StaceyinLA Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 We are considering this for early May. We'd like to drive to CA and go to Disneyland for a few days. On the way there and back, we would do some other sightseeing. Give me some ideas of great stops along the way. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 I'm sorry, I'm stuck on 'driving from Louisiana to Disneyland' and my mind is just screaming, DON'T DO IT! It's possible that I'm not a fan of hellaciously long road trips. How long would you have for the entire trip? Two weeks would be my absolute bare minimum to make it with my mind and nerves intact, and a bit longer would be better. Plus, that impacts the stops you will be able to make. Some sights can be seen fairly quickly, others need longer to really appreciate them. Some things might be worth going an hour out of the way if you can spare the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Grand Canyon Death Valley My kids enjoyed Las Vegas's monorail. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Disney World in FL is just 11 hours from Louisiana. Is there a reason you want to go to CA versus FL? Alley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 If you're swinging up to the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest National Park is great.I'm not sure of the seasonal temperatures, but early May may be an OK time to stop in Death Valley or Joshua Tree. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplejackmama Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Perot museum in Dallas is fantastic. Ft worth Longhorns were my son's most favorite. Palo duro Canyon outside of Amarillo is beautiful. The summer Texas musical production is worth seeing. Cadillac Ranch is more fun than you think it will be. Tent rocks in ABQ is a great hike. Iexplora is a great museum. We love Santa Fe, but it might take you too far off course. The painted desert and petrified forest is beautiful. Grand Canyon, of course. Hoover dam, valley fire state park and Red Rocks are our Las Vegas favorites. Love Joshua Tree! You can rent climbing equipment if your family wants to take on any climbing. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Palo Duro Canyon outside Amarillo is very nice. Cadillac Ranch is a fun quick stop along the road. Tent Rocks outside of Albuquerque is AWESOME....one of my top few things ever. Just take water along as there is none to be had for miles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalytic Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 La Brea tar pits, Mojave Desert, LA/Hollywood, Calico Ghost Town, Grand Canyon, Vegas, Hoover Dam, the Painted Desert, 4 corners, Mesa Verde, the Petrified Forest, Carlsbad Caverns (We did all of these on a drive from Los Angeles to Florida in 2000 when my oldest two were 7 and 8.) They remember the trip...you'd think the Hoover Dam, or Calico, or the Grand Canyon would stick out in their minds the most. No, the darn tar pits were absolutely the highlight of the trip for them, they talk about them even now at 23 and 24! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 We are considering this for early May. We'd like to drive to CA and go to Disneyland for a few days. On the way there and back, we would do some other sightseeing. Give me some ideas of great stops along the way. :party: :party: :party: Disneyland is my favorite place. Mr. Ellie and I have been there over 40 times. :D How many days will you have for sightseeing? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 Thanks for the input! A couple of responses. We go to Disneyworld all the time (going in a few weeks actually). We have never been to Disneyland. We have always wanted to do a road trip to CA. We figured we could combine the two and make it a really cool trip! We are definitely thinking about 2 weeks total (with 3-4 days at Disneyland). We will likely go one way and return another, so we can see different things. We are trying to work on a plan, a budget, etc. This may or may not wind up happening this coming May due to the kids' ages, but it IS something we want to do in the next couple years for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Thanks for the input! A couple of responses. We go to Disneyworld all the time (going in a few weeks actually). We have never been to Disneyland. We have always wanted to do a road trip to CA. We figured we could combine the two and make it a really cool trip! We are definitely thinking about 2 weeks total (with 3-4 days at Disneyland). We will likely go one way and return another, so we can see different things. We are trying to work on a plan, a budget, etc. This may or may not wind up happening this coming May due to the kids' ages, but it IS something we want to do in the next couple years for sure. Do three days at Disneyland/California Adventure and one day at Universal Studios. :-) If your passes include an early-entry day, check to see if Finding Nemo will be open for the early entry, and if so, do that. The line tends to be quite long, all day, every day. Also, the Peter Pan ride always has a long line, so one morning, make that the first ride you go on. There are two sides to the Matterhorn, and they are slightly different. Be sure to do both sides. :-) Fast Passes are your friend. Also, some rides allow single riders to go ahead of the other people in line. It's worth it on some rides (not the Matterhorn, though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 Do three days at Disneyland/California