If you're making a trip to Disneyland, no doubt you want to see many of the other attractions and things to do in SoCal. Disneyland is centrally located in Orange County, home to beaches, shopping, hiking, sporting events and more. It's also right between Los Angeles and San Diego Counties, and all these areas offer a wide range of choices for family vacations. It's worth spending a full week in SoCal so you can get your Disney fill and explore all the things to do near Disneyland with kids. Let's hop in!
FAQs
- How many days should I spend at Disneyland? Depending on the time of year and interests, you should allow for 2 to 3 Disneyland park days to do it all. You can save money with multi-day tickets from Undercover Tourist.
- Should we take day trips or do a split stay? That depends on your time and interests, but we recommend spending a few days in San Diego or Los Angeles, if you can. For places within 30 miles of Disneyland, you can do day trips.
- When is the best time to visit? It's always a great time to visit, but if you want to visit any of the beaches, we recommend the warmer months. For theme parks and city travel, we recommend the cooler months.
- What should we do on non-park days? We love to break up our park days with shopping or relaxing time doing recreational activities at the beach, pool or shopping.
- Is it worth spending a week in SoCal? Yes! There is so much to do between Los Angeles and Orange County, you'll want to use your Disneyland vacation as part of a larger family vacation.
Things to Do Near Disneyland with Kids
If you've ever ridden on Soarin' Over California at Disney California Adventure or EPCOT, you have likely been blown away by the beauty and diversity of California. It's a huge state, but about half of those scenes were shot in Southern California within two hours of Disneyland. They represent the many different types of experiences you can have when visiting the Golden State. (You can catch the California version of Soarin' every spring during the Food & Wine Festival at Disney California Adventure!)
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Whether you want to make a day trip from Disneyland or split your stay between another SoCal destination and Disneyland, you'll find plenty to do for diverse interests. From spending time outside in nature and hiking through parks, trails and beaches, to shopping and exploring more theme parks and zoos/aquariums, SoCal has it all. Here are our top things to do near Disneyland with kids that are located within an hour or two from Disneyland. (Not accounting for rush-hour traffic, of course.) You can take day trips in any direction or split your stay between Disneyland and some of these destinations.
Beaches and Boat Tours to the West
About 30 minutes from Disneyland, you'll find multiple beaches. You can relax on the beach, learn to surf or take a bike ride along the coast. Huntington Beach has miles of bike trails. You'll find beaches and beach hotels in various cities, from Long Beach down to San Clemente. If you want to shop and sunbathe, Balboa Island and Laguna Beach offer beaches and shops to make it a whole-day excursion.
Courtesy of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Depending on the time of year, you can head out by boat to see dolphins, whales and other sea life. Take a fishing trip or a sunset cruise. If you have the time, take a ferry to Catalina Island (out of Newport Beach or Dana Point) to get away for a day, or even a few days. You can zipline, take a Jeep tour, see wild bison or snorkel in clear waters with the California state fish, the Garibaldi. If you are less adventurous, rent a Duffy boat in Newport Harbor and explore Balboa Island, the calm harbor and Newport Back Bay.
You can paddleboard or kayak in Dana Point Harbor or Newport Beach.
La Jolla in San Diego is another great spot to kayak. Mission Bay in San Diego has calm waters for water sports.
Biking, Hiking and Golf
You can rent bikes in LA, Huntington Beach, Dana Point and other beach towns to explore the coast on wheels or your own feet.
Head to Newport, Laguna and south Orange County to hike on hilltop trails with expansive ocean views. If you prefer flatter trails, San Clemente has a flat beach trail that runs along the beach.
There are numerous golf courses in Orange County and the surrounding areas if you want to play a round of golf. Several have stunning views.
Shopping
If you want to do some shopping near Disneyland, you have a few options. The Main Place Mall is just a few exits south of Disneyland. Old Town Orange has character and a lot of thrift shops where you might find old Disneyland memorabilia and pins. The Irvine Spectrum is a huge outdoor mall and entertainment district 17 miles south of Disneyland, just off I-5.
We love strolling and shopping in small shops in OC beach towns such as Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Balboa Island in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Del Mar in San Clemente.
Long Beach to the Northwest
Long Beach offers beaches, parks and attractions such as the Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific. You can also go out on a boat to see dolphins and whales.
