Anaheim, United States: Self-Guided Walking Tour

The best things to do in Anaheim range from the original Disneyland theme park and its neighboring Disney California Adventure to historic downtown landmarks, museums, sports venues, and traces of the city’s citrus-growing past. Anaheim is worth visiting for the way these different sides of the city come together: an agricultural colony, a major entertainment destination, and a lively Southern California community. Neywo has a free audio guide for Anaheim with 30 narrated places.

What to See in Anaheim

Disneyland

Disneyland is the original Disney theme park and the only one Walt Disney personally designed, built, and walked through before it opened. He purchased 160 acres of orange groves in Anaheim in 1953, and the park opened to the public on July 18, 1955, after a televised dedication the previous day.

Its design introduced ideas that became central to the theme-park experience. An earthen berm separates the park from the outside world, while the layout radiates from a central hub, with Sleeping Beauty Castle acting as the visual landmark. Details such as pavement, buildings, and even trash cans are designed to support the story of each themed area.

Sleeping Beauty Castle

At the center of Disneyland, Sleeping Beauty Castle marks the entrance to Fantasyland. Its romantic towers were inspired by Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps, which Walt Disney admired during a trip to Europe.

The castle also contains a walkthrough attraction that retells the story of Sleeping Beauty through dioramas. From 1985 to 2006, its silhouette appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures logo, making it one of the most recognizable images in the Disney world.

Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure

The Disneyland Resort has grown from a single theme park into a complex with Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, three Disney hotels, and Downtown Disney California. The resort name was adopted in the 1990s as these additions took shape.

Across from Disneyland, Disney California Adventure covers 72 acres and presents a Disney interpretation of California through areas connected with Disney Animation, Pixar, and Marvel. The park opened on February 8, 2001, and underwent a major five-year overhaul announced in 2007. The transformation included Buena Vista Street and Cars Land, which opened in June 2012.

The Disneyland Monorail System

The Disneyland Monorail System has been gliding above the resort since 1959, when it became the first daily operating monorail system in the United States. Walt Disney encountered the Alweg system during a trip to Germany and brought the idea to Anaheim.

The track stretches 3.7 kilometers and gives passengers an elevated view of Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and the wider resort. The system has two stations: one in Tomorrowland and another in the Downtown Disney District.

Main Street Cinema

Main Street Cinema is a small movie theater on Main Street, U.S.A., where classic Disney shorts and silent films have been shown since Disneyland opened. It offers a quiet, nostalgic look at the early history of animation and remains one of the park’s more understated attractions.

The Disney Gallery

Inside the Disneyland Opera House on Main Street, U.S.A., The Disney Gallery displays original artwork from Walt Disney Imagineering. The exhibitions change regularly and may be linked to attraction anniversaries or wider Disney celebrations.

The gallery has moved several times since it first opened in 1987 in New Orleans Square. Its current setting was originally designed as a private suite for Walt Disney and his brother Roy, before later becoming a corporate retreat and then a public gallery.

Animation Academy

Animation Academy gives visitors the chance to learn how to draw Disney characters in a guided session led by a Disney artist. The step-by-step format is designed for all ages and lets participants take their finished character sketch home.

It is a particularly hands-on way to experience Disney creativity: instead of only watching an attraction, visitors create something themselves.

Golden Horseshoe

The Golden Horseshoe has welcomed visitors since Disneyland’s opening day in 1955. Located in Frontierland beside the Rivers of America, it combines a restaurant with a performance venue.

The venue was originally called Pecos Bill’s Golden Horseshoe Saloon during construction. Its name was shortened before opening, but its frontier atmosphere remained. Over the years, the stage has hosted the Golden Horseshoe Revue, comedy acts, and musical performances.

Anaheim Carnegie Library and MUZEO

Downtown Anaheim’s Anaheim Carnegie Library is now part of MUZEO, a museum of local culture, history, and art. The Classical Revival building opened in 1909, was designed by architect John C. Austin, and served as Anaheim’s public library until 1963.

Its symmetrical façade, columns, and pediment reflect the civic architecture of the period. After its library use ended, the building became the city’s personnel office during the 1970s before being incorporated into MUZEO. It is the only Carnegie library still standing in Orange County and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Anaheim Packing House

The Anaheim Packing House occupies a former citrus-packing complex and connects the city’s agricultural history with its current food scene. The historic building is now a food hall with comfort food, craft drinks, and international flavors.

It is one of the main stops on a walk through historic downtown, alongside places such as Pearson Park, the Samuel Kraemer Building, and St. Michael’s Episcopal Church.

Autonetics Monument

The Autonetics Monument recalls a major chapter in Anaheim’s industrial history. Autonetics began as a division of North American Aviation and developed avionics, including inertial navigation systems used in submarines and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

At its height, the Autonetics campus covered 188 acres and employed 36,000 people, making it Anaheim’s largest employer for decades.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Angel Stadium of Anaheim has been home to the Los Angeles Angels since 1966. The team was the first Major League Baseball team to originate in California, and the stadium has remained a prominent part of the city’s sports identity.

The Big A sign rises 230 feet above the parking lot. Originally built as a scoreboard support, it is now one of the stadium’s best-known landmarks, with its halo lighting up more brightly when the Angels win.

Honda Center

The Honda Center hosts sports, concerts, and live entertainment beside Angel Stadium. It opened in 1993 as the Anaheim Arena, with a sold-out Barry Manilow concert taking place two days after the opening.

The venue has had several names, including the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, and has been home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League since its first season.

Flying Saucers

In Tomorrowland, a former attraction called Flying Saucers operated from 1961 to 1966. Riders sat in individual saucers that moved across a cushion of air, controlled by shifting their body weight rather than using a steering wheel.

The system was technically ambitious but expensive to operate, difficult to maintain, and limited in capacity. The attraction was replaced by the Tomorrowland Stage when New Tomorrowland arrived in 1967.

Explore Anaheim with Neywo

Download Neywo to take an Anaheim self-guided walking tour and hear the story of each place as you reach it. The app offers two walking tours:

• Walt’s Original Dream: Disneyland and California Adventure — 1.66 km, 84 minutes, and 11 narrated stops.
• Citrus, Carnegie and Boysenberries: Historic Downtown Anaheim — 2.24 km, 57 minutes, and 5 narrated stops.

Each story plays at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. The narration is available in 11 languages, making Neywo a practical [Anaheim audio guide] for exploring Disneyland, the resort, and historic downtown independently.

Anaheim is part of California, within the United States.