Three Classic Disneyland Experiences Many Guests Overlook

When touring Disneyland, it's important -- between E-ticket adventures -- to take in the calmer, more beautiful aspects of the park. Rushing through is like fast-forwarding through a movie to catch only the action scenes; the big picture gets lost in the shuffle. Our recommendation? If time permits, always try to work these three classic experiences into a visit:

1) Spend Time On the River

Whether you hop aboard the Mark Twain, set sail on the Columbia, or give your arms a workout on the Davy Crockett Canoes, make sure to take a lap around the Rivers of America. You'll enjoy several minutes of pure relaxation (unless you're in the canoes) while voyaging through some of the park's most beautiful environments, seemingly miles away from the crowds.

The Happiest Moose in Disneyland

This cheery fellow gives a hearty send-off to world travelers launching from the docks at It's A Small World. It's amazing enough that Disney's Topiary Engineers can create such great living sculptures, but they really go the extra mile; look at the personality in this guy, all suggested through stance and simple shapes.

How many moose are in Disneyland Park, anyway? Off hand, I can think of eight. How about you?

Monstro the Frequent Snacker

People often use the word "charming" to describe Disneyland, but what we need is a word that means, "charming in often weird and unexpected ways." Fantasyland's Monstro fits that description perfectly. This behemoth, after nearly bringing a tragic end to the story of Pinocchio, found a new career swallowing boatloads of happy park-goers.

No matter how hard the big lug tries to look fierce, however, he just can't escape the fact that he's surrounded by beautiful, serene landscaping. As the "gateway to enchantment" for the Storybook Land Canal Boats, Monstro adds another fun, quirky puzzle piece to the one-of-a-kind atmosphere of Disneyland's Fantasyland. He looks surreal and yet so perfectly at home.

I can tell you, when I rode the Canal Boats as a small child, I always held my breath 'till we'd motored safely past the teeth.