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What else to do in Anaheim, other than Disneyland?

Disneyland: Rent a car, or use the trolley?

From Melissa Faulkner
Posted April 21, 2010 at 8:34 PM
Could you tell me how hard it is to get around Anaheim , traffic wise. My husband is going for business and I'm tagging along. While he is in his class all day I thought about renting a car and doing some site seeing. Would this be smart or should I rely on their trolly system. Unfortunately we won't be able to go to Disneyland, his classes are 9 hours each day and I don't want to go by myself. Do you have any suggestions for other things to see and do?


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Rob P
Posted April 22, 2010 at 3:02 AM
If you don't mind driving out a bit then I would recommend going out to Palm Springs and going up the San Jacinto Mountain glass bottom cable car.
A little further afield is the Joshua Tree Monument which is spectacularly good.
If you want an easy ride out to the coast then Long Beach and the coastal parts are nice too ( see the Queen Mary and the Spruce Goose ).
A drive up to Hollywood can be a bit stressful but there's a bus that takes you from Anaheim to Hollywood on a round trip for about $40. Depending on how much time you have you could pick up the subway from Hollywood to Universal Studios.
Try these people for starters :
http://www.allanaheimtours.com

From Robert Niles
Posted April 22, 2010 at 9:14 AM
In Anaheim itself, there's not much to do beyond the Disneyland Resort or an Angels game, if they are in town. I've done Disneyland loads of time by myself, and always have a good time. A baseball game could be fun, too, if you're into that.

Otherwise, you'll have to rent a car. Traffic in Southern California can be nasty, depending upon the time of day and direction you travel. But there is just about anything you can imagine available to do around here.

From Ben James
Posted April 22, 2010 at 11:03 AM
Robert, I am still waiting on you to go back and re-visit Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen.

From Melissa Faulkner
Posted April 23, 2010 at 6:38 AM
Thanks for the responses.

From Sylvain Comeau
Posted April 24, 2010 at 6:41 PM
I don't know if it's in Anaheim itself, but Knott's Berry Farm is close to Disneyland.

From Wok Creative
Posted April 24, 2010 at 7:36 PM
Downtown Anaheim has some interesting things, very near Disney. Muzeo is a great little museum with a couple of buildings. One is more permanent displays and the other is always changing. There was an exhibit on animatronics a while back that was great. Right now there is one on frogs. They are always very interactive and not too expensive, and can be seen in a short time. It is in a very nice little area, with places to eat there.
Also nearby, technically in Fullerton, is the Disney Character Warehouse in the OrangeFair Mall.
If you have small kids, Adventure City is near Knott's, in Buena Park - cheap and fun, but mostly for smaller kids. It is in an area known as Hobby City, although most of the hobby stores are gone - some small ones are still there.
Nearby Santa Ana has the Discovery Children's Museum - your basic interactive Children's science museum.
Beaches are not too far away and the weather has been very nice.
Lots of other malls around, too, in and near Anaheim.

From Bruce Lane
Posted April 25, 2010 at 5:16 AM
You've also got the LA Zoo about 34 miles north, near the junction of I-5 and 134 (the Ventura Freeway). Couple that with Griffith Park, and what others have already mentioned, and you've got plenty of options.

Happy travels.

From Bob Miller
Posted April 25, 2010 at 10:51 AM
Melissa, have you ever heard of Gray Line Tours? When I stayed out there with my daughter, we used them for different tours, like Movie Stars homes, Hollywood Bowl, Hard Rock, and others.

When we used them, you could get some tours where they picked you up right at your hotel, but others you had to go to their terminal. Don't know if they still do that yet, but you can check them out online. Hope this helps.

From Brian Afdahl
Posted April 28, 2010 at 1:58 PM
By the way. The Spruce Goose is long gone.

From Rob P
Posted April 30, 2010 at 2:54 AM
The Spruce Goose has gone ?
Has anyone seen Di Caprio lately ?

From Melissa Faulkner
Posted April 30, 2010 at 4:41 PM
A huge thanks to everyone. You all have given me some great ideas.

From J. Dana
Posted May 2, 2010 at 11:27 PM
Knott's Berry Farm.
Universal (30 minutes away)
Legoland
Down to San Diego for Seaworld and San Diego zoo..but that's a drive.
Queen Mary in Long Beach is very cool.
Venice Beach

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