So Much to Do in Anaheim California, So Little Time!

By Veronica Moore

Anaheim, the Disney capital of California has a slew of new hotels that will be occupied by the 24.4 million annual visitors they receive within the proximity of Disneyland’s resort, 150 and they are still constructing!

There are at least five newly scheduled hotel openings in 2020 in Anaheim, but Communications Manager, Lindsey Miller at Visit Anaheim is most excited for the two Four Diamond Hotels that will be opening soon.

According to Visit Anaheim, the specs for these hotels are quite elaborate and expansive; they are:

Orange County’s First JW Marriott will open in April. It will have 466 guest rooms, a rooftop garden, and 24,000 square feet of meeting space.

Westin Anaheim Resort will open in August. This hotel will have 618 rooms, a rooftop lounge, 23 meeting rooms totaling 47,542 square feet of meeting space.

These hotels will add rooms and space for more tourists to enjoy not only what Disney has to offer but the big city of  Anaheim, as well, with less overcrowding in current hotels.

At present, there is a specific hotel with its own waterpark full of fun for families called Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance that has remained popular with its guests.

It is enjoyed by both children and parents alike because kids get to play in the water-park, and adults get to have extra money in their pockets that would have been spent on water-park passes.

Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance

Some families have said how much their kids enjoyed the water park in comparison to Disney itself because of all of their slides, water games, and pools.

GoNOMAD’s editor Max Hartshorne visited the hotel and his granddaughter Sofie preferred the hotel’s water park to anything she found across the street at expensive, crowded, ever-popular Disneyland!

Disneyland is often the main attraction to Anaheim. Hotels and corporations have recognized this and have moved their hotels within a minute’s walk of Disney and in a spot where their guests are able to see the picturesque fireworks that begin any Disney movie in your home or local movie theatre.

Mickey and Friends

All of the tourists who travel for miles to see Mickey Mouse and all of his friends often wish to stay in hotels “on Disney property.” Disney will have hotels that are a few miles off of park property and will schedule shuttles in order to get their guests to Disneyland.

Speaking of transportation–the biggest expansion of any Disney Park is happening right now where the “guests are transported to the remote galaxy of Batuu,” according to Visit Anaheim.

It is the ninth land in Disneyland, and it is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It is now open to visitors.

The food and drink options are straight out of this world; in the ninth land, they specialize in galactic foods.

Star Wars Rise of the Resistance

Similar to the hype around the Harry Potter Hogwarts interactive exhibition, the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be even more fully-fledged and enveloping than any other past experiences within the Disney realm. The launch of this expansive project was on January 17th, 2020.

Also in early 2020, there will be an Avengers Campus that is part of Disney’s California Adventure Park also located in Anaheim. Many of the popular  Marvel movie characters will be present, so the campus is targetted towards kids who idealize these superheroes. For example, Spider-Man will be featured for the first time on a ‘ride through attraction’ in Disney.

Disneyland Anaheim California

The kiddos will also be able to meet their favorite superheroes as easily as they can meet Disney princesses and princes in Cinderella’s Castle. In this Avengers-Only campus, you can encounter Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Iron Man and many of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Despite all the attractions on Disney owned grounds, but Anaheim itself is not to be forgotten. If you want to escape the familiar overpriced perks of Disneyland, then Anaheim is the place to go.

Anaheim Garden Walk

Another recent development to the Anaheim Resort District is the Anaheim Garden Walk. It’s a vast open mall where shops and restaurants are neatly filed in. They are just one block east of Disneyland and have 97% of their property leases signed, which means that their occupancy is at a high so that you can enjoy the diverse options the Garden Walk has to offer for many years to come.

For those rainy days when you don’t want to go outside, the Garden Walk recently opened a movie theatre, equipped with reclining leather heated seats for optimum comfort. They have a full bar and a partnership with “Blush,” a nightclub that can hold about 900 occupants so the party can start after the movie ends!

The nightlife in Anaheim is something to write home about. In addition to this cinema/nightclub, they have opened within the Garden Walk lines, a Carabet called “Kip Barry’s Cabaret and Magic Arts.”

Other things to do in Anaheim for antique lovers

You could also visit downtown Anaheim, which is riddled with boutiques, restaurants, and shops for the whole family. There is also a large farmer’s market that is held every Thursday from 11-3 pm.

It’s perfect for those in Airbnbs or those cooking up a little snack before heading off to more fun at Disney or otherwise.