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Our Top Tips for Visiting Mickey's Toontown with Kids

by Mommy Frog on November 10, 2023 Los Angeles

Disneyland reimagined Mickey's Toontown to make play easier for everyone, but especially the tadpoles. A visit to Toontown is a break from the rest of the theme park. In Mickey's Toontown, kids can enjoy unstructured play time and tap into their imagination. Making it more accessible to all people means there are areas to take a sensory break. It's easier to get around with a stroller or wheelchair now that the curbs are gone. There are green spaces that invite kids to run, crawl and play or have a picnic. And there are still all the buttons and knobs for curious minds to explore. If you are heading to Toontown with your littles, follow our top tips for tackling Mickey's Toontown with kids.

Our Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids

Toontown has the same whimsical charm it had when parents were tadpoles themselves, but Toontown has been "tooned" down so there is less sensory overload. Even so, there is more to do than ever before. It's a place to relax and rejuvenate before heading back to your touring plan and structured day.

Millennial and Gen X parents can relive the Toontown of their youth by sharing the things that remain the same with their own tadpoles and also delight in the frogciting changes. Here are our tips for Mickey's Toontown with kids so you can make the best of your time there and catch all the cool new details that all of you will love.

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Mom and child listen to voice in mailbox

1. Take Your Time

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Kids slide down rainbow slides

Slow down and take your time in Toontown. Plan a few hours for your visit. Head to Toontown when you do not have to rush off to a dining reservation or another ride in the park. While it's fun for the tadpoles, there are so many Easter eggs and clever details that are super fun for adults to discover as well. Plus, what parent doesn't love a shady bench in a park-like setting to rest their feet and legs?

During opening weekend, we spent about four hours per day in the land. And for froggies who are always pushing on to the next ride or show and trying to maximize time, that's a huge deal. We slowed down, sat on the lawns, had picnics, tried new foods, shopped, explored and watched Tad show his little sister, Lily, all the cool things he remembered from before. Plus, the character interactions in Toontown are like no other. Pluto, Goofy and Clarabelle played with us in the yards or interrupted our picnic. Pete came wandering through! We saw Daisy near her new restaurant. We spotted new details in Roger Rabbit's Car TOON Spin (such as Jessica Rabbit in her trench coat). We had much fun!

Since the reopening, Goofy's How-to-Play Yard has seen even more upgrades, with additional interactive touchable items and sounds! We are still waiting for the splash pad to open at Donald's Boat.

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Girl listens to phone in Toontown

All this means you need to budget some time to explore Mickey's Toontown. It's easily a half-day experience with small children. The hard part is making them leave to see the rest of Disneyland.

2. Let Them Explore, Run and Play

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Kid sits on chaise in Minnie's house

There is so much fun to be had in Mickey’s Toontown. Push all the buttons. Make things explode. Lift up phones to listen. Ring doorbells and lift lids. Take silly pictures in a Dog Pound or in vehicles. Pose on the furniture in Mickey's and Minnie's houses. That stuff never gets old! Let’s face it — so many times we tell our tadpoles not to climb on stuff or not touch this or that. In Toontown, you can touch and climb on EVERYTHING! Your kids will find it freeing and surprising.

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-girls plays on rocking toyKids have so much energy. Parents not so much (not to generalize, but Leap and I wish we had half the energy of Tad and Lily). Whether you have a toddler who is on the go or a bigger kid with a lot of spring in their step, Toontown is a perfect place to get the wiggles out.

Running and climbing are not safe in the rest of the theme parks, but Toontown offers space for such activities. Plus, those giant tree roots in CenTOONial Park and the hills are designed for climbing and crawling.

3. Bring Hand Sanitizer or Wipes

Yeah, we hear you! After all that exploring, you can clean their hands, especially before snack time. And you're definitely going to want snacks (and maybe a full meal) from Café Daisy while in Toontown.

4. Dine Smart

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Pepperoni pizza

Speaking of snacks, Toontown is a great place to take a snack break or pick up a kids meal. All that playtime is going to make your kids hungry. Whether you bring your own snack and picnic, or pick up a perfect picnic basket with snacks at Good Boy! Grocers, go spread out on the lawn and have a little picnic party in Toontown.

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-corn dog nuggets

Café Daisy has kid-sized pizzas, mac and cheese and bite-size mini corn dogs! Mom and dad approve of those corn dog nuggets, too, so you might want to get an extra for a snack or a side for yourself. Just sayin'!

Avoid the lines at Café Daisy. Mobile order your food in advance. We placed our order for lunchtime at 7 a.m. and avoided long food lines or trying to find food once everyone is already hungry. Are the tables full? Go have a picnic on the lawn! You can sometimes purchase the blanket and add on a picnic basket when mobile ordering, which saves you from waiting in a separate line at Good Boy! Grocers. You can read about all the food options in our Mickey's Toontown food post.

Bring your refillable water bottles to save on drinks. There are two fill stations in Toontown: one near the restrooms and one in Popcorn Park.

5. Take a Sensory Break in Mickey's Toontown

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Popcorn Park area

Disneyland provides a lot of sensory input. Toontown has new areas where kids can take a breather and catch a break from all the sights and sounds. So many kids get overwhelmed after a few hours in the park and need to leave. By giving them time to recharge, you can extend your time in the park without tears and frustration. The new paint colors are a little more soothing than before to give the eyes a break.

Past the popcorn stand is Popcorn Park. It is an open space with benches. You can choose the sun or shade to decompress. You'll find several shady benches under the overhang. The music is quieter here. It's a great place for a sensory break for kids and adults who need it. It's also a nice place to have a snack. This green space tends to be less congested than the other lawn areas.

