It is in the name. A day at Disney California Adventure Park really is an adventure. You can train with Marvel superheroes, race with Lightning McQueen and soar around the world. We love to arrive before the park opens and stay through the last World of Color show. To keep going until those last bursts of light and mist, we find little ways to relax throughout the day inside Disney California Adventure Park. It is hard for us to pause and take a break from attractions, but we find a little rest makes a big difference.
Quiet spots can be hard to find on a busy day, so what follows is a guide to our five favorite places to rest, relax and recharge at Disney California Adventure Park. If you are looking for peaceful spots across the way in Disneyland Park, you can find those here.
The Leafy Pathways of Grizzly Peak
The paths meandering through the Grizzly Peak area of Disney California Adventure Park are surrounded by lush trees, and the rushing water of Grizzly River Run provides relaxing background noise. We find the benches dotted around Grizzly Peak to be some of the most restful spots in the park. These calm shady spots are our favorite location for stroller naps. We can almost imagine we are camping in Yosemite National Park.
If someone in our party needs to get some imaginative playtime, we pop over to Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. This area is still a kind of oasis from the bustle of the rest of the park, and we find letting our little ones play makes the rest of the day feel calmer.
We especially appreciate these relaxing spots, because two attractions in Grizzly Peak have height restrictions that may keep young kids from riding. Soarin’ has a minimum height requirement of 40” and Grizzly River Run has a minimum height requirement of 42”. We use Rider Switch to take turns riding and resting.
A Winning Patio at Flo’s V8 Cafe
Flo’s V8 Cafe in Cars Land has a covered patio that overlooks Radiator Springs Racers. This is one of our absolute favorite places to sit and relax in Disney California Adventure Park. Cars Land is stunning in both beauty and detail, so we love having a comfortable place to admire this Imagineering masterpiece.
Our favorite time to visit is around twilight. Nightfall provides a whole new layer of wonder as Cars Land lights up for the evening starting at “Sh-Boom” time, and the canyons of Radiator Springs Racers are beautifully lit. This spot is remarkably relaxing even though it overlooks a race course!
To refuel while you recharge here, you can grab some food inside Flo’s V8 Cafe. There is no table service here, but mobile ordering makes the process quick and easy. We often supplement our meal with some offerings from the restaurants at San Fransokyo Square. The pathway beside the patio will lead you straight to those fusion eateries! (Just head under the rock arch and you are in a new land!)
Other Covered and Indoor Dining Around Disney California Adventure Park
In addition to Flo’s V8 Cafe, there are other nice dining locations around the park. When our energy is running low, the combination of a little food and a place to sit makes a big difference. The trick is remembering this when we are excited about the next Lightning Lane pass!
We do find that dashing from one attraction to the next can cause us to forget mealtime, so making a reservation at a table service restaurant Iike Lamplight Lounge is a good way to schedule some relaxation. The other restaurants that accept reservations at Disney California Adventure Park are Carthay Circle and Wine Country Trattoria.
Alternatively, we might just grab a coffee and snack at a quick service location like the indoor Fiddler, Fife and Practical Cafe. Most quick service locations at Disney California Adventure Park are outdoors but offer some kind of covering, like umbrellas. Though we love the food at San Fransokyo Square, we do find this location to be a bit hectic. The cluster of restaurants at Paradise Gardens Park are in a calmer area. Pym Test Kitchen and Pym Tasting Lab are not quiet spots, but if you are trying to convince some excited kids to pause and eat, this is a good place to try and spot superheroes while you recharge.
Sweet Music with Mickey’s Philharmagic
The charming 3D film, Mickey’s Philharmagic makes us giggle every time we visit. It also earns major points for comfortable seats and a dark climate-controlled setting. The movie is dynamic, so it is unlikely that anyone will be taking a nap here. Still, we find that this show works its magic on our energy levels. If we arrive early for the show, the waiting area is a nice indoor place to relax, but we do not usually encounter a long wait for this fun (high-capacity) film.
You can find Mickey’s Philharmagic in Hollywood Land not far from the entrance of Disney California Adventure Park. A cast member in front of the theater will let you know the timing of next show. The film itself is twelve minutes long.
AC & The Animation Building
Across the street from Mickey’s Philharmagic is The Animation Building. This collections of attractions has those benefits of an indoor climate-controlled building with gentle lighting.
Animation Academy, Turtle Talk with Crush, Sorcerer’s Workshop and a Frozen Meet and Greet all happen here. It can also be a pleasant place to just take a simple break from the heat, cold or rain. We like to rest a moment and enjoy the scenes from animated movies being projected around the building.
Disney California Adventure Park is slated to undergo some major changes in the coming years. Disney has previewed additions from the Avatar films and Coco plus expansion of the existing Avengers Campus. These developments seem to signal big changes for Hollywood Land, the home of our last two entries, so visit them while you can! As the park develops, so will this list.
Thanks for reading about our top five places to relax in Disney California Adventure Park
With so much to do at Disney California Adventure Park, taking a break can sometimes feel impossible. We hope these five suggestions help you find a way to relax and return to your own adventure with renewed energy. For the companion post to this one, click over to 5 Best Places to Relax in Disneyland Park.
If you need even more of a break, the great news is that Disney California Adventure Park has some fantastic hotels within walking distance. You can check-out our guide to booking a great hotel here. That post is part of our complete and free Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. Finally, please consider subscribing to our newsletter below, and get our latest posts right tin your inbox. Thanks for reading!
