This is an entry for “the hub” in our Disneyland 101 Glossary: Disneyland Resort definitions in under 101 words, from Mouse Brief. For more information on the layout of Disneyland Resort, keep reading after the entry.
The hub is the area of Disneyland Park just in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle encircling the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse holding hands. Disneyland Park is intentionally laid out like a giant wagon wheel. The walkways (spokes) to each land reach out from the heart, or hub, of the park. If you get lost or are unsure where to go next, you can always return to the hub. When you first enter Disneyland Park, you can walk or ride down Main Street, U.S.A. toward the castle, and this will bring you to the hub.
Thanks for reading this entry in our Disneyland 101 Glossary. Knowing the location of the Hub can help you navigate Disneyland, so can our guide 5 Powerful Tips for Navigating the Disneyland Resort. For tips planning your Disneyland visit, read our free and complete Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep
Disneyland Resort: Getting the Lay of the Land(s)
Disneyland Park and Disneyland Resort itself are a collection of lands. Understanding this can help you find your way around. It can also help you appreciate the imagination and innovation of the lands themselves!
2 Parks + 3 Hotels + Shopping & Dining = Disneyland Resort
As we outline in our Disneyland 101 Glossary post on Disneyland Resort, the resort itself is made up of two parks, three hotels, a shopping and dining district plus various infrastructure like parking and guest service locations.
Disneyland Park, the Original Disney Destination
Disneyland Park is the original and best known component of Disneyland Resort. Walt Disney opened this park in Anaheim, California in 1955. The park is built in a hub-and-spoke configuration. The hub we mentioned above is the, well, hub of this layout. Located at the foot of Sleeping Beauty Castle, the hub has a circular walkway where walkways leading to other lands converge. These radiating walkways are the “spokes.”
Starting on the north side of the hub at the castle and proceeding clockwise, the lands at the end of these “spokes” are Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland and Frontierland. These five are the original lands of Disneyland.
Beyond them, there are some other, newer lands. You will need to walk through one of the original lands in order to reach these from the hub. On the western side of the park—on the edges of Frontierland and Adventureland—you will find Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Bayou Country (formerly Critter Country) and New Orleans Square. North of Fantasyland is Mickey’s Toontown.
The only guest entrance to Disneyland Park is on the south side of the park on the other side of Main Street U.S.A. from the hub. However, you can also enter the park by riding the monorail into Tomorrowland.
The Esplanade
Just outside the entrance to Disneyland Park is the Esplanade. The Esplanade is the plaza between the main entrances to both parks. The Esplanade offers guest services like ticket booths, restrooms, stroller rentals, ECV and wheelchair rentals, lost and found and locker rentals. You do not need a park ticket to enter the Esplanade, but you do need to go through a security checkpoint.
Disney California Adventure Park, The Second Gate
Across the Esplanade from Disneyland Park is the second park of Disneyland Resort. This park is called Disney California Adventure Park. It has a main entrance off the Esplanade and a second entrance for Disneyland Resort Hotel guests that connects to the lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.
Disney California Adventure Park opened in 2001 around the idea that its individual lands and the park as a whole would pay tribute to the state of California. Disney gave the park a major overhaul between 2007 and 2012, but the general layout has remained the same.
The main entry land for Disney California Adventure Park is Buena Vista Street. From there you can proceed east to Hollywood Land and Avengers Campus, south to San Fransokyo Square and Cars Land or west to Grizzly Peak. In the southwest corner of the park is a body of water surrounded by Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier as well as San Fransokyo Square. This body of water is the setting for Disney California Adventure Park’s signature entertainment: World of Color.
Downtown Disney District
If you exit either of the parks and head west through the Esplanade, you will come upon the Downtown Disney District. This is a shopping and dining area that is itself part of the Disneyland Resort. Some of the establishments here are owned and run by Disney, others are third-party shops and restaurants.
You do not need a ticket to shop or dine in the Downtown Disney District, and there is often free live entertainment here. You do need to go through a security checkpoint.
Downtown Disney District can be a nice place to spend some time on a day when you do not have park admission. See Terrific Ways to Have Fun at Disneyland Without a Ticket for ideas.
Disneyland Resort Hotels
The three Disneyland Resort Hotels are clustered on the west side of Disneyland Resort. Disneyland Hotel is west of the Downtown Disney District across Disneyland Drive. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa runs along the south side of the Downtown Disney District and borders part of Disney California Adventure Park. Pixar Place Hotel is south of Disneyland Hotel and across Disneyland Drive from Disney California Adventure Park.
You may wish to book a stay at one of these Disney owned hotels. We can help you through that decision process here: Staying Near Disneyland: Book the Best Hotel for You. Even if you are not a Disneyland Resort Hotel guest, you can still enjoy the common areas of these hotels—like the lobbies—and you can dine at any of the many restaurants in these hotels.
Disneyland Parking and Transportation
Disneyland Resort is also made up of various pieces of infrastructure like parking and other supportive transportation. Around the resort are parking garages, parking structures and a parking tram. Additionally, there are bays for buses serving these parking areas and other points around Disneyland Resort. We have specific locations of these parking areas in Where is Disneyland Located?
The most enjoyable form of transportation around the resort is probably the Disneyland monorail which runs from a station near Disneyland Hotel to another in Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park. You will need valid Disneyland Park admission in order to ride the monorail.
We have advice about getting to Disneyland here: Your Guide to Getting to Disneyland: Transportation Tips.
Keep in mind that you will need to pass through a security checkpoint in order to enter the Downtown Disney District, the Esplanade and the two theme parks.
Thanks for reading about the hub and Disneyland Resort.
For help planning your Disneyland Resort visit, we invite you to explore our Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. And do not forget about our tips for getting around Disneyland like a pro at 5 Powerful Tips for Navigating the Disneyland Resort. Thanks again for reading!