Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure Park – What You Need to Know

It was July 1923 … With that wonderful audacity of youth, I went to Hollywood, arriving there with just $40. It was a big day, the day I got on that Santa Fe California Limited. I was just free and happy.” ~ Walt Disney

Buena Vista Street opened on June 15, 2012, as part of a five-year expansion of Disney California Adventure Park. It depicts a typical Los Angeles neighborhood where a young Walt Disney lived and worked after arriving in Southern California in 1923. Learn more about this land below.

Buena Vista Street is an idyllic version of the City of Angels is captured with quaint “mom-and-pop” shops and markets, a big city department store and corner cafe. The two Red Car Trolleys providing transportation up and down the boulevard are a nostalgic reminder of Los Angeles in the 1920s and 1930s. The architecture draws on Los Angeles Spanish/Mexican roots, inspired by actual buildings of greater Los Angeles.

The entrance to the park is a nod to the old Pan Pacific Auditorium, an L.A. landmark built in the 1930s. Carthay Circle Theatre, the iconic center of Disney California Adventure, honors the place where Walt premiered his first feature-length animation “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. On Carthay Circle guests often pose for photos at “Storytellers,” a bronze statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. It reflects the beginning of a great partnership between the two; a time of great hope and boundless optimism in the life of the up-and-coming filmmaker and his famous creation.

3 – Dining

From a relaxing meal to a quick bite, Buena Vista Street offers several options. Guests may enjoy an elegant meal at Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, with its 68-seat bar and wine lounge on the first level, and the 200-seat restaurant upstairs. Andrew Sutton, acclaimed culinary director at Napa Rose, is also the culinary director at Carthay Circle. Guests may also visit the following food locations on Buena Vista Street to satisfy their appetites:

• Carthay Circle Restaurant
• Carthay Circle Lounge
• Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice
• Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe (serving Starbucks products)
• Mortimer’s Market
• Popcorn Wagon

Guests will find an ideal souvenir or keepsake in the shops along Buena Vista Street. The largest store here is Elias & Co., which carries apparel, watches, handbags, accessories, and more. Kingswell Camera Shop, the PhotoPass headquarters for Disney California Adventure, carries everything guests may need to capture images of their day at the resort. It also has Ear hats, baseball hats, pet accessories, and embroidery services. Guests may shop for seasonal merchandise and home décor at Julius Katz & Sons, and Oswald’s carries travel mugs, sunscreen, hats, and more. Treats for the whole family are available at Trolley Treats, which specializes in handmade candy.

6 – Imaginative Landscaping

The street features roses, evergreen shrubs, and perennial colors, reflecting Los Angeles in the 1920s and ‘30s.

7 – Fun Facts

• Buena Vista Street is named after Buena Vista Street in Burbank, where The Walt Disney Studios is located.
• Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge is the “castle,” or centerpiece, of Disney California Adventure.
• The Candy Mountain featured at Trolley Treats was inspired by an early concept for a water flume attraction in Disneyland Park. The idea was to make the mountain look as if it were completely covered with candy. The project was never built.
• Radios in Oswald’s and Julius Katz & Sons are tuned to KBVS, the local radio station. Guests are treated to shows such as “The Adventures of Hank and Wally,” the FF&P Classical Music Hour, and Scary Symphony (inspired by Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds”).

8 – Cast Member Tips

• Visit the Carthay Circle Lounge (downstairs) and see how “mixologists” make ice spheres for some of the handcrafted cocktails.
• Haberdashers are cast members specially trained in pin trading, and they are found only on Buena Vista Street. Spot them by the tape measure lanyards around their necks.
• Peek inside the old Packard Coupe at Oswald’s to find some hidden treasures that connect to Disney history.