9 Things You Have to Do When You Visit Disneyland This Summer

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We’re well aware that Orange County, CA, is full of exciting places to go, especially during the summer. You can hit the beach, go shopping, and have a great meal, all in one afternoon. In Orange County, your activities aren’t mandated by the weather, as it’s pretty much sunny all year round here. Anything that you’re interested in doing, Orange County likely has an option for you.

If you’re a big fan of Disney, whether you have kids or not, Disneyland is a place you absolutely can’t miss during your time in Orange County. It has something for everyone, regardless of their age. We know Disneyland can get overwhelming, there’s a lot to do in so little time, so we’ve made a list of all of our favorite rides, restaurants, and activities that you should accomplish during your time in the park.

1. Take a Stroll Down Main Street

At the entrance of Disneyland Park, Main Street is one of the best options for food, photo-ops, and shopping. It’s a great intro to the parks if you’ve never been before, and you’ll immediately feel like you’ve been thrown into the magic. It’s beautiful during the day, but nighttime really brings it to life. With lights everywhere, it’s truly a magical place to be after the sun’s gone down.

During the day, you can take your time shopping through the plaza. There are many different stores, including the Emporium, the Disney Showcase, and Main Street Photo Supply Company. Emporium will fulfill all your souvenir needs, and Showcase will offer a huge variety of apparel. Stopping in at Main Street Photo Supply Co. on your way out is always a good idea; that way, you can collect all your memories in photograph form.

2. Visit the Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion is a staple at Disneyland. This ride has been around since the park opened, and is the perfect combination of spooky and fun. The Haunted Mansion is a slow-moving dark ride that takes you through the mansion to meet the 999 happy haunts that are just dying to meet you and your family. Contrary to popular belief, the ride isn’t based on the popular Haunted Mansion movie that came out in 2003; the movie was based on the ride. The Haunted Mansion has a cult following and is popular throughout all age groups. You really can’t miss this one.

3. Pilot the Millennium Falcon

If you’re a Star Wars fan, you really can’t miss Galaxy’s Edge and all the fantastic Star Wars entertainment that resides there. Smuggler’s Run is one of the more popular rides in Galaxy’s Edge. The wait times can be long, so make sure to get there early or grab a FastPass. Even if you end up stuck in the line, the queue is made to be waited in. You won’t be bored because there’s so much to look at. You even get to walk inside a recreation of the Millennium Falcon.

The ride features three different components. You can be a pilot, an engineer, or a gunner. We’re not going to lie to you; the pilot is by far the best position you can get. It puts you and one other person fully in charge of navigating the ship. The gunners take out approaching enemies, and the engineers fix problems with the ship as they come along. This isn’t one of those rides that involve just pushing buttons that do nothing. You actually get a score at the end of the ride that shows how well you and your crew performed.

4. Grab a Drink at Oga’s Cantina

While we’re on the Star Wars subject, you might as well grab a drink at Oga’s Cantina. The cantina is modeled after the one from A New Hope, so you’ll definitely recognize some of the characters. This is unlike any other Disney bar or restaurant we’ve ever been to. You’ll have to ditch the kids for this one because they serve alcohol. You’ll also want to make a reservation in advance, as they can fill up pretty fast.

5. Make a Reservation at a Fancy Restaurant

Add this one to your Disney bucket list. There are so many different restaurants on the Disney campus that you’ll simply be unable to eat at all of them while you’re there. There are also a large number of different stands, carts, and fast-casual places to eat. While they make for an easy option and quick stop, try to plan one sit down dinner into your visit.

There are many elegant options for you and your family, but some of our favorites include Steakhouse 55 (they serve a decadent 24 layer chocolate cake), Blue Bayou, Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen, and Napa Rose.

6. Take a Tour Through the Galaxy

Okay, so we’re back on Star Wars. Star Wars: Star Tours is an older ride at Disneyland. It’s been around since before Galaxy’s Edge opened and is, therefore, the original Star Wars ride. Now, we’re not saying that makes it the best against the newer rides, but we are saying you can’t miss it.

Star Tours is a 3D ride where you sit in a ship that sort of looks like a movie theater. Except, the movie theater moves, and instead of watching a movie, you’re watching space as you fly through the galaxy, helping C3-PO and R2-D2 on various different missions. The cool thing about Star Tours is the fact that they have multiple versions of the ride. There are always different adventures to go on and missions to complete. You could ride Star Tours ten times and have a different experience every time. Plus, the wait time isn’t nearly as long as the other Star Wars rides.

7. Find Nemo

The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is a relatively new ride to the park, but it’s incredibly fun, especially if you’re a Finding Nemo fan. It can have a long wait (and it doesn’t have a FastPass option yet), but the ride is pretty long, and it’s full of awesome details and great set design.

This attraction has passengers load into actual submarines. The underwater attraction uses technology to show Nemo characters in the water around you. This long ride is more like a show than an actual ride, but it’s definitely worth the wait.

8. Sail With Captain Jack Sparrow

You can’t go to Disneyland and not ride the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride. For this ride, you’ll get into a boat and travel through a twisting and turning tunnel while you watch animatronics tell you a story of Captain Jack Sparrow. It’s not a thrill ride by any means, but it’s very fun if you’re a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. There’s even an old legend that states that sometimes Johnny Depp will sneak in and act on the ride himself, though we’re pretty sure it’s never happened.

9. Catch a Fireworks Show

If you’re in the parks at night, there are many different fireworks shows that you can see. Depending on the night and the park, you’ll be able to catch a beautiful display of fireworks. These shows are also occasionally story-driven, and different characters will be there alongside the fireworks. Mickey’s Mix Magic is one of the shows you can see at night, where DJ Mickey throws the “hippest, hottest” party in Disneyland.