Spotlight: Downtown Disney District is the name given to the group of
stores and restaurants situated adjacent to the Disneyland Resort. Stores include:
Anna & Elsa's Boutique, the
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Disney's Pin Traders, Disney Vault 28, the
LEGO Store, LittleMissMatched, RIDEMAKERZ, the
Star Wars Store, the WonderGround Gallery, the giant
World of Disney store, and more. Restaurants include: the
ESPN Zone, the
Rainforest Cafe, Crossroads at House of Blues, La Brea Bakery Cafe, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, Napolini, the
Earl of Sandwich, the
Catal Restaurant, and more. Entertainment venues include: the
ESPN Zone Sports Arena, the
Flambeaux's Jazz Club, the
House of Blues Stage, and the
AMC Downtown Disney 12 Theaters.
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| Disney's Pin Traders |
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| The popular ESPN Zone restaurant and arcade |
Location: Downtown Disney is located adjacent to Disneyland at
1580 Disneyland Drive.
Cost: Parking is free for the first two hours, or up to four hours with validation from participating locations. Ice skating costs $17/adult, $15/child, $10/military (with ID)
Time: 1-4 hours; Stores are open from 7:00 am - 2:00 am
Description: Downtown Disney is home to a variety of
themed stores, restaurants, and
entertainment venues for visitors to the Disneyland Resort. Naturally, due to their location, the stores and shops typically have a Disney theme associated with them. Of course, their proximity to Disney creates prime real estate, which hikes up lease prices, which is often passed on to buyers in the form of inflated prices. Although I found that most items cost more than I'm willing to pay, it is still fun to walk around and browse. Here are three of my favorites:
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| The fountain outside the popular World of Disney store |
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| The Incredible Lego Store |
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| WonderGround Gallery |
In addition to the normal entertainment options, Downtown Disney is also host to seasonal entertainment venues. For example, when we visited during the Christmas season last year, the area was decorated as a
Winter Village. The Village included
Olaf's Frozen Ice Rink and quaint shopping chalets. The Ice skating rink was open from 3:00 pm - 10:30 pm for 90 min. segments, followed by 30 min. breaks.
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| A very Disney Christmas tree |
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| Olaf's Frozen Ice Rink |
Rating: 2 1/2 stars (out of 5)
Things You Should Know: - You don't need to have tickets to one of the parks in order to visit Downtown Disney, since the entrance is totally separate.
Nearby: California Adventure, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Knott's Berry Farm, Medieval Times
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