10 Things I Love About the Original Disneyland

Ahhh, Disneyland. Just the thought of walking down Main Street USA is enough to send shivers of excitement down my spine. As an adult, I still get excited to visit Walt's park. I still feel the magic. I still get giddy when planning a trip. There's something in the atmosphere at Disneyland that encourages people to indulge their imaginations.

Here's a list of 10 things I really love about the original Disneyland Park:

10. Trip anticipation and planning. Of course, every trip to Disneyland starts sometime. Whether you live close or far away, there is some excitement when putting together your Disney itinerary. How many days will you visit? What ride will be the first?

9. That first magical step. Once you hand your ticket to the cast member and enter Disneyland, you feel a certain magic. I always savor this moment. It is the beginning of a grand adventure every time.

8. Sitting on Main Street. There is a store front on Main Street in Disneyland with a porch. On that porch is a nice bench to sit and people watch. I like to sit there in the early morning and watch excited people streaming down Main Street towards their favorite ride. If that bench happens to be occupied, then my next choice is sitting at a bench near the hub to people watch.

7. Finding Hidden Mickeys. Searching for hidden Mickeys during a Disneyland trip can entertain the whole family. I like to turn it into a treasure hunt to keep the kids busy while waiting in lines or waiting for parades to start.

6. Golden Horseshoe Show. I love visiting this little out-of-the-way musical review in Frontierland. Featuring Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, this humorous show gives you the chance to rest your feet and cool down. Enjoy a snack and prepare to have some great fun!

5. The skewers from Bengal BBQ. Hands down, this is my favorite quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive meal in Disneyland. Yes, the Bengal BBQ can get crowded, but the wait is worth it for these tasty skewers available in chicken, beef, or just vegetarian. Plus, eating yummy skewers in Adventureland makes for a very scenic picnic.

4.Toontown Morning Madness. I got tickets to attend this ceremony on my child's first visit to Disneyland. We experienced a nearly empty Toontown for a good 10 minutes before other ticket holders started arriving. As a result, my child got to hug many of his favorite characters including Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale with no wait. See the photo accompanying this article for a crowd-less view of Mickey in Toontown.

3. The smell on Pirates of the Caribbean ride. If you've ever been to Disneyland, you can understand that there is a certain smell - not a bad one - on the Pirates ride. It's a nearly indescribable smell, but it evokes excitement in your gut while you're standing in line waiting to board the boats.

2. The clackety-clack sound on SplashMountain. I love this sound. You can hear clack-clack-clack as the log boats slowly climb up the last bit of track before hurling down the big drop on Splash Mountain. As this very moment, someone is probably sitting in a log boat hearing this sound. Me please!

1. Watching my child meet Mickey for the first time. What could be more precious to a parent that watching your child hug Mickey for the very first time? By capturing this moment on film, you are really capturing your child's wonder at meeting this famous mouse. I will treasure this moment forever.