3 reasons to visit Anaheim - beyond Disneyland

The cold and rain have us California-dreaming.

We enjoyed some much needed beach time on November 19, when Visit Anaheim took over Richmond’s 6Pack Indoor Beach to transform it into a Southern Californian oasis, complete with palm trees, blue skies and cloud balloons.

Visit Anaheim went all out to create the feeling of Southern California, transporting us Vancouverites to a ‘SoCal’ state of mind.

Event/Visit Anaheim

Kids played in the sand with newfound friends, parents took some time to lounge on beach chairs. Guests enjoyed hours of entertainment, building sand castles, getting their faces painted, playing beach volleyball, and watching movies in a sandy lounge area.

When you think of Anaheim, you think Disneyland. But Visit Anaheim showed us it’s so much more than that. We’ve collected a few of the other reasons why a trip to this Californian city can extend beyond the theme parks.

Dining

Brewing/Visit Anaheim

Anaheim is experiencing a culinary and libation explosion, from innovative chef-driven concepts to a burgeoning craft brewery scene. The city’s downtown is home to a number of eclectic eateries, as well as one of the premier food halls in America. And visiting breweries has always been a local past time – the first 50 colonists for the city were from Bavaria, and its history is steeped in beer. There are a dozen craft breweries open in the city, and more are coming in the future.

Sports

Sports/Visit Anaheim

Anaheim is home to three professional sports teams, and no matter what season you visit, there’s always an exciting game to catch. In the spring and summer, you can see a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim game or score tickets to watch LA KISS in Gene Simmons’ Arena Football League. If you prefer to break away from the vacation norm, and visit the city in the colder months, you can watch the Anaheim Ducks in the fall and winter.

Beaches

Beaches/Visit Anaheim

The beaches around Anaheim inspire the true Southern California experience, with the fine sand, surf, and California attitude you just can’t find up north. Just a short drive from downtown Anaheim are the famous Newport and Laguna Beaches. If you’re interested in the arts and outdoors, Laguna Beach is a popular destination for hikers, bikers and landscape painters, drawn to its lush hillsides and marine sanctuaries.

Thanks to Visit Anaheim’s “A Day in Anaheim,” we got a taste of the city’s small-town feel with its historic downtown district and burgeoning craft brewery scene. And with its close proximity to Vancouver, inexpensive travel options and year-long summer weather, Anaheim is bound to be a travel hotspot for Vancouverites.

To get your fix of Anaheim, contact West Jet for daily direct flights from Vancouver, or use Travel Best Bets to choose from a ton of different package vacations.

If you want to book your trip right away, Sunquest has a special offer for Canadian residents: book an Anaheim Vacation by February 28 and travel by December 31, 2017, and you’ll get 25% off your Disneyland Theme Park ticket.