Page 33 - 2023-2024 Travel Guide to California

JURASSIC WORLD — THE RIDE, Universal
Studios, opposite; Thor at Avengers Campus,
Disney California Adventure Park, right; Rescued
and rehabilitated olive ridley sea turtle is returned
to his ocean home, SeaWorld Animal Rescue and
Rehabilitation Program, below.
nected by escalators: the Upper and Lower
lots. Transformers: The Ride 3-D is on the
Lower Lot. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem,
a 3-D simulator ride, and Super Silly Fun
Land, an outdoor family-friendly play-
ground, are on the upper lot.
Children’s Fairyland
Believe it or not, the first theme park in the
U.S. to cater to families with young children
was Children’s Fairyland, a blink-and-
you’ll-miss-it theme park on the shores of
Lake Merritt in Oakland. The place opened
in 1950 (original admission started between
9 and 14 cents), making it the first official
theme park in California, as well. According
to some, it was one of Walt Disney’s inspir-
ations for the eponymous park he created
five years later.
Today, Fairyland includes small rides
such as a mini Ferris wheel and carousels,
and life-sized sets depicting scenes from
timeless storybooks (The Old Lady in the
Shoe and The Alice in Wonderland Tunnel
are two favorites). The theme park also is
home to the Storybook Puppet Theater,
which opened in 1956. A number of the
country’s most famous puppeteers got their
start here, including a teenager by the name
of Frank Oznowicz. You likely know him as
Frank Oz.
Disneyland
California’s most famous theme park
opened in 1955 with one hotel. Since the
1990s it has grown exponentially, adding
a new theme park—Disney California
Adventure, a shopping district—Downtown
Disney, as well as additional hotels.
A reimagining of Mickey’s Toontown de-
buted this year, including CenTOONial Park
and a dreaming tree. Guests can also board
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway with
Goofy as the engineer on a madcap, out-of-
control cartoon adventure.
The newest themed area or “land” is Star
Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Be part of a six-person
crew on “Millennium Falcon: Smugglers
Run” where you walk through a full-sized
replica of the Millennium Falcon and then
climb into the cockpit where Hondo Ohnaka
leads a secret mission to steal coaxium for
the Resistance. Each person has a role
assignment—a pilot, gunner or engineer.
“Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” is a mas-
sive, multi-platform attraction, unlike any-
thing else at Disneyland. Captured guests
are in an epic battle between the First Order
and the Resistance, boarding an Imperial
Star Destroyer with animatronic storm-
troopers and Kylo Ren. A team of Resistance
fighters with Rey and BB-8 are there to help
you escape.
A Marvel-themed land, Avengers Campus,
opened last year at Disney California Adven-
ture with an interactive 3-D ride-through
attraction featuring Spider-Man—WEB
Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure.
2023-24 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 31