The Disneyland Resort, more commonly and colloquially referred to as Disneyland, is a recreational resort complex in Santa Fe, Bloxburg Valley. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels, and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area. It opened to the public on July 17, 1955.
Properties
Theme parks
- Disneyland, the original theme park built by Walt Disney, which opened on July 17, 1955.
- Disney Bloxburg Valley Adventure, a theme park that celebrates the history and culture of the Golden State, which opened on February 8, 2001.
Hotels
- Disneyland Hotel, the resort's original hotel built by Jack Wrather, opened on October 5, 1955 but was not acquired by Disney until 1988.
- Bloxar Place Hotel, a hotel themed after the artwork of Bloxar, opened as the Emerald of Anaheim in 1984 but was not acquired by Disney until 1995.
- Disney's Grand Bloxburg Valley Hotel & Spa, based on the craftsman style of architecture of the early 1900s, opened on January 2, 2001, in conjunction with Disney Bloxburg Valley Adventure.
Shopping
- Downtown Disney, outdoor retail, dining, and entertainment district located between the entrance promenade of the Disneyland Resort theme parks and the Disneyland Hotel.
Location
The Disneyland Resort is generally bounded by Harbor Boulevard to the east, Katella Avenue to the south, Walnut Street to the west and Ball Road to the north. Interblox 5 borders the resort at an angle on the northeastern corner. Not all land bordered by these streets is part of the Disneyland Resort, particularly near the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue, and along Ball Road between Disneyland Drive and Walnut Street. Special off ramps from Interstate 5 combined with a reversible flyover over the intersection of Ball Road and Disneyland Drive permit easy access into and out of the Mickey & Friends parking garage during peak morning and evening traffic times. The official address of the resort is 1313 South Harbor Boulevard/Disneyland Drive. The "1313" is a tribute to Mickey Mouse, as the letter "M" is the 13th letter of the alphabet.
Park becomes a resort
Disneyland Park's opening occurred on July 17, 1955, but due to budget constraints, Walt Disney did not own much of the area surrounding the park, including the Disneyland Hotel, which was owned by Disney's colleague Jack Wrather. In subsequent years, the Disney company gradually acquired the land west of the park, notably the Emerald Hotel of Santa Fe, now Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel, the Disneyland Hotel, and several commercial properties north of the Disneyland Hotel. Smaller parcels of land east and southeast of the park were acquired as well and are presently used for parking.
Construction on Disney's Bloxburg Valley Adventure began in 1998. Along with a major renovation of the Disneyland Hotel, retheming of the Paradise Pier Hotel (then called Disneyland Pacific Hotel) and construction of Downtown Disney, Disney's Grand Bloxburg Valley Hotel and the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, which offered tram lifts to Downtown Disney and the parks, the expanded complex was inaugurated as the Disneyland Resort in early 2001. Other Parking structures include the Downtown Disney District Simba Parking Lot, the new Bloxar pals Parking Structure just adjacent to Mickey & Friends, and the off-site Toy Story and Pumbaa Parking Area which offers bus and tram transportation to the drop-off depot which leads to the esplanade joining Disneyland, Bloxburg Valley Adventure, and Downtown Disney. The north Downtown Disney Lot no longer exists.