As if Dole Whip, Jungle Cruise jokes and temptations of treasures from the Temple of the Forbidden Eye weren’t enough of a draw for Park goers into Adventureland, the smell of The Bengal Barbecue will grab you by the nose and coax you with all its magical deliciousness…ness. The skewers are a perfect light meal or snack and you don’t even have to teach yourself Swahili. Aside from the food, I have always found the sign to be really interesting and it is certainly an overdue subject for a picture. I especially love the way it looks around twilight because myriad shades of orange really jump out against the blue cast of nightfall.
The Throne Room
I had never, ever seen this room before until just yesterday. Do you recognize it? It’s the handicapped viewing room for the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-through. Amazing right? I was completely blown away and completely in love. I’ve never been to Hearst Castle (something I hope to remedy soon) but this is just the type of thing I would expect to find there, not Disneyland. I’m not sure if this qualifies as a throne or not, having three seats and all. It sure has all the grandness of a throne. I could probably stare at it for hours and I did stare for a while, simply in awe. I sat in it too and it was surprisingly comfortable. I really love that Disneyland has so many wonderful surprises.
Welcome to the French Market
New Orleans Square has so much charm and appeal, it’s enough to make you defy the powers that be and insist on living there. If only that were possible. There’s so much character to this Disneyland exclusive land. Walking down the jazz filled alleyways will invariably lead you to some establishment of semi-fine dining. The French Market, I think, is one of the prettiest. It’s also home to mint juleps, which are easily my favorite drink at Disneyland. A jazz band is almost always occupying the stage and they’ll help you relax as you take in the view of the Rivers of America, or my favorite, the New Orleans Square Train Depot.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
It could easily be argued that Winnie the Pooh is the most lovable bear around and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride tucked away in Critter Country is the perfect spot to get your fix of this silly old bear. The ride itself is a wonderfully colorful adventure through the Hundred Acre Wood but one of my favorite things about this ride is its entrance. The wood of this covered bridge has so much texture and the rich rustic red brings it out so well. I’m a sucker for wooden structures like this. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Winnie the Pooh and the gang are there to greet you right away.
Finding the Great Outdoors
Sometimes it’s hard to decide what you want to do on vacation with such limited time to get away. Do you go to the beach? Do you go camping? Do you go to an amusement park? Do you travel somewhere exotic? You really don’t have to decide if you go to the Disneyland Resort. It has a bit of everything from the beach feel of Paradise Pier to the exotic mystery of Adventureland to the great outdoors of the Golden State. It makes all that vacation planning a little easier and the experience makes for a magical, relaxing adventure.
A Field of Flowers
So it may be more of a bed than a field, but the flowers at the Disneyland Resort could certainly fill a field. These flowers were in Paradise Pier back in the Spring. It didn’t seem like they were there for long before the next batch of beautiful flowers was brought in. It’s amazing to me how seamless the transitions are. An entire bed of flowers will be completely transplanted, yet without prior knowledge, you would never know those particular blooms hadn’t been there all along. It’s one of those details I get excited for with each trip to the park, to see what those creative geniuses will have planted next.