Our Top Tips for Visiting Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Toddler area

Another great spot for tadpoles ages 6 to 23 months is behind Donald's Boat. This small section has some padded benches and obstacles to climb. Parents can take a rest and keep their "Little Goofs" contained in this fenced area, safe from bigger and faster kids.

6. Meet Characters

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Pluto Plays with baby in Donald's Boat area

There is always someone to meet in Toontown. The character interactions are so much fun. Goofy, Clarabelle, Pluto and Donald play in the yards with visitors or wander around.

Our Top Tips for Visiting Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Girl meets Minnie in her house Mickey and Minnie are at their houses but all the other characters wander around and mingle with parkgoers. It tends to be less scary for toddlers to see the characters playing around rather than standing and waiting for them to approach for a formal picture.

7. Show Them All of the Not-to-Miss Details

While you can let them lead the way, there are a few toadally cool things you do not want to miss.

At the fire station, press the doorbell and take a few steps back to see the puppy peek out of the upper window. Push the TNT lever down to make things explode. Ring the doorbells and open the lids of boxes and mailboxes to hear what's inside.

At Minnie's House, let them open Minnie's fridge, see what's cooking in her oven, watch the dishwasher cycle and climb all over the furniture. Don't rush through. Sometimes you can meet Minnie in her garden. One time we got to meet Minnie in her house!

Our Top Tips for Visiting Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Girls watch Minnie's Dishwasher

In Mickey's House, sit on the furniture and watch the carrots grow and disappear. Stick around to find out where they went, and then wait to see Mickey magically appear in the mirror.

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Mickey's House garden scene

At Goofy's House, play inside and out! The garden is a playground. Send your kiddo across the noisy bridge. Let them climb into the fort and glide down rainbow-colored rolling slides. Inside, they can help Goofy make "candy" balls by turning wheels and pushing levers. Parents can enjoy looking for pictures of Baby Max and finding his growth chart on a door frame.

At Donald's Boat, your busy movers can climb, rock and spin ... and splash! Look in each of the windows of the boat to see Huey, Dewey, Louie and bubbles. More levers and handles to push here.

8. Get the Shortest Waits for Rides

Nobody wants to wait in line. But if you have to wait, two of the Toontown rides have some of the best queues in Disneyland Park! But in the spirit of saving time so you have more play time, we will share how to get the shortest lines.

There are three rides in Toontown:

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway — This ride offers an optional individual Lightning Lane, which means you can pay to skip the standby line. However, that line also skips the really cute queue elements. (Seriously. The Runaway Railway queue is so fun that we made a whole post about it.) So we recommend the standby line if the line is short. You can head here first thing in the morning for the shortest wait or hop back after the fireworks end ... if your tadpoles still have jump in their step. Our tadpoles are only hopping into bed at that late hour. Toontown closes from 8 to 10 p.m. during fireworks so there will be no line when it first reopens. To be honest, the wait time for this ride has been manageable during the day and never feels that long because of the interactive queue.

Roger Rabbit's Car TOON Spin — This ride is on Genie+, so you can skip the line if you have Genie+ service for the day. You might want to skip the cool immersive queue with the Lightning Lane if you have sensitive tadpoles. It's a bit dark and somewhat scary.

Chip 'n' Dale's GADGET Coaster — Without Genie+ or individual Lightning Lane, the only option is the standby line. The line is shortest when it first opens in the morning and after the fireworks end. Look for the new Gadget as you head up the hill on the coaster and Chip 'n' Dale having fun with the water. This ride has a height requirement of 35 inches (89 cm.).

Morning is when lines are shortest. Midday will bring the longest lines so try to visit during a less busy time if you want to ride the rides. That being said, midday is about the time that kids need some unstructured playtime and adults need some rest. It may also be the best time to cool off with the water play options. So midday may be your overall best time to head to Toontown. Schedule those Lightning Lanes to break up playtime. Or to save money, you might hit the standby lines early and then come back later for play to break up your day and manage time in the park.

9. Cool Off at the Splash Pad and Water Tables

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-girl plays in fountain

Donald’s boat has crashed into Goofy’s duck pond. A splash pad is in development. This is a great place to cool off on a hot sunny day. Bring a swimsuit, water shoes and a change of clothes. Don’t froget the sunscreen! A cast member said swim trunks and swimsuit tops are allowed. Girls need shorts to cover a swimsuit bottom. Shoes are required, so Crocs may be the perfect solution.

The CenTOONial Park fountain has water tables at its base for water play. It's particularly splashy there, even for parents standing to the side. Save it for a hot day.

10. Ditch the Stroller

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Stroller parking

With Toontown appealing to families with young children, many visitors bring a stroller and stay awhile. That means some of the green space becomes stroller parking. If you don't need your stroller, remove any valuables and park it by "it's a small word" just outside of Toontown while you play. In fact, at busy times, cast members may limit the number of strollers allowed in the land.

Top Tips for Mickey's Toontown with Kids-Boy poses in Dog Pound

12. Keep that Camera Ready!

These are memories in the making. The best photo-ops in the park are here in Toontown. Capture your kiddos having fun and meeting characters or sitting in the Toontown vehicles.

13. Come Back at Night if Your Kids Are Still Awake

Toontown has new lighting and a fountain in CenTOONial Park that springs to life at night. On nights with fireworks, Toontown closes for fireworks but reopens after. If your kids are still hopping, come back for shorter lines and new views. If there are no fireworks that night, Toontown stays open.

Mickey's Toontown keeps old favorite interactive areas and adds fresh play areas. You are not going to want to miss out. Get your discount Disneyland tickets so you can buy some snacks for a picnic in Toontown with your savings. 

Related: What to Expect at the Reimagined Toontown at Disneyland

Related: The Best New Eats in the Reimagined Mickey's Toontown Area

Hoppy planning!

Keep hopping, Mommy Frog!
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