The Top 10 Rides at Disneyland
#10 -
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Opening way back in June of 1959, the Matterhorn Bobsleds have been a fan favorite for 60 years! The dual tracks of this steel roller coaster run parallel to each other at times, intertwine, and tail away from each other, making for a fun, fast experience. Fun fact: while similar in height and speed, one of the tracks (the Tomorrowland Track) has a duration of almost 20 seconds longer than the other track (the Fantasyland Track). The ride has had many renovations over the years, which keeps it as exciting and fun as the day it first opened.
#9 -
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
This Toy Story themed ride is a groundbreaking and innovative attraction that opened in November of 1998. It’s an interactive dark ride that combines a carnival style shooting game with Omnimover technology. Guests can rotate their vehicles using a center joystick and use laser pistols to shoot at targets to score points. Point values differentiate based on the type of target and there are several hidden targets that are worth a lot of points. The ride tallies your score and compares it to all the other guests from that day. One of the coolest aspects of the ride is that when it's over, you can email yourself a picture of you on the ride with your score! You can’t beat a free souvenir. All in all, Toy Story and video game fans will love this attraction.
#8 - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Look out for the dynamite! Originally opening in Frontierland in September of 1979, the ride got refurbished in 2014 with a new track, new trains, new scenery, and new effects. While you may know the ride as a fun and fast paced mine train roller coaster, what you may not know is the ride’s kooky backstory. The story goes that gold was discovered in Big Thunder Mountain, leading to the overnight growth of the town known as Rainbow Ridge. The townspeople built a railroad system in order to transport the ore. However, little did they all know that the land was a sacred location to the local Native Americans and was cursed. The defilement of the mountain invokes the curse that causes an earthquake which does so much damage to the town that it becomes abandoned. After some time, the trains were found operating around the mountain, without the assistance of a conductor or crew. Seeing an opportunity, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was created to offer rides on the possessed trains. What a tale!
#7 -
Star Tours
The original Star Tours ride debuted in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland way back in 1987. Based on the Star Wars film series, visitors traveled through the galaxy via a motion simulator and got to visit some amazing Star Wars locales and characters. The ride was a blast in its own right, but the update in 2011 took the ride to new heights! The amazing thing about the new version is that it is 3-D and there are a bunch of different experiences, ensuring that you can go on the ride multiple times and have a totally different adventure! You’ll interact with Star Wars characters and locales in one of the most innovative motion simulators in the world, nay, galaxy.
#6 - Splash Mountain
Be prepared to get soaked! Since its opening in the summer of 1989, Splash Mountain has been living up to its name, delivering guests with big drops and a wet and wild adventure. The ride was originally based on the opening, animated sequence of the controversial 1946 Disney film, Song of the South. In 2020, Disney announced that it would rebrand the ride based on the 2009 animated Disney film, The Princess and the Frog. We’re looking forward to the update and taking a ride on our favorite log flume ride soon! Fun fact: the big drop is 52.5 feet long!
#5 -
Pirates of the Caribbean
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me! Opening in 1967, this was the last ride whose design and construction was done by Walt Disney himself. This dark ride has its passengers float on boats to experience the adventures and exploits of a group of pirates around the year 1850. Since launching a film series of the same right, the ride has been updated with nods to the films. Personally, our favorite part of the ride is the smell! We love it so much we purchased candles that resemble the smell of the ride. Hop on board and enjoy cruising through the fun and adventure. Fun fact: the ride contains 50 boats, 127 audio-animatronic beings, and around 630,000 gallons of water!
#4 - Haunted Mansion
Perhaps the spookiest attraction at Disneyland, the Haunted Mansion, has been entertaining its guests since August of 1969. Located in New Orleans Square, this Omnimover style ride takes its visitors on a tour of the manor. On the tour, you’ll experience a chamber with no windows and no doors, a graveyard, hitchhiking ghosts, and much more. If you're visiting Disneyland between September and the new year, you’ll get to experience a seasonal overlay of the ride based on the film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Both versions are super fun, iconic, and unique to the other rides at the park.
#3 - Indiana Jones Adventure
“Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” The fourth collaboration between Disney and Lucasfilm, the Indiana Jones Adventure opened to much fanfare in March of 1995. This enhanced vehicle dark ride offers high speeds, spectacular visual effects, and interaction with the one and only Indiana Jones. Not unlike Star Tours, the ride offers some variety, allowing riders to see or hear something different each ride. For example, there are three “doors,” with each offering a different sound cue and light offerings. Also, what you hear Indiana Jones say at the end of the adventure could be six phrases. Fun fact: while the Indiana Jones you see throughout the ride sure looks a lot like Harrison Ford, Ford did not provide the voice.
#2 -
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
The force is strong with this one! The newest ride at Disneyland is a ride like no other. Located in Galaxy’s Edge, a Star Wars themed area of the park, it features characters from the latest Star Wars trilogy of films. It’s truly a one of a kind adventure that will leave you in amazement. On most days, you can only access this ride through Disney’s virtual queue system, so be sure to download the Disneyland app and familiarize yourself with how it works.
#1 - Space Mountain
Originally opening in May of 1977, this indoor roller coaster is still a fan favorite today! Nothing beats the thrill of riding this fast coaster in almost complete darkness! Occasionally, Disneyland will offer temporary overlays to the ride, such as a halloween themed “Ghost Galaxy” version in 2009 or a Star Wars one called “Hyperspace Mountain” that seemingly reappears around the release of any new Star Wars film. Overlay or not, this space adventure is unlike any other ride in the park.
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