Knotts Berry Farm, Anaheim
So after about a four hour journey we made it to our next hotel which was at Knotts Berry Farm in Anaheim, California. Knotts Berry Farm is actually a theme park, but because we had such a full itinerary already we just didn’t have time to visit! We stayed at the hotel mainly because it was so close to Disneyland and not too far away from everything else we wanted to do (and reasonably priced!).
The hotel was very nice and as it was approaching Halloween they had members of staff dressed up in scary costumes and if you weren’t paying attention they would sneak up on you and give you a scare which was hilarious!
After we checked in we headed straight out to the pool and because it was in the evening we had it to ourselves which was fab! I did notice it was considerably cooler than Vegas with it being so near the coast so there was a little bit of a chill in the evening air but it was still miles hotter than home!
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| Whole pool to myself! |
The restaurant was nice too and because the hotel’s mascot is Snoopy, he came into the restaurant and went round all the tables saying hi to everyone. We even got high fives! #bigkids
Hollywood Sign
The first thing we did the next morning was the typical touristy thing – we went to see the Hollywood Sign! To get the best view of the sign, we’d recommend heading to Lake Hollywood Park. If you have a car you’ll have to drive through residential areas and up long winding roads but boy is it worth it! There is only on-road parking though so if it’s busy you might not be able to find a space or else you'll have to park miles away and walk. As is usual at these tourist attractions there’s always some kind stranger willing to take your picture in exchange for you taking theirs so you won’t be stuck taking selfies!
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| Taken by a lovely English couple :) |
Johnny Rockets
Once we’d had enough of posing for photos, we headed into Downtown LA for a bite to eat. We found a really cool burger place called Johnny Rockets in the Hollywood & Highland Complex. I’d never been before but Shaun had. It’s a 50s themed burger place with little mini jukeboxes on each table and they served your sauces in smiley faces! #simplethings. The burgers were tasty and reasonably priced so we would definitely recommend if you’re in the area.
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| Mini Juke Box at Johnny Rockets! |
Hollywood Homes Tour
Once we were full we decided to go and do a Hollywood Homes tour. You can always find tour companies selling tickets outside the Chinese Theatre or alternatively you can book online. We just bought ours from a booth beside the Theatre. We went with Starline Tours who were very good, they picked us up and dropped us off outside the Theatre and the guide was knowledgeable and funny. Tickets were about $45 and the tour lasted around 2 hours. Word of advice though – if you have long hair, tie it up because if you have an open top bus it gets very windy and your hair goes EVERYWHERE!! We drove through Bel Air, Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive and we saw lots of celebrity homes, Matthew Perry, Gwen Stefani, Bruno Mars, Vinnie Jones etc. It was very exciting and we kept our eyes peeled hoping to actually see someone famous but unfortunately we didn’t 😔
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Obviously we HAD to walk the Walk of Fame! Unfortunately though it was so hot that we only managed about half an hour or so (it went on forever!) before heading back to the car. Me being a huge Friends fan though, I was chuffed to find Jennifer Aniston’s star! 😁
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| "Rachel's" Star |
Santa Monica Pier
We then headed to Santa Monica pier for some food and to watch the sunset (which was spectacular by the way!). There were a few rides and attractions on the pier and it had an amazing atmosphere! And of course we just HAD to go on the rollercoaster! (A cred is a cred!) I wish we could have spent more time there and even spent some time on the beach during the day but unfortunately we just didn’t have time!
Disneyland & California Adventure
The next day was Disneyland Day! Surprisingly a lot of people over here don’t even know that there is a Disneyland in California, never mind that it's the original one! I remember my brother asking my mum what we were doing in Florida when we were supposed to be in California! 😂
We had an absolute blast, we bought tickets for the Fantasmic! package which included dinner at the Blue Bayou (which is the restaurant that’s in the middle of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, it was fantastic!) and then it gives you front row seats for the Fantasmic! show afterwards which was absolutely amazing! We were even given foam cushions to make us more comfortable sitting on the ground!
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| It's a small world after all... (admit it, you sang it didn't you?) |
Next door to Disneyland there's another Disney park called California Adventure so I'd recommend setting aside two days so you can hit both. It’s a really nice park visually with a lot of cool rides, and the World of Colour show at the end was amazing! One of my favourite rides is called “California Screamin’” which is the big coaster there, my favourite feature being the speakers in your head rests so you’re hearing music all the way round!
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| In front of the big wheel in California Adventure |
Universal Studios
Obviously Universal Studios is a must-do! The rides there are mainly dark rides or water rides, and of course there’s Hogwarts (spot the Ford Anglia!), Diagon Alley and the movie lot tour!
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| The spectacular Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry |
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| Spot the Ford Anglia! |
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| Diagon Alley |
My favourite ride was Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey which is in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area. It’s such a difficult ride to explain, it’s not a coaster, more like a dark ride but with screens everywhere so you’re whooshing from one scene to the next, it’s absolutely incredible! Afterwards you can relax in The Three Broomsticks with a nice cold Butterbeer!
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| Yummy frozen Butterbeer! |
There are a few shows as well; we watched a really good show featuring the animals from various movies! They have a pretty impressive Simpsons themed area and you can buy a giant donut from Lard Lad, however I bought one as we were leaving and I don’t know if it was just because it was at the end of the day but the donut was actually quite stale and I didn’t finish it, very disappointing for $7!
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| My stale donut...D'oh! |
Warner Bros Studio Tour
We both highly recommend the Warner Bros Studio Tour. We had a really good tour guide who was very knowledgeable and even let me jump out the cart for a quick picture beside the Friends sign on the front of the studio they filmed in!
We saw lots of cool sets and backlots, the set of Central Perk from Friends (and posed on the famous sofa!) and a LOT of props and costumes from the Harry Potter movies and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! We even saw Jane Lynch in the middle of filming something but unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures or videos 😔 We were shown through the props warehouse as well and saw various props that have been featured in films and tv shows. There’s also a Central Perk café at the end where you can actually sit and have a drink and something to eat.
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| Central Perk! |
California Science Centre
After the studio tour we headed to the California Science Centre to see the space shuttle Endeavour which successfully completed 25 missions into space. It's so impressive and absolutely massive!
Griffith Observatory
We then headed to Griffith Observatory to watch the sunset. It was amazing watching the sun disappear behind the skyline of LA and being able to see the Hollywood sign at the same time! We also had a look around inside the Observatory and saw the Light of the Valkyries show in the Planetarium which was set to Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”!
The Mirage Hotel, Vegas
We drove back to Vegas the next day and spent our last night in the Mirage hotel which was just awesome. The pool was one of the nicest pools we’ve ever been in and we spent hours just floating about relaxing until it was time to go and get ready for our last dinner. After we ate, we went outside to watch the Mirage "volcano" erupt outside which was pretty cool! We did consider buying tickets to the Beatles Cirque du Soleil but we were running low on spending money so we asked at the ticket counter what the cheapest tickets were. The guy said $120, so we thought “$60 each, that's not too bad actually!” and then the guy said “oh no, they’re $120 EACH” 😳…erm we’ll pass thanks!
And just like that it was over! The next morning it was time to pack up and head back to the airport 😔
Overall Verdict
I thoroughly enjoyed my first trip to the states and I can’t wait to go back. It was truly an amazing experience for someone whose longest flight has been 4 hours to Malta!!
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