Almost Free Traveling

The attractions at Disneyland and California Adventure are one of the main reasons to visit the parks, but sometimes–especially midday–crowds swell and lines are long, and everyone’s looking for something low-key to do. There are lots of alternatives to standing in long lines, and we’ve catalogued many of our favorites in this post, organized by park and land, roughly clockwise around each park.

Checking Disneyland Lines in the App

To begin with, you can always check wait times for attraction lines with ease in the Disneyland app (I’ve checked them from the couch at home–that’s not weird at all). Simply pull up the app and click on the upside-down tear drop at the bottom of the main screen:

If the lines are crazy long, consider visiting one of these alternatives until the crowds thin:

Things to do in Disneyland

Main Street

Ride the Disneyland Railroad Around the Park

This is a great way to relax, nap, or watch the park go by while listening to narration. To board the Disneyland Railroad, head for the nearest train station (there are four: at the park entrance, in New Orlean’s Square, in Toon Town and in Tomorrowland).

Window displays on Main Street

Upon entering Disneyland and walking down main street, notice a shop on the lefthand corner called the Disneyland Emporium, that always has enchanting window displays.

Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln

Across from the Emporium, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was an Animatronic feat when it debuted. It takes place in a theater with a talking, storytelling robotic Mr. Lincoln onstage, and the attraction also contains iconic Disneyland artifacts.

Cinema

Nextdoor to Mr. Lincoln, screen these vintage, 6-8 minute short Walt Disney films, that originally aired before feature films:

• Steamboat Willie, 1928 
• Plane Crazy, 1928 
• The Moose Hunt, 1931 
• Traffic Troubles, 1931 
• The Dognapper, 1934 
• Mickey’s Polo Team, 1936 

Shop

We generally like to buy Mickey gear before we go and bring it into the parks with us, but I still love perusing each and every shop–especially when it’s hot or crowded outside. On main street alone, you’ll find shops full of clothing, accessories, candy, ornaments, jewelry, backpacks, toys and much more.

Watch Candy Being Made

In the Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen, you can watch chefs making candy, and then purchase it fresh that day!

Town Square

People/Character Watch

There are benches all over the parks where you can sit and watch people and characters pass by. In Disneyland, if you sit on one of the benches in the Town Square near the castle long enough, you are sure to catch a parade, a cavalcade, characters walking by or just enjoy watching people.

Castle Walkthrough

Find the castle entrance on the Fantasyland side of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, then walk up the stairs to embark on a journey through the story of Sleeping Beauty.

Frontierland

Visit Tom Sawyer’s Island

When we pack a lunch into the parks, one of our favorite places to eat is on Tom Sawyer’s Island. There’s shaded, peaceful areas to rest, caves to explore, and a unique vantage point to watch the Columbia & Mark Twain circle the island. For passage to the Island, catch a motorized raft across from the Haunted Mansion on the Rivers of America.

Ride the Mark Twain River Boat

Also on the Rivers of America is Mark Twain’s River Boat, another ride that typically has a short line and offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of the park. For a chance to captain the ship, ask a cast member while you wait in what’s usually a short line.

Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition

There are 20 guns and over 100 targets to shoot with infrared shotguns at this classic Disney shooting stand. Each round costs 50 cents, so bring your cash and use the change machine at either end of this shooting gallery.

Adventureland

Enchanted Tiki Room

Another place to beat the heat and long lines is in the Enchanted Tiki Room in Adventureland. Shows run every fifteen minutes, and this classic show featuring singing birds is a nice escape on a busy park day.

Galaxy’s Edge

Perhaps because of it’s tucked away location, Galaxy’s Edge often seems to have lower crowds than other areas of the park. Walk around the shops in the open-air market, grab a bite to eat, interact with droids outside Droid Depot or snag a walk-up reservation for Oga’s Cantina.

Fireworks from Galaxy’s Edge

Main Street packs with people during the hours before the fireworks; if you’d like an unconventional viewing place, try the platform above the Millennium Falcon in Galaxy’s Edge. You will not get the full castle show including music, but there’s hardly anyone around and it’s a magical experience to watch fireworks in Battu.

Things to do in California Adventure

Hollywood Studios

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

This twelve-minute video is a welcome escape from crowds, lines and heat. Watch the always entertaining relationship between Mickey and Donald Duck in this 3D movie in Hollywood Backlot.

Animation Academy

Across the street from the PhilharMargic is the Animation Academy, where guests of all ages can learn to draw a character from a Disney movie.

Sorcerer’s Workshop

In the same building as the Academy is the Sorcerer’s Workshop, where visitors learn about animation through interactive experiences.

Beast’s Library

Continue on through the obscure doorway at the back of the Sorcerer’s Workshop, where you’ll enter Beast’s Library, which contains stations where you can take a personality test and discover your Disney character match.

Turtle Talk with Crush

Turtle Talk with Crush is an interactive experience where the audience talks with an animated Crush the Turtle, who appears on a large screen.

Avenger’s Campus

Amazing Spider-Man Animatronic Show

Right inside the entrance to Avenger’s Campus from Buena Vista Street, watch the Amazing SpiderMan Animatronic show typically at 10:00 AM, 10:35 AM, 11:00 AM, 11:35 AM, 12:15 PM, 2:15 PM, 2:50 PM, 3:15 PM, and 4:05 PM.

Cars Land

Another showtime that should be listed in the App daily is watching Cars Land light up at dusk. Sometimes the cars drive around and music plays, so hang out in Cars Land around dusk if lines are long.

Pacific Wharf

Shows on the Stage

Sometimes you’ll see shows listed in the Disneyland App for the Pacific Wharf stage; grab a bread bowl, pull up a chair and watch a performance with the Pixar Pier lights in the background.

Pixar Pier

Games of Pixar Pier

Just like a classic boardwalk, there’s always Pixar-movie-inspired carnival games to be played when surrounding lines are too long.

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Inspired by the beauty of California wilderness, this attraction is a cool place for guests of all ages to play and adventure together.

Things to do in Both Parks

Parades/Cavalcades

When Disneyland or DCA lines are long, check the Disneyland App for showtimes; you may be able to catch a parade, a show or fireworks!

Hidden Mickeys

Something to do in both parks is look for hidden Mickeys–they are everywhere! If you’d like a guide to help you know where to look, search hidden Mickey on your phone; lots of guests have tracked hidden Mickeys all over the park and blogged about it.

Takeaways

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, with this much to do, you’ll always have alternatives to standing in long lines at Disneyland.

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