Anaheim: Recreation
Sightseeing
Anaheim's crown jewel attraction is Disneyland, America's most popular theme park. Visitors can stroll through the park's eight "lands", which together offer more than 60 major rides, 50 shops, and 30 restaurants: futuristic Tomor-rowland provides an out-of-this-world atmosphere; Adventureland reproduces the exotic surroundings of Asia, the Middle East, and the South Seas; Frontierland is based on the Wild West; Fantasyland, with Sleeping Beauty's Castle and the It's a Small World ride, is the heart of Disneyland; Critter Country is home to cute woodland creatures; Main Street U.S.A. is based on small-town America of a century ago; New Orleans Square reproduces the atmosphere of turn-of-the-century New Orleans; and Mickey's Toontown is a cartoon playland. Special entertainment, shopping, and dining are featured at Disneyland year-round. Special attractions include Indiana Jones Adventure; Space Mountain and Star Tours, exciting flight-simulation journeys; Splash Mountain, an 87-foot-high log flume ride based on Disney's "Song of the South" characters; Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; and the Haunted Mansion. Disneyland's newest area is California Adventure. Requiring a separate admission ticket, it is based on the fun adventures offered by California, and is divided into four themed districts: Paradise Pier has classic "Golden Age" amusement park attractions along the beach; Hollywood Pictures Backlot celebrates the movie business; The Golden State is a tribute to California's natural beauty; and "a bug's land", inspired by the film A Bug's Life is designed from a bug's perspective. Disneyland opened in 1955, and in the summer of 2005 will be celebrating its golden anniversary with several new attractions: Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, in Tomorrowland, is an interactive game in which visitors join Buzz Lightyear to battle the evil Emperor Zurg; Space Mountain, also in Tomorrowland, is being re-launched with new special effects; at Disneyland's Parade of Dreams, a new Main Street U.S.A. parade, spectators can meet Disney characters and watch floats transform into shows; a new nighttime celebration will feature spectacular pyrotechnics; Disneyland: The First 50 Years will provide an exclusive look at the park's 50 years, through artwork, models and design, and film; Sleeping Beauty Castle has been renovated; larger-than-life images of Disney characters on display are massive photo collages comprised of photos taken at the park over the past 50 years.
Knott's Berry Farm in nearby Buena Park, once a small berry farm business, has grown into one of the most popular theme parks in the country. The park, now a 150-acre complex with more than 100 rides and dozens of shops and restaurants, is especially known for its thrill rides. Distinct theme areas are Ghost Town, an Old West mining town reproduction; Camp Snoopy, which features special rides and activities for small children; The Boardwalk, a colorful tribute to the Southern California beach culture that features ocean-related rides and attractions; Indian trails, which showcases the traditions and cultures of Native Americans; Fiesta Village, a celebration of Spanish California; and Wild
Other nearby attractions include Buena Park's Movieland Wax Museum, where more than 300 lifelike figures of famous movie stars are on view in realistic costumes and posed in scenes from classic movies; and Medieval Times, an elaborate dinner tournament where eleventh-century knights in armor joust and a feast is presented. The Taco Bell Discovery Science Center, in Santa Ana, houses hands-on exhibits in themed areas: Discovery Stadium, Quake Zone, Dynamic Earth, Air and Space Exploration, and Kidstation. Hobby City is a 10-acre collection of miniature buildings; it includes a doll and toy museum inside a miniature replica of the White House. Nearby Adventure City is a two-acre theme park for children aged 2 to 12. The Mission San Juan Capistrano, 30 miles south of Anaheim, was founded in 1776 and is the birthplace of Orange County. Beautiful and romantic, it is considered the "jewel of the missions." Its Serra Chapel is believed to be California's oldest standing building.
Arts and Culture
The 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in nearby Costa Mesa hosts world-class performances of symphony, ballet, and opera, as well as Broadway shows; the 300-seat Founders Hall in the Center offers innovative jazz and cabaret programming as well as the best in chamber music. The Center is also home to the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Opera Pacific, and Pacific Chorale. The Center is currently undergoing an expansion; a new 2,000-seat concert hall and 500-seat music theater are scheduled for completion by September 2006.
Numerous other theaters dot Orange County. Fullerton Civic Light Opera Company, based in nearby Fullerton, is one of the largest musical theater companies in Southern California; their productions are presented four times annually at Plummer Auditorium. The auditorium, built in 1930, seats more than 1,300 and hosts a variety of theatrical productions and community-oriented cultural programs. South Coast Repertory Theatre, in Costa Mesa, is a Tony award-winning theater that presents professional productions of contemporary and classical plays on its three stages. The Grove Theater Center, in Garden Grove, is home to the 178-seat Gem Theater and 550-seat Festival Amphitheater; the complex offers year-round plays as well as participatory events.
Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim is a 650,000 square foot arena hosting concerts and family shows; Pearson Park Amphitheater is an open-air facility that features family entertainment all summer long; and the Grove of Anaheim presents comedy and music artists in an intimate setting.
