Hotel at a Glance: Red Lion Hotel Anaheim Resort

On many nights in Anaheim, the sky lights up with fireworks set off by Disneyland—a close neighbor of Red Lion Hotel Anaheim Resort. Snuggle up around the hotel’s outdoor fire pit to watch the brilliant display. You can walk to the theme park’s main gate—less than one block away—or take advantage of the Anaheim Resort Transit bus system, which stops in front of the hotel. And be sure to use the hotel’s onsite Disney Desk to purchase tickets ahead of time so you can skip the line at the gate.

• Where you’ll stay: a guest room with a refrigerator, a microwave, a flat-screen TV, a Keurig coffeemaker, and free WiFi
• Make a splash in the heated outdoor pool.
• On-site dining: The hotel’s newly remodeled restaurant serves all-American favorites such as burgers, plus smoothies.
• Head to Long Beach to play volleyball, tour the Queen Mary, or make a sand castle—it’s just 20 miles away.
• Extra perk: Daily parking is included with this getaway.

Anaheim, California: Magical Play Land Outside LA

Less than 35 miles from Hollywood, Anaheim is perfectly situated for making the most of a Southern California getaway. But most visitors never make it that far, as Disneyland Park has long dominated the city’s tourism scene. As Walt Disney’s original park, it has a handful of classic attractions that, though upgraded over the years, have been around since the park opened in 1955. You can ride the Mad Tea Party spinning teacups, hop on the King Arthur Carrousel, or sail in the Storybook Land Canal Boats (Walt Disney personally planted the small pine near Geppetto’s home).

Disneyland Park has plenty of modern rides too, including Cars Land, one of the newer additions to Disney California Adventure Park and a life-size re-creation of the town from Disney Pixar’s Cars. The highlight here is the slot-car attraction, which puts you in an automated vehicle that swerves around animatronic characters before engaging another car in a high-speed race.