Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Tributes to Old Attractions




Change is hard, especially at Disneyland. Whether you go once a week, once a year, or once a decade, you want to see your old favorites because you have so many happy memories there. But Disneyland will never be complete, right? So things have to change and grow to keep the park fresh and exciting. One of my favorite things is when Disney keeps a little piece of an old attraction in its home as a fun reminder of something that we used to love!

These are our top five tributes to old attractions at Disneyland!


Swiss Family Robinson at Tarzan's Treehouse



Before Tarzan started calling through Adventureland, the Swiss Family Robinson lived in the treehouse. To be honest, I don't remember much about what it looked like back then, but I definitely remember this sign and I've always loved that they kept to help warn the taller guests.  


Penny the Elephant Moves to Adventureland

Photo Credit: DisneyDaze 

This is a brand new one! Penny, the glass elephant, used to be a decoration in the Gibson Girl ice cream shop on Main Street until the expansion a few years back. She just reappeared a couple days ago on top of the Tropical Imports store! See if you can find her on your next visit, just to the left of the Jungle Cruise entrance!


Country Bear Jamboree in Winnie the Pooh

Photo Credit: HiddenMickeys.org

Right after the Heffalumps and Woozles room, turn around and look above the doorway you just passed under. You'll find Max, Buff, and Melvin, the stuffed heads that used to sing with the Country Bears! I don't know about you, but I say hi to them every time I ride (which is A LOT, with a three year old).


Eeyore in Indiana Jones

Photo Credit: Finding Mickey

Way back in the day, the Indiana Jones area of Adventureland was nothing more than part of the parking lot. The Eeyore section, to be exact. If you look really carefully up above you in the portion of the line where you're watching seatbelt safety videos, you can spot an old Eeyore parking lot sign! 


Big Rock Candy Mountain in California Adventure


Ok, this one is a little different since it was never an attraction. Walt Disney had planned Big Rock Candy Mountain for Disneyland, but the project never happened. Now you can spot this adorable version of the ride that never came to be in one of the windows outside the candy store on Buena Vista Street. Keep an eye out for the train that runs around and through the mountain!

Monday, April 18, 2016

Food and Wine Festival





California Adventure's Food and Wine Festival is back for the first time since 2010, and it's delicious! I wasn't expecting to be able to see (or taste) it on my last trip since I was only going to be in the park on week days. Imagine my excitement when I was walking the parade route (between Cars Land and Paradise Pier) and found it lined with stands selling delicious small plates and wine. 

My husband and I got the kids hot dogs from Award Wieners (not my fave, but I'll save that for another blog!) and then walked through the Festival Marketplace to pick our special lunches.


I went to the Wine Country stand where I had an amazing Zinfandel Braised Waygu Beef, served with polenta and puréed peas. So delicious!! I chose one of the MANY wines they offered for pairings. 


It was so good, I don't even know where to start! I just wish the plates were bigger, or that I had ordered more than one thing. Next time!


The hubby went to LAstyle for the Pork Belly Bao Taco. He was in love! 


Later on that evening before lining up to see World of Color, I went back to check out a dessert. I chose the Meyer Lemon Macaron from The Farm. It was amazing...until I got to the blueberry jam filling. That was very weird. But then again, I'm not a jam fan. If you are, I'd highly recommend it. 

There were almost too many places and options to choose from. I wish I was local so I could come back every weekend to try it all. 

The Food and Wine Festival has lots of other activities, every Friday - Sunday in April. Like I said, I missed out on the weekend fun. But I checked out what was available so I could report back to all of you! 

The stage in Hollywoodland has free culinary demonstrations (no tasting, unfortunately) and "lifestyle seminars" about healthy and sustainable eating. 
There are beverage seminars that cost $15 a person and require advanced reservations (which are totally booked up as of the time I'm writing this). And last but certainly not least are the celebrity appearances, ranging from $99 - $200 depending on who you want to see and if you'd like special seating/autographs, etc. 


And don't forget the merchandising!!


Have any of you gotten to taste something fantastic at the Food and Wine Festival? Tell us all about bout it in the comments!