Paradise Gardens Park
Paradise Gardens Park is a themed land at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It comprises the western and northern shores of Paradise Bay, retaining the Victorian boardwalk character developed for the park's original Paradise Pier. The land received its present name on June 23, 2018, when the southern part of Paradise Pier reopened as Pixar Pier and the remainder was set apart under its own identity.
Its principal functions are a group of smaller boardwalk attractions, waterfront dining and the main viewing area for World of Color, the nighttime spectacular performed on Paradise Bay.
History
The area opened with the park on February 8, 2001, as the western half of Paradise Pier, with attractions including Mulholland Madness, a wild mouse coaster, the Orange Stinger swings and the Golden Zephyr. Early Paradise Pier was criticised for relying on lightly themed, off-the-shelf amusement rides, and it was the focus of a staged reworking between 2008 and 2011.
That programme rebuilt the area in a more detailed Victorian style. The Orange Stinger became Silly Symphony Swings in 2010, themed to the Mickey Mouse short The Band Concert (1935); the film show Golden Dreams closed and was replaced on June 3, 2011, by The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure; and Mulholland Madness reopened on July 1, 2011, as Goofy's Sky School. A landscaped viewing garden for World of Color, which premiered on the bay on June 11, 2010, gave the area the Paradise Gardens name that the land later adopted.
Attractions
The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure is a dark ride in which riders in clamshell vehicles descend below the surface to pass through scenes retelling the 1989 film, set to its songs and centred on a large Under the Sea sequence. A near-identical version opened at Magic Kingdom in Florida in 2012.
Goofy's Sky School is a compact wild mouse coaster framed as flying lessons given by Goofy, based on the cartoon Goofy's Glider (1940). The remaining rides preserve the boardwalk character: Silly Symphony Swings, a swing ride; Golden Zephyr, a rotating rocket ride that cannot operate in stronger winds; and Jumpin' Jellyfish, a small parachute-drop ride carried over from the original pier.
World of Color
World of Color is performed after dark on Paradise Bay, using a platform of fountains, water screens, lighting, lasers and fire effects set to edited Disney film sequences. The terraced viewing area in Paradise Gardens Park is its principal audience space, accessed for most performances through a virtual queue or dining packages. The show has been presented in several versions since 2010, including World of Color - ONE, introduced in 2023, and seasonal and anniversary editions.
Dining
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta and Paradise Garden Grill share a shaded garden seating area that hosts live music and seasonal festival menus. Corn Dog Castle stands near Goofy's Sky School, and Bayside Brews serves drinks on the waterfront. During the park's food festivals, much of the land's walkway is lined with temporary marketplaces.