Los Angeles to the North
Los Angeles offers a huge area to explore to the north of Disneyland. Movie fans will love exploring Hollywood with stars on the sidewalks, handprints in the cement, theaters and museums, as well as movie studio tours. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour (save $10 a ticket) is a great half-day activity that can be split with visiting Hollywood. Grab a map of the start home and go on a tour. Hikers who love climbing hills can make their way up to the Hollywood Sign.
Universal Studios is a theme park built at a movie studio. Go on rides, visit the Wizarding World and Super Nintendo World, see stunt shows and take a studio tour tram through the famous backlot. You can save up to $50 on Universal Studios Hollywood tickets, including Universal Express tickets (save up to $126) and up to on VIP tours (save up to $178) when you buy through Undercover Tourist!
As you head north from Disneyland, before you leave Orange County, you'll hit a different kind of theme park. Knott's Berry Farm is a western-themed park with a ghost town that showcases the Old West and old-time fun (like panning for gold) ... but infuses it with PEANUTS characters and roller coasters for the thrill seekers. Knott's is on the Go City Pass, along with many other major attractions.
Los Angeles also has beaches. Tourists flock to Venice Beach and Santa Monica, where you can blend sightseeing, recreation and attractions with views of the Pacific.
©Travis Conklin 2008 Courtesy of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
In terms of sporting events, you have two of everything. There are two MLB teams, with the Angels playing literally down the street from Disneyland and the Los Angeles Dodgers further north in LA.
The Anaheim Ducks, an NHL hockey team, play across the street from Angel Stadium at the Honda Center by Disneyland, and the LA Kings play in Los Angeles. Both football teams — the LA Rams and Chargers — play at SoFi Stadium.
Just down the street from SoFi, one NBA team, the Clippers, play at the new Intuit Dome, whereas the Lakers play at the same Crypto.com Arena as the Kings. A sport is always in season, so take your pick. You can even get your sports tickets through Undercover Tourist!
For more ideas, hop over to our post on what to see and do in Los Angeles.
San Diego to the South
Welcome to the laid-back San Diego County beach towns to the south of Orange County. Yes, there are theme parks here, perfect for LEGO lovers, and the tiniest visitors up to the biggest thrill seekers. This is a great city for animal lovers to visit, with the San Diego Zoo (home to pandas and koalas) and SeaWorld San Diego. Undercover Tourist can help you save on tickets for all of the San Diego attractions. You'll want to log in to your Undercover Tourist account to unlock special savings!
Visit sea lions in La Jolla or take your dog to Dog Beach at Ocean Beach. Our post on what to do in San Diego with kids will fill you in on all the fun things to do.
Balboa Park is full of museums, walking trails, parks, recreation and more.
Catch a Padres game in San Diego. The Petco Park stadium is right near downtown.
Did you know you can hop on a Disney cruise that embarks out of San Diego? Pair a Disneyland vacation with a Disney cruise! Explore the west coast of Mexico and Baja the Disney way.
The port is conveniently located between downtown San Diego and the San Diego airport.
Desert and Mountains to the East
Head to the mountains or desert to get away. These destinations make a great retreat and break from the theme park pace for a couple days or more. Palm Springs was the rejuvenating playground of classic Hollywood, and now it can be a desert oasis for your family. You can go there for warm temperatures, pools, golf, hiking, shopping, dining and nostalgia. The Living Desert is a zoo, and you can visit a great indoor children's museum if you need some AC.
SoCal has it all. You can also head up into the mountains. Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear are for lake time, pine trees or skiing/tubing in the winter. They are just 1.5 to 2 hours away! In fact, we frogs have skied early in the day at Big Bear and then surfed at the beach later that afternoon. It's a flex for the frogs who like to hop around and maximize SoCal vacations. If you like to ski, check out the Ikon Pass (good at SoCal ski destinations) and Epic Pass tickets through Undercover Tourist, from spring through fall.
You can save money on many things to do near Disneyland with kids. Check out our Los Angeles and San Diego ticketing pages for discount tickets to theme parks, attractions and tours. Log in to your Undercover Tourist account (or create one) to reveal special discounts for some attractions. Undercover Tourist also sells multi-attraction passes you can use as you explore many attractions, as well as hotels and car rentals. Bundle your hotel or tickets with a car rental in your cart to unlock deeper discounts. There are so many ways to save on a SoCal trip!
Related: Building a SoCal Vacation Itinerary: How to Visit Disneyland, San Diego and LA
Related: How Many Days at Disneyland Are Enough?
Hoppy planning!
