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Disney's California Adventure
The newest park in the Disney's
family entertainment centers is the Disney's California Adventure
Park located in Anaheim, California, just next door to Disneyland,
and still part of the Disneyland Resort. Opening in 2001, the 55
acre theme park was built when Disney's major expansion program
changed all the hotels and Disneyland park into the Disneyland
Resort; with 5 distinct areas; Sunshine Plaza, Paradise Pier,
Hollywood Pictures Backlot, A Bug's Land and the Golden State. All
of the areas were created to reflect regions of California, the
history, landmarks and culture. Sunshine Plaza is the main entry way
into the park, built to create a feeling of stepping right into a
California postcard. Once visitors have passed the huge letters that
spell out California, they will pass under a model San Francisco
Bay's Golden Gate Bridge, that also is a good disguise for the
monorail that passes over it. On both sides of the bridge, the are
two enormous murals that show different landmarks of the many
mountain ranges of the state. Once you have gone under the bridge,
you get to the main area of the plaza that is the central access to
the Hollywood Picture backlot and Golden State. Raised above the
plaza, a huge metal sunburst and encompassing fountain reflects the
solar rays into the surrounding areas. The plaza is also home to a
copy of the California Zephyr, home to the two counter service
restaurants; Baker's Field Bakery and Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream. Pretty
cute names huh? The plaza contains two of the biggest souvenir shops
in the park, Engine Ears Toys and Greetings from California; just
how long do they think about those fantastic names you wonder?
Paradise Pier is next and themed after the Victorian period
California boardwalk, based on the fabulous coastal boardwalks that
they have in the state, like the Santa Cruz Beach boardwalk or the
Santa Monica Pier. The attractions here include the Maliboomer and
California Screamin' are sure to remind you of the usual park rides
that can be seen at most boardwalks. Toy Story Midway Mania! is one
of the interactive 3D attractions that have been inspired by those
classic midway games; and it is a favorite. Mickey's Fun Wheel,
which had been called the Sun Wheel, is a huge 160 foot wide ferris
wheel that looks out over Paradise Bay, a rather big body of water
that overpowers the Paradise Pier area. The new hydrotechnic show,
called Disney's World of Color, should be opening very soon, either
in the spring or summer. Another unique area of Paradise Pier is the
U.S. Route 66 themed desert road area that begins with the crashed
fireboat, S.S. rustworthy. Attractions in this area include; Jumpin'
Jellyfish, Mulholland Madness and Golden Zephyr; which is slated to
be changed so that the Rt. 66 venue can have its Cars Land, that
will open in 2012. In the Golden State section, it is further
divided into 5 sublands, but all showcase the state's natural
settings. The first is Condor flats which is themed after the
aviation industry, the Grizzly Peak Recreation Area that has been
themed after the wilderness of the state, like Redwood and Yosemite.
The Bay area is naturally, no pun intended, the California bay area
with numerous shows here. The Golden Vine Winery is themed after the
northern part of the state's Napa Valley and winemaking business.
The Pacific Wharf is themed after the Cannery Row area found in
Monterey. The Hollywood Pictures Backlot is styled after the
boulevards and movie backlots, as well as Hollywood, TV and
movie-themed attractions for the family. A Bug's Land is next and
offers visitors the opportunity to see what it would be like to be a
bug. The Performance Corridor is the main parade route, and also the
route that the Electrical Parade goes down.
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