The Anaheim Museum highlights the history of the city's original German settlers, its establishment as a wine and citrus colony, and the early Disneyland days depicted in changing exhibits. Mother Colony House, one of the city's first buildings, showcases antiques and other historical items of Anaheim's earliest periods. Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, in nearby Santa Ana, occupies a landmark mission-style building; its exhibits reflect cultural arts from California and around the world.
Festivals and Holidays
The St. Patrick's Day Festival at the Anaheim Farmer's Market features Irish dancers, music, and food. St. Boniface Parish Fiesta in April features international foods, rides, and games. The first weekend in May brings the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, featuring a soccer tournament, the crowning of a fiesta queen, and a Sunday bilingual Mass, as well as rides, food, and entertainment; the fiesta draws approximately 100,000 people throughout the weekend. The Greek Festival, also in May, features Greek foods, pastries, music, and folkdancers, and a marketplace with vendors selling a variety of items. The Anaheim Children's Art Festival in late May draws 7,000 visitors annually to its art-and-craft projects in staffed booths. June's Taste of Anaheim offers ethnic food, fun, and displays. Anaheim Hills 4th of July Festival & Parade includes a pancake breakfast, dog show, 5K and 10K run/walk, parade, food and game booths, and fireworks. At nearby Laguna Beach's Pageant of the Masters, famous paintings and statuary come to life through the use of live models and an orchestra each night during the months of July and August. Anaheim Fall Festival & Halloween Parade in late October features a parade, pancake breakfast, rides, games, and live entertainment. Knott's Berry Farm transforms into Knott's Scary Farm and then Knott's Merry Farm to celebrate Halloween and Christmas. The Christmas Parade at Disneyland features many popular Disney characters as well as Santa Claus. Nutcracker Holiday, held the first Saturday in December, features musicians, carolers, and a tree-lighting ceremony.
Sports for the Spectator
The Major League Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball team, World Series Champion in 2002, plays its home games at Angel Stadium of Anaheim (formerly called Edison International Field), a baseball-only facility with seating for 45,050. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, a National Hockey League team owned by the Walt Disney Company, won the 2003 Western Conference championship; they play at the four-level, 17,174-seat Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. Arrowhead Pond is also home of National Lacrosse League's Anaheim Storm, and the J. R. Wooden Classic, which features some of the nation's top basketball teams. Los Alamitos Race Course, fifteen minutes west of Disneyland, features the world's fastest horses in quarter horse, Arabian, thoroughbred, paint, and Appaloosa racing. Costa Mesa Speedway at Orange County Fairgrounds holds speed-way races on Saturday nights, April through October.
Sports for the Participant
Anaheim has 44 parks totaling approximately 650 acres. Among them, Oak Canyon Nature Center, a 58-acre natural park in the Anaheim Hills, provides excellent opportunities for short hikes. A year-round stream meanders through the park, which consists of three adjoining canyons with four miles of hiking trails. Tennis is available at several Anaheim hotels, and the city maintains more than 50 public courts. Anaheim Hills, a public country club, offers a challenging 18-hole golf course in the natural terrain of the Santa Ana Canyons. H. G. "Dad" Miller is a well kept course surrounded by lovely old trees and a natural lake; it was Tiger Woods' home course during high school. Disney ICE Glacial Gardens, official training facility of the Mighty Ducks, offers public skating and pick up hockey.
Orange County has a 42-mile coastline filled with public and state beaches. Sailing cruises, whale watching, surfing, and swimming are available at sites along the coastline. The county has a regional trail system consisting of 220 miles of built trails. The 30-mile Santa Ana River Trail is a running/bike path that follows the Santa Ana River in the San Bernardino Mountains. Snow skiing is available at nearby Bear Mountain ski resort. Orange County is home to 39 public golf courses.
Shopping and Dining
Downtown Disney, a 120-acre shopping, restaurant, and entertainment complex adjacent to Disneyland, features one-of-a-kind Disney-themed shops and trend-setting restaurants. It is open to the public, with no admission charge. Anaheim Indoor Marketplace is an outlet mall with more than 200 variety stores. Timeless Quilts offers fabrics and quilting supplies in a 1920s Craftsman house, while Hobby City offers a collection of antique dolls and toys from around the world. South Coast Plaza Village in Costa Mesa offers an immense collection of international stores clustered around a Village Green in an open-air environment. Fashion Island Newport Center, in Newport Beach, is an upscale shopping area with open-air courtyards and covered patios overlooking the ocean; it features more than 200 shops, 40 restaurants, and two movie theaters. Westfield Shop-pingtown MainPlace in Santa Ana is another large upscale center, with more than 200 specialty shops and restaurants.
Dining experiences in Anaheim run the gamut from ethnic specialties such as Armenian, Cajun, Chinese, Cuban, German, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Peruvian, and Thai to places with unique ambiance such as canneries, gold mines, and Victorian houses. There are more than 60 restaurants and cocktail lounges in the immediate area of the Anaheim Convention Center. In nearby Orange, Watson Drugs and Soda Fountain, established in 1899, has been the set for several movies; it offers burgers and sweets.
Visitor Information: Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau, 800 West Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92802; telephone (714)999-8999; fax (714)991-8963