Disneyland Fun Facts and Trivia for Main Street U.S.A.

When entering Disneyland, the first location guests will come to is Main Street U.S.A. Here, guests can take a leisurely stroll down the street while checking out the various shops including the Emporium which sells a variety of Disney products including clothing, jewelry, toys, along with the Main Street Magic Shop, in which comedian Steve Martin was once employed.

Look for the Eucalyptus trees behind City Hall. They were actually originally planted back in 1910. When visiting the firehouse, look up to see the second story.  This was Walt Disney’s apartment in Disneyland. According to JustDisney.com, “Now, a light is kept on near the window, as a tribute to his creation of Disneyland.”

In the book Disneyland Resort Magical Memories for a Lifetime, it is stated that the windows on Main Street have more than one purpose.  Although decorative, many honor a Disney employee such as the window above the Main Street Emporium which honors Elias Disney, who was Walt Disney’s father.

Walt Disney captured his childhood home in Marceline, Missouri when he created Main Street U.S.A. This location even features scaled down versions of original turn of the century locations.

Disneyland with Toddler Travel Tips

Planning a trip to Disneyland with a toddler? Having gone through the process four different times, here are some tips. Let's start with a stroller. If unable to bring your own, stroller rentals are available just outside the park. The current cost is $15 per day and strollers can be brought back and forth between Disneyland and California Adventure. However, they may not be taken into Downtown Disney.

If needing to do a diaper change or if needing a toddler toilet, stop by the Disneyland Baby Care Center located at the end of Main Street. If visiting California Adventure, the same type of place is located by the Bakery Tour at Pacific Wharf.

Traveling with older kids or other adults and your child is too small for a ride? Check with a Disneyland cast member at the beginning of the ride to obtain a child swap pass. This will allow your group to go on the ride while you stay behind with your toddler, then when they return from the ride, you may go alone or take one other guest with you to go on the ride without waiting in the usual line.

If your little one is tired, but refuses to fall asleep, try the Disneyland Railroad. This train ride goes around the park with stops in the different themed lands. Often, young children will fall asleep while on board. Warning, the train does pass through Primeval World which does feature dinosaurs, but it does so in a non-threatening way.

A fun area for toddlers is Mickey's Toontown where kids can visit both Mickey and Minnie's Mouses homes, along with the family fun Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin ride. There's also the rides in Fantasyland, although some children at this age may find Snow White's Scary Adventures a bit too frightening.

If anyone has any further travel tips, please feel free to leave a comment.

Disneyland Recipes Cookbook Recommendation

Hoping to recapture some of the Disneyland magic at home with food? Cooking with Mickey Volume II can just that. Not only does it contains some of the most favorite recipes from Disneyland, but Walt Disney World as well.

Disneyland recipes include the German Potato Soup served at the Plaza Inn along with Kaltschale Soup, (Cold Fruit Soup,) served at the exclusive Club 33 which is open to members only. Fans of the Blue Bayou Restaurant can recreate its Honey Mustard Dressing at home.

Seafood recipes include Fettuccine with Lobster which is served at the Caffe Villa Verde at the Disneyland Hotel or the Scampi Newport also at the Disneyland Hotel at the Shipyard Inn.

Meat recipes such as Braised Short Ribs from the Plaza Inn and Jambalaya from the French Market Restaurant are also in the book. Let's not forget about some of the wonderful desserts that Disneyland has to offer such as the Apple Pie from from the Plaza Inn, along with Gingerbread Mickey which can be found at the Monorail Cafe at the Disneyland Hotel.

This merely scratched the surface of some of the wonderful recipes that can be found in Cooking with Mickey Volume II. This book can be ordered online at Amazon.

Cheap Eats Near Disneyland

When visiting Disneyland, there are many inexpensive places to eat within easy walking distance of the parks. Exit the park and cross the street. You will now be on Harbor Blvd. If you're a McDonald's fan, turn left, walk a bit and you'll find your favorite fast food restaurant.

Looking for pizza? Turn right and go to the end of the block in front of the Ramada Maingate. Here, you can get pizza. Also by turning right on Harbor Blvd. you can come across Denny's. There's also an IHOP.

Right after crossing the street when leaving Disneyland is Captain Kidd's buffet. Although reviews on Trip Advisor are overall not very good, the prices are reasonable with food including soup, salads, a kids' section, main entrees and desserts, not to mention the restaurant gets a steady flow of people. Personally, my family loves it there. If you don't mind a bit more of a walk, also after turning right, you'll find Subway.

Many people who vacation to Disneyland do so on a budget. Finding cheap places to eat can help one stay on that budget while still finding a variety of food choices nearby.