disney enough.' In any case, if the Cove Bar serves frothy or tropical drinks, then I might check it out.

 

[disneyobsessed808]

The Cove Bar is at the Avalon Cove Restaurant, right? I always liked the idea of Avalon Cove because I LOVE Catalina Island (Catalina and Disneyland are my two favorite places here in SoCal) and the idea of a sort of merging of the two places would be heaven for me! But I have heard that Avalon Cove is not quite 'Catalina enough.' And it is not quite 'Disney enough.' In any case, if the Cove Bar serves frothy or tropical drinks, then I might check it out.

I believe it used to be Avalon Cove, now the restaurant is just Ariel's Grotto (a character meal restaurant) with the cove bar still intact.

 

[bumbershoot]

I know nothing of Avalon Cove (though it does tie in nicely with the OP, LOL). But you just walk past the Ariel Restaurant greeters, go straight there, and you're in the bar. There's also an entrance with a step (we had a sleeping kid in a stroller so the step was not happening for us) closer to CA Screamin.

I had the Pina Colava, which is raspberry, mainly. Spendy but lovely, and not all that much booze in it at all.

We had food there too, so we didn't try to take anything out, so I don't know if you can from Cove Bar. But the margaritas and brews certainly are carried all over!

 

[Sherry E]

I believe it used to be Avalon Cove, now the restaurant is just Ariel's Grotto (a character meal restaurant) with the cove bar still intact.

Oh, did they change the name entirely? I knew of Ariel's Grotto, but, for some reason I thought it was a different establishment from Avalon Cove, but in the same region of the park! Wow! You learn something new every day! Oh well, it sounds like Avalon Cove didn't quite fit into the Disneyland niche or the Catalina/Avalon motif, so Ariel's Grotto is certainly a better fit for the park! I will have to try the character meal there one of these days.

 

[Sherry E]

I know nothing of Avalon Cove (though it does tie in nicely with the OP, LOL). But you just walk past the Ariel Restaurant greeters, go straight there, and you're in the bar. There's also an entrance with a step (we had a sleeping kid in a stroller so the step was not happening for us) closer to CA Screamin.

I had the Pina Colava, which is raspberry, mainly. Spendy but lovely, and not all that much booze in it at all.

We had food there too, so we didn't try to take anything out, so I don't know if you can from Cove Bar. But the margaritas and brews certainly are carried all over!

I wonder if they have a strawberry version of the Pina Colava. I have to find something strawberry and frothy, with very little alcohol! I really have to spend more time in DCA than I have already, especially if any of these restaurants are in danger of closing or changing with the park's upcoming transformation in the next few years.

From what I heard about Avalon Cove (although I could have sworn that I saw the sign for Avalon Cove last year while I was there, but I guess not), it was not even technically owned or operated by Disney. It was a Wolfgang Puck-owned operation that was put on Disney property, and it never quite fit into the Disney DCA vibe, even though Avalon/Catalina is a piece of California history.

 

[avalon451]

Sherry E, you want the Cove Bar.


Gail, I figure the whole place is under their liquor license. But CA laws are much different than WA (though we went to the amazon picnic last month, and although there was a beer garden, we could take the beer out of the fenced off area, which was cool), most definitely. You can buy liquor in grocery stores in CA, for instance! WA is just weird (as evidenced by kids not being allowed when only beer and wine are served, but if a place has a full liquor license then kids MUST be allowed on some part of the premises, explain THAT one to me, LOL...OK I understand why they do it, it just doesn't make common sense!).

Yeah, isn't Washington strange? The state has a monopoly on all the liquor stores, and they set some weird rules. Though I just read somewhere that they may change some laws to allow beer and wine to be tasted in grocery stores! When I visited a friend in Texas and they were doing this at the grocery store, I was amazed. And then I visit family in Wisconsin and it's so strange to me to see liquor available in the grocery stores.

Anyway, thanks for all the responses! I knew it was just DCA, but I was wondering where and what, and if anybody had any fabulous recommendations.

You know what would sound good to me, is one of those Tinkerbelle Twists, with a little hooch thrown in. Like de Kuyper sour apple schnapps or whatever that stuff is. Yum.

Or a frozen lemonade with Absolut Limon.

Now I'm drooling.

 

[bumbershoot]

"I just read somewhere that they may change some laws to allow beer and wine to be tasted in grocery stores! "

I read that too! So excited.


To get used to DCA and carrying booze around, you should go to a Mcmenamins B&B in the Portland area. You can carry booze around the whole place. Let me know when you're going; we'll try to go and meet up. (we love McMenamins, LOL). Disney homework!


Sherry, they have a full bar, so I'm sure you can order just about anything you want. Allears has a brief menu that doesn't include the colava, so there are lpenty of things.

There's also a bar in GCH that many people rave about. But I doubt if you can walk around with them. But that wasn't *your* question.

 

[avalon451]

To get used to DCA and carrying booze around, you should go to a Mcmenamins B&B in the Portland area. You can carry booze around the whole place. Let me know when you're going; we'll try to go and meet up. (we love McMenamins, LOL). Disney homework!

McMenamins, YES. They have that little neighborhood bar & grill thingy in Mill Creek, just a couple miles from us; one of our favorite local places. Really good French Quarter Blackened chicken sandwich, and their Terminator Stout rocks. They've had some delicious veggie options, too, grilled smoked mozzarella sandwich and such, yum! We always talk about going down to Oregon to one of their places for a weekend; haven't done it yet.

All homework should be Disney homework. Wouldn't that make it easier? And I don't mean whistling while you work, either.

And yeah, isn't the Glowtini available in the Hearthstone lounge in GCH? That looked fun.

 

[Queenbillabong]

And yeah, isn't the Glowtini available in the Hearthstone lounge in GCH? That looked fun.

The Glowtini is fun and very yummy I had one at Goofy's (DS had to have a glow cube in his Sprite too!). I believe they serve them at most of the bars/lounges.

 

[bumbershoot]

I do think the Glowtini is available there.

I totally forgot; there's a B&B in Centralia, right across from the train station. It's a bit noisy to sleep, if you're not used to train noises (we are so the 3 of us slept like babies, er, make that...3.5 year olds b/c that's when DS started sleeping through the night, LOL), but it sure is convenient!

But Edgefield is worth a weekend (or a couple weekdays is even better, if you have a different schedule), and some day I will go to Bend! Grand Lodge in Forest Grove is lovely too, and has disc golf.

We went to the Mill Creek thing on Memorial Day weekend, right after DS arrived. I was an absolute idiot b/c I was BEYOND a mess, and I hurt myself by insisting on being out and about, but still, it was fun to show him his first McMenamins (er, besides the one where he was, er, created, LOL) place so ridiculously early.


Nothing to do with the original post at all, sorry!

 

[KCSunshine60]

I normally wouldn't drink anything when we're doing rides...the two just don't mix! But, my husband and I really enjoyed sitting on the patio of the winery and having a glass of wine! Our boys wanted to go on Tower of Terror followed by Grizzlie (we'd already done ToT at least 4 times that day!!!)

So, we told them where to meet us and we sat and relaxed with a glass of wine! It was quite relaxing! We live in the middle of wine country so we'd never taken the time to stop there in all of our previous trips. I"m really glad we did!!