FUN TIMES IN ANAHEIM
As the home of the original Disneyland Resort in California, Anaheim has long been a favourite destination for Australian families. Meeting Mickey Mouse, seeing Sleeping Beauty Castle and ticking off the theme parks’ famous rides – made even more exciting with the recent opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – is a dream come true for many children. And there’s plenty to keep mum and dad happy too, with an abundance of breweries and bargain shopping outlets nearby. The city is around a one-hour drive from Los Angeles International Airport, where flights from Australia arrive. There’s a hotel or resort to suit every budget, many with pools and waterslides, themed rooms and barbecue areas from which you can see Disneyland Park’s nightly fireworks spectacular. Time flies when you’re having fun, and it’s easy to fill a week (or more!) of your US holiday here. Make sure your itinerary includes Knott’s Berry Farm, which began life in the 1920s as a roadside fruit stall and has since grown into a modern amusement park with rollercoasters, waterslides and a ghost town. Take a day trip to SeaWorld California, one-and-a-half hours’ drive south in San Diego, to see orcas, dolphins and other marine animals; ride the world’s first horizontal, infinity-loop rollercoaster and learn about SeaWorld’s wildlife rescue program. Then check out the new THE LEGO® MOVIE™ land set to open at LEGOLAND® California Resort in 2020. California is also known for its beautiful beaches, and Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach are all just half an hour away. You can also catch a ferry to Santa Catalina Island and while away a day kayaking, snorkelling and cycling. Cheering on a sporting team while eating a hot dog is a quintessential American experience, so be sure to book tickets to see the Anaheim Ducks ice hockey team and the Angels baseball team play. Getting to Anaheim from Australia is easy. United Airlines, Qantas, Virgin Australia and Delta all fly to LAX, with many transfer options available when you arrive, including resort transportation, airport shuttles, coaches, hire cars and even limousines. Once there you can explore Southern California via shuttle, bus, train, taxi and rideshare services. Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, known as ARTIC, is the public transport hub, serving as both a bus and train station. Anaheim Resort Transportation also has shuttle buses that take guests from their hotels to Disneyland Resort, Downtown Anaheim and Angel Stadium; shopping centres including The Outlets at Orange and South Coast Plaza, and attractions such as Knott’s Berry Farm and the Pirate’s Dinner Adventure show. Buses also run to Los Angeles Union Station, where you can connect with the Metrolink and catch trains to beaches and Santa Barbara. Anaheim is a city built on imagination, where family dreams can quickly become a reality.