What To Do In Anaheim Besides Disneyland
Disneyland is great. It’s also a gloriously expensive place where you can wait 75 minutes to spin in a teacup. But Anaheim has a whole city attached to those mouse ears, and s...
Disneyland is great. It’s also a gloriously expensive place where you can wait 75 minutes to spin in a teacup. But Anaheim has a whole city attached to those mouse ears, and some of it is weird, delicious, and surprisingly worth your time.
Eat Your Way Through the Anaheim Packing District
The Anaheim Packing District is a historic citrus packing house that got a second life as a food hall. Translation: it’s a giant room where you can eat tacos, sushi, crepes, and something involving waffles in one sitting. Your Fitbit will file a complaint.
The Packing House alone has more stalls than you have patience. Try chicken and waffles, a towering burger, or a popsicle that looks like modern art. Then waddle over to Farmers Park for live music and a crowd that’s suspiciously relaxed for people near Disneyland.
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The Blind Rabbit
Hidden inside the Packing House is The Blind Rabbit, a speakeasy that feels like a secret club for people who know the password. The password is not “Mickey.” You’ll need a reservation, and you’ll need to act cool when you find the unmarked door.
Drink Local, Because You Deserve a Break from Churros
Anaheim has a serious craft beer scene, which is a polite way of saying you can drink your feelings about parking fees. Bottle Logic Brewing is famous for its big, boozy stouts and releases that draw lines longer than Space Mountain. Golden Road Anaheim has a huge patio and beers that pair nicely with doing absolutely nothing.
If you want something more old-school, hit Anaheim Brewery in the Packing District. It’s in a historic building, so you can sip a lager and pretend you’re a 1920s citrus baron. No one will check your credentials.
Watch a Duck or an Angel (Not the Heavenly Kind)
If you’re in town during hockey season, catch the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. The atmosphere is loud, fast, and full of people yelling “quack” in a way that feels both threatening and wholesome. Bonus: you get to sit down for two hours without a cartoon mouse asking for your wallet.
17 Family-Friendly Things To Do In Anaheim Besides Disneyland
In spring and summer, Angel Stadium hosts the Los Angeles Angels, even though they play in Anaheim. Baseball games are slow in the best way: you can eat a hot dog, boo the umpire, and leave before the seventh-inning stretch if you want. The giant “A” outside is also a solid photo op for people who love minimalist signage.
Pretend You’re Outdoorsy at Oak Canyon Nature Center
Yes, Anaheim has nature. Oak Canyon Nature Center sits in Anaheim Hills with trails, a stream, and actual peace and quiet. It’s free, which is a word you may have forgotten after buying a park ticket.
The trails are short enough for beginners and kids, but they still feel like a mini escape. You might see hawks, rabbits, or a squirrel that judges your hydration choices. Bring water, wear shoes, and resist the urge to ask where the churro cart is.
Yorba Regional Park and the Santa Ana River Trail
If you want flat, easy miles, Yorba Regional Park has lakes, picnic spots, and paved paths that are perfect for bikes and strollers. The Santa Ana River Trail runs nearby, so you can pedal until your legs remember they’re on vacation too. Just don’t race a peloton unless you enjoy being humbled by retirees in aerodynamic helmets.
FUN, Free Things To Do in Anaheim, CA Besides Disney - The Hangout
Wander Little Arabia and Center Street Promenade
Anaheim’s Little Arabia district along Brookhurst Street is a feast of falafel, shawarma, knafeh, and bakeries that smell like heaven. It’s one of the most underrated food neighborhoods in Orange County. Come hungry, leave with a box of pastries you didn’t plan to buy.
Downtown Anaheim’s Center Street Promenade is a walkable stretch of shops, murals, and cafes. Check out MUZEO, a small museum with local history and traveling exhibits. It’s the kind of place where you can learn something and still make it back for a nap.
Act Like a Kid Without a FastPass
Anaheim GardenWalk has bowling, escape rooms, and enough neon to make you feel like you’re in a music video from 2004. It’s not Disneyland, and that’s the point. You can be terrible at bowling and no one will sing a princess song about it.
For a stranger option, visit the Anaheim Halloween Parade if you’re here in October. It’s one of the oldest Halloween parades in the country, and it features locals, bands, and floats that look lovingly homemade. It’s delightfully weird in a way that corporate theme parks rarely allow.
So yes, go to Disneyland. But leave a day for Anaheim’s food halls, breweries, ball games, trails, and tiny museums. The city is more than a parking lot for magic. Sometimes it’s a speakeasy behind a wall, a duck game, or a pastry that changes your whole afternoon.
