by Bob Welbaum

Created on: August 07, 2011   Last Updated: August 23, 2011

The Walt Disney Company had a problem. Disneyland, the first classic theme park and the crown jewel in its theme-park repertoire, was now in a very competitive environment. At most, it was a two-day stop for most tourists visiting Southern California. How could it compete against the destinations all around it? Destinations like Las Vegas, San Diego, Hawaii, and even the rest of the Los Angeles area?

The answer was expansion. Disney added a second theme park, Disney’s California Adventure, in Disneyland’s original parking lot. This second park, plus a total of three hotels, a shopping/dining/entertainment district called the Downtown Disney District, and a new parking garage meant Disneyland was now a destination resort in its own right.

Unfortunately, Disney (note a subtle name change) California Adventure has underperformed since its opening on February 8, 2001 for reasons beyond the scope of this article. Nevertheless, the park is still one of the most popular in the country and has some great rides, or in Disney parlance, attractions. Realizing that the term "best" is subjective, here is one opinion of the best rides, er, attractions.

Thrill Rides

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: Odds are you are too young to remember “The Twilight Zone” TV show and its host Ron Serling. But this attraction is like being in your own spooky episode of that television classic. Enter an abandoned hotel and stand in the lobby when an old TV set suddenly flickers to life and Rod Serling himself gives you the backstory of how a group of people vanished while riding in an elevator in the middle of a thunderstorm. Then you enter a maintenance service elevator, are taken to the top of the shaft, and dropped… repeatedly!

California Screamin’: It looks like a classic wooden rollercoaster. But looks can be deceiving. At 6000 feet this is actually one of the world’s longest steel coasters, complete with a loop and catapult launch.

Mickey’s Fun Wheel: Is this a thrill ride? It is if you sit in one of the sliding gondolas! This huge Ferris wheel has 16 gondolas that slide and swing on tracks inside the spokes, as well as eight stationary gondolas for the less adventurous on the outer rim.

Goofy’s Sky School: Park veterans will remember this as Mulholland Madness.  This “wild mouse” type of minicoaster has now been rethemed to a flying lesson with none other than Goofy as your instructor.

Soarin’ Over California:

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