Adventure and one day at Universal Studios. :-) If your passes include an early-entry day, check to see if Finding Nemo will be open for the early entry, and if so, do that. The line tends to be quite long, all day, every day. Also, the Peter Pan ride always has a long line, so one morning, make that the first ride you go on. There are two sides to the Matterhorn, and they are slightly different. Be sure to do both sides. :-) Fast Passes are your friend. Also, some rides allow single riders to go ahead of the other people in line. It's worth it on some rides (not the Matterhorn, though). Do you know if the Peter Pan and Nemo rides are the same as their WDW counterparts? And yes, we LOVE fast passes! ;-p Have y'all stayed on site? If so, where? If they offer early entry to on-site guests, or the ability to do a package where you can book fast passes early, I definitely want to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I love visiting big, odd homes. Hearst Castle is very interesting. The grout in one of the bathrooms is Gold. As in the metal, not mere metallic. I love the Winchester house too, but that is in San Jose, so it may be out of your way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Do you know if the Peter Pan and Nemo rides are the same as their WDW counterparts? And yes, we LOVE fast passes! ;-p Have y'all stayed on site? If so, where? If they offer early entry to on-site guests, or the ability to do a package where you can book fast passes early, I definitely want to do that. I have no idea if they are the same or not. Even if they are, you must go to them. Besides which Peter Pan is one of the original rides; Finding Nemo is the repurposed submarine ride:-) "On site" is kind of different at Disneyland than it is at WDW. :-) Generally, we stay at one of the near-by hotels that are walking distance from the main gate, preferably on Harbor. The Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian are way, way out of our budget. The Grand Californian has a direct entry to California Adventure as well as Downtown Disney; you have to leave the Disneyland Hotel and walk into Downtown Disney to catch the Monorail into the park (not a very long walk, but still not right on the premises). I don't think you can book Fast Passes. AFAIK, you have to go to the ride and get the Fast Pass. Usually, multi-day passes have one early-entry day (called Magic Morning), whether you're staying at a Disney hotel or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted August 23, 2016 Share Posted August 23, 2016 If you travel on I-10 through Texas, Balmorrea state park is really nice and has a small motel to stay in so you don't have to camp. Of course, Houston and San Antonio are also on thought route, but there is also a whole lot of nothing between San Antonio and El Paso. Carlsbad Caverns NP is not too far off. White Sands NP. Petroglyph Nation monument, Las Alamos, Bandelier NP, Sunset crater state park InArizona I would suggest investing in a national park pass if you don't have one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted August 23, 2016 Share Posted August 23, 2016 We are road trippers and my teens are really looking forward to one next summer. We didn't find much to stop for in Texas, but in New Mexico, White Sands, Carlsbad, and Roswell were fun. Those are Southern New Mexico though, so you'd have to go north to get to the Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon. In LA, I'll second the La Brea Tar Pits--my boys like to go there whenever we're back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted August 23, 2016 Share Posted August 23, 2016 I suggest that you have at least four (4) weeks to do this if you drive from LA. You could go to San Diego, which has many places of interests for tourists. You can go to Las Vegas and to the National Parks in S.W. Utah and to Grand Canyon National Park. If you have a shorter vacation, I would suggest that you fly to CA or to Las Vegas, Rent a Car, and then see the things you can see in the time you have available. We rented a car in Las Vegas and drove down to SO CA and spent 3 or 4 nights there, visiting relatives. A couple of weeks ago, I read about a card for tourists in Southern California, it gives discounts or admissions to Disneyland as I recall, but sadly, I don't have a link to provide to you. I don't remember if someone here on WTM posted the information, or if I read about it somewhere else. I think it was somewhere else. Possibly Kim Komando http://www.komando.com/ ? If you go to Orlando, you can go to Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and many other places and you can go to the beach on the East Coast or the West Coast. Much closer to where you live. We were there at the end of April 2016. The previous time, we got there on May 12th. Go as early as possible, for "cooler" weather... GL and plan carefully! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted August 23, 2016 Share Posted August 23, 2016 We have driven to the midwest from Socal (near DL) and done it in 2 days (wouldn't recommend, but it was an emergency). So 3-4 days would be much nicer. This site might give you some fun ideas of places to stop along the way to break up the monotony of driving : http://www.roadsideamerica.com/ I wish I recalled the stop we found a dinner with the best fried catfish! It was in TX off the 10 I believe and DH and I still talk about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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