Hiya Denise!
Welcome to planDisney and thanks for coming to us with your question! It's hard to believe that when Walt Disney first built
Disneyland Park in 1955, it was surrounded by orange groves. After his Park proved a success, Anaheim's growth skyrocketed and the city grew in leaps and strides around the Park. I love how many different ways there are to get to the Disneyland Resort today even with all the urban growth and I'd be happy to answer your question.
During a recent trip with my kids, we happened to stay at a short term rental on Walnut St. and walked to the Theme Parks from there. We happened to walk directly to the
Downtown Disney District but you can easily take the parking tram without having parked at the parking structure. In order to reach the security checkpoint and the trams, you'll need to turn east onto Magic Way and walk to the corner of Disneyland Dr. There are stairs on the south corner where you can access an elevated walkway over the street to get to the trams. If you take the other direction, you'll eventually get to Downtown Disney District.
Even though Walt Disney wished that he had more control over what got built around his Park, I'm excited to see what is being planned now that the
DisneylandForward vote was approved! Having visited the Walt Disney World Resort, I'd love to see the Disneyland Resort become another Vacation Destination for the world! You can keep up with the latest updates by following the
Disney Parks Blog!
Denise, I hope that was helpful for you and please feel free to write to us again if you have more questions. We'd love to hear from you again and would love the chance to help you make a magical trip! We'll see ya real soon!
Wishing You a Great, Big, Beautiful Tomorrow!
-Al