SUNSHINE PLAZA

Just inside Disney's California Adventure is Sunshine Plaza - the gateway to the rest of the park. A 50' golden sun sits over a perpetual ocean wave fountain, and offers an excellent photo op. Hum or sing along with the background music which features vintage "California" selections like California Dreamin', I Love LA, and Route 66.

Look back towards the park entrance - the Golden Gate Bridge is actually part of the monorail track, and monorails pass over it on their way from Disneyland to the Downtown Disney Monorail station.

From the Plaza there's direct access to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, Condor Flats, and the Bug's Land/Golden Vine Winery areas.

ATTRACTIONS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Disney's Block Party Bash, a terrifically energetic interactive parade featuring many favorite Pixar characters, is performed daily. It makes performance stops in three "Block Party Zones": around Sunshine Plaza, in front of "a bug's land", and along the edge of Paradise Pier.

The Disney Electrical Parade is performed nightly during peak seasons. It enters from a gate just to the right of the entrance to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot and winds its way past A Bug's Land, Golden Vine Winery, the Golden Dreams Theater, and Jumpin' Jellyfish before exiting the Paradise Pier area.

PLACES TO DINE

Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream - Ice cream cones and sundaes

Bakers Field Bakery - Pastries, sandwiches, cookies, and specialty coffees.

PLACES TO SHOP

Engine-Ears Toys - Disney plush, games, and monorail and attraction toys

Greetings From California - A wide variety of Disney souvenirs, including t-shirts, pins, plush, and character merchandise. There's also a candy counter with a selection of individually priced chocolates, cookies, caramel apples and Mickey Krispie treats.

INTERESTING FACTS

The sun sculpture is covered in titanium. Look around the plaza opposite the sculpture and you'll see the flower-shaped heliostats that reflect the sun's light onto the sculpture. The heliostats are programmed to track the sun and to move slightly every few seconds so that the solar highlights on the titanium covered sun sculpture move - turning it into a live sculpture.