Tweens and teens can be a fickle bunch. With a 10- and 13-year-old, I am in the thick of it right now. We head to the parks a lot and this summer, now that the kids have deluxe annual passes, I want to make sure to provide them with experiences that keep them engaged and happy.
Obviously, the thrill rides are a must, but, to be totally honest, I can’t ride them. In fact, I’ve never really been able to ride them. Remember that post I wrote seven years ago about my experience on Expedition Everest at Walt Disney World? Because I can’t always ensure that our day will include the “big-time” rides, I came up with this list of alternative activies that will provide us with hours of fun! Plus, most of these activies have little to no wait, which is a win-win!
Activities for Tweens and Teens in Disney California Adventure Park
The activities below are great because they offer the opportunity to target kids who love art, animation and the art and science of architecture. They are also the PERFECT activities for while you’re waiting for your FASTPASS times.
Animation Academy
This summer for Pixar Fest, artists are teaching how to draw Pixar characters instead of traditional Disney characters. With different characters being offered throughout the day, I know that my art-loving 10-year-old will be visiting this attraction over and over. When we are able to “divide and conquer” with another adult, I can take my eight-year-old to Turtle Talk with Crush when he grows tired of all the art time.
Blue Sky Cellar
Always a hit with my kids, Blue Sky Cellar is featuring a sneak peek at the changes at Pixar Pier, while enjoying a break from the heat.
Pixar Shorts Film Festival
The film festival has been broken up into two different mini-festivals with one that ended May 6 and another that will go July 6 through September 6. The summer lineup includes the shorts Knick Knack, La Luna and Sanjay’s Super Team. Again, this is a great way to get out of the heat and see beloved Pixar shorts on the big screen.
a bug’s land
For the sake of nostalgia, make them go on the bug’s land rides again–one last time before the land closes at the end of summer to make way for Marvel-themed experiences. If you took your kiddos on the bug’s land attractions when they were teeny tiny, you’ll be so glad to get one last pic of them riding the attractions. And… news flash… they will still love them. It had been years since we had gone on the bug’s land attractions and recently while waiting for our return time for Guardians of the Galaxy: Mision Breakout, we headed over to a bug’s land and the boys had a BLAST riding all of the rides! The added bonus: lines were relatively short compared to the other attractions in the park. We will definitely be hitting them one more time this summer. I even plan to try to recreate some of the pics from when they were babies!
Activities for Tweens and Teens in Disneyland
Like the activities in Disney California Adventure Park above, the Disneyland activities I’ve select are great because again, you can really provide kids with fun experiences that pique their personal interests.
Stars Wars Launch Bay & Path to the Jedi
My kids are HUGE Star Wars fans and if yours are too, I highly recommend spending some time in Tomorrowland this summer. Get your FASTPASS for Star Tours and while you’re waiting, head into Star Wars Launch bay to catch a film about what’s coming to the new Stars Wars land being built at Disneyland and grab some photos with Star Wars characters. Tweens and teens (mine at least) are super into the behind-the-scenes look at the new Star Wars land and love seeing props from the movie that are showcased throughout Star Wars Launch Bay. Also the store inside Launch Bay has really fabulous Star Wars merchandise with some of the most knowledgeable sales Cast Members you will find in the entire resort. They really know their Star Wars info!
Outside the Launch Bay next to Space Mountain (which has been transformed back to Hyperspace Mountain for the summer), you can catch the Path to the Jedi film, which is a total must for Star Wars fans of all ages. It is an incredible chronicle of the Star Wars films edited together that we love to see over and over. The best part is that more footage is added when new movies come out.
Want a sneak peek of Hypersapce Mountain? Here is a video ridealong starring my oldest son, Aidan!
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and the Walt Disney Story in Disneyland
My kids are big history buffs and I’m hoping that after our trip to Washington D.C. this summer their love for our nation’s history will have grown even deeper. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln is a great show and perfect way to get out of the heat and into a cool theater during the hot summer months. If you will be dividing and conquering with another adult while you’re at Disneyland, this is a perfect activity for the kids to do while one adult stakes out a spot for the Pixar Play Parade.
Davy Crocket Explorer Canoes
Located on the Rivers of America, this is a great way to get your kids WORKING while they are at Disneyland. This is a completely people-powered attraction. Most kids these days don’t have a whole lot of chances to paddle a canoe (at least my city kids don’t), thus this attraction is a MUST this summer.
Visit the Magic Shop
Disneyland’s magic shop, located on Main Street, is a great place for a shopping experience like no other. It’s not every day you and your kids can visit a magic shop. The kids get to see magic tricks and get a little inspired by the whole world of magic and using their imagination to come up with allusions. This is another great option while one adult is holding a spot along the parade route and the other takes the kids to check out the store.
Activities for Tweens and Teens in Both Parks
Nighttime Entertainment
My kids have never been night people, especially when they were little. Now that they’re older, I’ve made the commitment that this summer we are going to do all of the nighttime things they’ve never been able to stay awake for. Our goal this summer is to plan visits that include viewing Fantasmic! and Together Forever at Disneyland and Paint the Night at Disney California Adventure.
Take Fun Pics
While I don’t allow my kids to have their own social media accounts (yes, I know that seems a bit crazy given I work as a social media strategy consultant AND run social media accounts for this blog <Facebook, Instagram, Twitter>, my online store Stars Hollow Mercantile <Facebook, Instagram> and even our dog <Instagram>), we do plan on taking as many fun pictures this summer as possible. We are on a mission to continue seeking out the very best spots Instagram pics so that we can share those spots with you, our readers. Kendra has already started hunting for great Pixar Fest spots and you can read her post all about it by clicking here.
EAT!
As a mom of three boys, there’s one thing I know that they can do quite well and a lot of… and that’s EAT! This summer, while I am always a huge fan of bringing snacks and drinks with us to the parks to save money, I also planning on splurging and encouraging my kids to try new things to eat at the Disneyland Resort. Want to try a carrot cake churro? Why not? Think you might want to give a pastrami dog or habanero meatball cone a try? You only live once and chances are I’m never going to make any of those things in my own kitchen, so GO FOR IT!
