Travel #1 – Disneyland

Happiest Place on Earth

When you live in California, you live in a very diverse state.

FACTS:  California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by land area (after Alaska and Texas). It is home to the nation’s second- and sixth-largest census statistical areas (Los Angeles Metropolitan Area and San Francisco Bay Area), and eight of the nation’s fifty most populated cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco,Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland). The capital city is Sacramento.  California’s diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east—from the Redwood–Douglas-fir forests of the northwest, to the Mojave Desert areas in the southeast. The center of the state is dominated by Central Valley, a major agricultural area. California contains both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney and Death Valley), and has the third-longest coastline of all states.  (Wikipedia 2011)

Do you know California’s marine mammal? The Grey Whale.  

Can you hum a tune of our state song?  “I Love you, California”.

 Or how about our states reptile…the California desert tortoise.  

An education..right?  

I bet you do know the answer to what might be the name of the mouse that represents the Happiest Place on Earth in California “Mic-key….M-O-U-S-E”.

I was raised in Northern California and now make my home in Southern California- two very different parts of the state. When we traveled as a family, we enjoyed visiting all parts of the state from the Northern tip, down the the central coast to the Southern coast.  In our younger years, Southern California meant only one thing to me…Disneyland.  All the characters, the smells of popcorn on main street, It’s A Small World, parades and the best corn dog cart west of the Mississippi.   It hasn’t changed much, its kept its mystic and provides that “feel good” experience.

A few things I have learned along the way with my travels to Disneyland…Birnbaum’s Disneyland Resort 2011 book is a helpful reference in planning your visit, it is also the most respected and well-known name in Disney guides.  It is an honest and objective book with a lot of great information, and it’s nicely compact. Book prices range from $7-$14 on amazon or you can even pick up past years versions for cheaper.  

MouseSavers.com® and PlanetMouse.com are both helpful websites.  MouseSavers.com includes hundreds of pages of FREE information about Disney discounts, including discount Disney tickets. If you need any type of Disney discount, this is a great spot.

If you are visiting So Cal and want to hit several hot spots, a “City Pass” http://www.citypass.com/southern-california/ is worth a look…for as low as $229 you get a 3 day park hopper pass at both parks and admission to Sea World, San Diego Zoo and Universal Studios Hollywood.

For additional fun and educational facts about the great golden state of California, visit http://www.learncalifornia.org