February 2001 – June 2012
BACKGROUND
California Adventure celebrates the spirit and beauty of California. So what land could possibly be more fitting than “Golden State”? This expansive land resembled several vastly different parts of California:
- Redwood forests and mountains
- San Francisco and Monterey cannery rows and wharfs
- Central California farming
- Mojave desert airfields
Golden State essentially took 4 iconic settings in the state and merged them into one land, stretching across the center of the park.
THE EXPERIENCE
With so many different landscapes, Golden State had a huge variety of attractions to choose from. Visitors could brave Grizzly Peak’s rapids, soar into the clouds for a bird’s eye view of the state, or even learn how legendary sourdough bread grows from the mother dough. Restaurants ranged from quick service Chinese to fancy Italian table service, and the main walkway through the land featured a massive vineyard. While Golden State did boast quite a few attractions, it’s main selling point was its beauty; the land had incredible amounts of greenery, walking paths, and view points for guests to admire.
CHARACTERS
- Flik
- Minnie Mouse (periodically)
- Pluto
RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS
- Boudin Bakery Tour (now part of Pacific Wharf)
- Bountiful Valley Farm
- Golden Dreams
- Golden Vine Winery
- Grizzly River Run (now part of Grizzly Peak)
- It’s Tough To Be A Bug!
- Mission Tortilla Factory Tour
- Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (now part of Grizzly Peak)
- Seasons of the Vine
- Soarin’ Over California
- Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar
DINING
- Bountiful Valley Farmer’s Market
- Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill (now part of Pacific Wharf)
- Golden Vine Terrace
- Lucky Fortune Cookery (now part of Pacific Wharf)
- Pacific Wharf Café (now part of Pacific Wharf)
- Rita’s Baja Blenders (now part of Pacific Wharf)
- Sam Andreas Shakes
- Sonoma Terrace (now part of Pacific Wharf)
- Taste Pilot’s Grill
- Vineyard Room
- Wine Country Trattoria (now part of Pacific Wharf)
CLOSURE
In the end, Golden State wasn’t really “closed”. Golden State just tried to be too much at once, and Disney finally decided to separate the distinctly themed areas into their own lands. Golden State split into 4 lands: Grizzly Peak, Pacific Wharf, Condor Flats, A Bug’s Land, and gave some of its territory to Paradise Pier. Having clearly distinct spaces within the park made much more sense. After all, why wasn’t Hollywood Land or Paradise Pier considered part of Golden State? The entire park celebrated California. With the dissolution of this mega-land, Disney had more opportunity to flesh out each smaller piece, creating more lands for visitors to explore.
TRIVIA
Out of all the original lands in California Adventure, Golden State received the most criticism for lacking “magic”. Meaning, few attractions for such a massive space, almost no incorporation of Disney characters, and a clear overall target for adults more than children.
Golden State is the only land in Disneyland Resort history to have “districts” within it. These eventually became their own lands, but their district names were: the Bay Area (later Pacific Wharf), Bountiful Valley (later A Bug’s Land), Condor Flats, Grizzly Peak Recreation Area, and Golden Vine Winery.
Golden State officially split with the grand reopening/re-dedication of California Adventure in 2012.
Back when this place was actually about California. I think they have changed it too much from the original theme.
Nice area but I’m glad it split up so it was easier to tell what area was what.
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