Living on the East Coast, I always have romantic notions of California. I’m generally pretty envious of their beautiful weather, palm trees, relaxed lifestyle, gorgeous Southern California beaches, and fabulous family-friendly activities.
While I usually visit the Orlando theme parks, there are some fantastic Southern California theme parks as well. Even if you live closer to the East Coast, I recommend visiting the West Coast to explore the California theme parks. If you are located in the California area, you could include theme park visits in your weekend getaway in Southern California.
I’ve had the opportunity to visit several of these theme parks at no cost for review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. A purchase through one of these links may result in a commission paid to us at no additional cost to you.
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Exploring the Theme Parks in Southern California.
Disneyland Resort
When visiting California theme parks, you’ll absolutely have to go back to where it all began for Disney. Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, was the first Disney theme park, and it’s so much fun for families.
Attractions at the Disneyland Resort include iconic rides like It’s a Small World, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion. Younger kids will love seeing the Disney characters and the classic rides at Fantasyland, including Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland.
Although ToonTown in Orlando closed years ago to make way for a new Fantasyland, Disneyland California still has a robust ToonTown. Little kids will love the vibrant colors of the ToonTown buildings. It now boasts one of the newest Disney rides: Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Disneyland also offers shows and parades throughout the day, character interactions, delicious restaurants (and yummy snacks), and fun shops.
Disney California Adventure
The newer of the two Disneyland Resort parks is Disney’s California Adventure. It’s located adjacent to Disneyland Park, and you can easily walk from one park to the other throughout the day.
You’ll only need to go through security once. Just keep in mind that park reservations are currently required, and you aren’t able to park hop until after 11 am.
Disney’s California Adventure offers lots of family-friendly attractions as well, including Toy Story Mania, CarsLand (definitely be sure to visit Radiator Springs Racers), Soarin’ Around the World, and Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! Thrill seekers will want to go on the Incredicoaster (the only ride at Disneyland Resort that goes upside down) and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.
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California Adventure is also home to the new Avengers Campus. This area of the park offers a one of the newer California Adventure rides – WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.
When visiting Disneyland, you can choose several different ticket types. We recommend getting the park hopper on your tickets so you can visit both parks in one day. You’ll also want to download the Disneyland mobile app and consider purchasing Lightning Lane Multi-Pass if you want to save time during your day(s) at Disneyland.
With Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, you pay a separate fee but will be able to book a return time on the app. There’s also the opportunity to purchase individual lightning lane access to the most popular rides like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers.
Three on-property Disney hotels are adjacent to the parks. In addition, many “Good Neighbor” hotels are located right across the street from the parks. Some of these are chain hotels, and several offer outdoor water parks for guests.
During our last two visits, we stayed at the Howard Johnson Anaheim Resort, the Westin Anaheim Resort, and the Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance and loved all three. If you choose to book through Get Away Today, you can also include one of these resorts.
In general, you should plan to spend about 2-3 days at the Disneyland Resort if you’d like to experience most of the attractions on the property. You can be more efficient if you get the park hopper option on your ticket.
Knott’s Berry Farm
Knott’s Berry Farm, the oldest theme park in California, grew from humble beginnings to a park filled with kiddie rides and world-class thrill rides. It’s located in Buena Park, California, about 20 minutes from Anaheim.
In addition to Knott’s Berry Farm Park, there’s also Knott’s Soak City, a water park that is open seasonally. It’s so much more than an amusement park!
Knott’s Berry Farm is home to Camp Snoopy, a part of the park themed after the lovable Peanuts gang. This is most appropriate for younger kids. In addition to rides, you’ll also find character meet and greets and shows featuring the characters.
Older kids will love the thrill rides at Knott’s Berry Farm. There are so many fast coasters that go upside down. My favorite ride is the Supreme Scream. This ride climbs up 252 feet in the air. You’ll have a split second to enjoy the gorgeous view before plummeting.
While you are there, you’ll have to visit Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. It’s located outside the park, so you won’t need a park ticket. It features a delicious fried chicken entree with biscuits, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
You could probably visit Knott’s Berry Farm in a day. There is an affiliated hotel adjacent to the park that is extremely convenient, or you could stay in the greater Los Angeles area. If your plan includes both theme park resorts, I’d probably plan to stay near Disneyland and drive/Uber into Knott’s.
LEGOLAND California
When we visited San Diego with our kids a few years ago, the kids HAD to visit LEGOLAND California. It’s located in Carlsbad, CA, about a half hour from San Diego and an hour from Anaheim.
LEGOLAND California is probably most appropriate for kids up to about 12 years old. The park features rides, LEGO exhibits, shows, and character greetings. New this year is Dino Valley.
There’s also an adjacent water park. If you are just visiting the theme park, you could go for just one day.
There are two LEGO-themed hotels on the property – the LEGOLAND Hotel and the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel. These hotels are perfect for a LEGO lover – they are completely themed in full LEGO!
You’ll also find a SEA LIFE Aquarium on the property. You can upgrade your regular LEGOLAND ticket to include SEA LIFE. This post can help if you are trying to decide on Disneyland vs LEGOLAND.
SeaWorld San Diego
While I haven’t visited the San Diego version of SeaWorld, I have been to SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Antonio. My kids have always loved our visits to SeaWorld, especially as they have gotten older. The park is filled with fun rides, including lots of thrill rides.
For younger kids, there’s the Sesame Street Bay of Play, which includes three rides that are great for younger kids. Thrill seekers will enjoy one of the newest rides – the Electric Eel Roller Coaster. It’s the tallest coaster in San Diego and includes drops, twists, and turns. There are also a few water rides, including Journey to Atlantis and Shipwreck Rapids.
SeaWorld San Diego is located along Mission Bay and is probably an easy one-day trip. If you are staying in the Anaheim area, you can travel down to San Diego for the day, or there are lots of San Diego hotels near SeaWorld.
Some of them offer complimentary shuttles to the park. In season, SeaWorld also operates the Aquatica Water Park, which is located in Chula Vista, CA.
Universal Studios Hollywood
This entertainment and movie-themed park is a must-visit for movie lovers. The most popular attractions are the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as well as the World-Famous Studio Tour. There’s also Springfield U.S.A. – home of the Simpsons, and Super Nintendo World.
There are several nearby hotels – a few that offer vacation packages with Universal Studios Hollywood.
San Diego ZooÂ
Although it’s not a theme park, the San Diego Zoo is worth a visit. It gets very busy, so arriving early is a good idea. We arrived when it opened during our visit and still faced a long line to park and enter the zoo.
Once you choose your ticket type, purchase your ticket, and enter the zoo, you can take a double-decker bus tour. While this is a great way to explore the zoo and plan your day, we opted out because it didn’t start until 30 minutes after the zoo opened.
Another option for traveling around the zoo is the Skyfari, which runs from one corner to another. We used the Skyfari to walk less, but it was also a fun little ride. Depending on the type of ticket you have, admission may be extra.
Of course, as a zoo, there are loads of animal exhibits to see. My kids especially loved the koala exhibit, because we had never seen them before. There are also dozens of other animals, as well as shows, special exhibits, and more.
Getting to These Southern California Theme Parks
Quite a few airports are convenient to these Southern California Theme Parks. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the largest and most popular, but other smaller airports may be more convenient and even less expensive.
During my recent trip to the LA area, I flew in through the Long Beach Airport (LBG). It’s a very small airport, but it is very easy to navigate. There’s also the John Wayne Airport (SNA), which is also centrally located.
Other options include the Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), Ontario International Airport (ONT), and the San Diego International Airport (SAN). If you are visiting LA and San Diego, you may consider flying in through one airport and out through another.
