Buena Vista Street (formerly known as Sunshine Plaza) is the main entrance area and first themed "land" that guests encounter at Disney California Adventure upon its re-opening on June 15, 2012. From the park's opening in 2001 until 2011, the area was known as Sunshine Plaza.
History[]
Sunshine Plaza (2001–2011)[]
When Disney California Adventure opened on February 8, 2001, the first area of the park that guests encountered was Sunshine Plaza. It was a collection of shops and restaurants themed to an idealized California postcard, anchored by a scaled-down version of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, over which the Disneyland Monorail passed. The large, colorful, and stylized Greetings from California store dominated the Plaza's northeast side, while the building on the northwest side resembled an early 20th century Mission Revival-style railroad station, featuring a non-functioning replica of a Southern Pacific Railroad California Zephyr train, with an authentic EMD F7 locomotive cab. This faux station housed Engine Ears Toys, Baker's Field Bakery, and Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream. The south end of the Plaza featured a large metallic sun, surrounded by mirrors that shifted throughout the day to reflect the actual Sun's rays onto the Plaza's miniature version.
Shopping[]
- Engine Ears Toys
- Greetings from California
Dining[]
- Baker's Field Bakery
- Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream
Buena Vista Street (2012–present)[]
In 2007, the Walt Disney Company announced a $1.1 billion redesign and expansion of Disney's California Adventure Park, which had faced numerous setbacks and criticism since its 2001 opening, owing largely to its non-Disneyesque theme and small number of attractions, especially for younger children. Included in this redesign was a complete reconstruction of the park's main entrance plaza. While Sunshine Plaza, with its contemporary architecture and novelty and pun-filled overtones, was intended to represent the feeling of stepping into a stylized California postcard, Buena Vista Street represents an idealized 1920's Los Angeles, as it may have appeared to a young Walt Disney when he first arrived there, with a more respectful, subtle design owing to the time period. Storefronts include the large Elias & Company Department Store, Oswald's Gas & Oil, and Los Feliz Five and Dime, with dining locations such as the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe, Clarabelle's Ice Cream Parlor, and Trolley Treats. The street is anchored by a replica of Los Angeles' bygone Carthay Circle Theater, the theater where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered in 1937. A statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse called "Storytellers" faces the fountain on the corner of the street.
On March 12, 2020, Disneyland Resort temporarily closed, due to the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on California.
On November 19, 2020, Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street reopened, while its attractions remained closed.
On April 30, 2021, Disneyland Resort reopened after being temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, some attractions reopened, while others remained closed.
Attractions[]
- Red Car Trolley (2012-2019, 2022-)
Former Entertainment[]
- Five & Dime (2012-2020)
- Red Car News Boys (2012-2019)
Restaurants[]
- Carthay Circle Restaurant
- Carthay Circle Lounge
- Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café, and Bakery (sponsored by Starbucks)
- Mortimer's Market
- Clarabelle's Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Parlor
- Popcorn near Carthay Circle Restaurant
- Trolley Treats
- Willie's Churros
- The 1901 Lounge at Club 33
Shopping[]
- Julius Katz & Sons
- Big Top Toys
- Horace's Pawn Shop
- Oswald's Gas & Oil
- Los Feliz Five and Dime
- Elias and Company Department Store
- Kingswell Camera Shop
- Atwater Ink and Paint Art Supply
