Spring Time at Downtown Disney

“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” -Hal Borland

I love spring, maybe it’s because my birthday is in April, but I really do love all of the new flowers starting to grow, the warmer weather and the longer days. Here in Southern California we are getting especially excited for spring because Disneyland is supposed to open at the end of April after being closed for an entire year due to COVID. While we wait for the parks, there are still some fun things happening at Downtown Disney…

THE EGGSTRAVAGANZA EGG HUNT: We try to do this every year, I have a blog post on it HERE. Typically the egg hunt occurs in both parks in addition to Downtown Disney, but this year it is just DTD. Here is the scoop on the egg hunt…

• You can buy an egg map for $7.99 ($6.39 with an AP discount) at the Pin Traders or World of Disney.
• One map will have 12 stickers that will correspond with the large character eggs scattered around DTD.
• All eggs are visible from outdoors, no need to go into stores to look.
• After you have completed the hunt you can redeem one collectible egg per map to take home.
• There are 6 collectible egg designs to choose from: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Chip or Dale. We decided to collect all 6 eggs this year because we just couldn’t decide which ones we wanted. We then use these for our own Easter egg hunt at home.
• In years past there have been little stickers, erasers, or other goodies inside the eggs, but this year they were empty (I hope they decide to change it back next year since my kiddos like opening them up to see the surprise).

THE NEW STAR WARS TRADING POST: Disney has transformed the old Rainforest Cafe into a Star Wars shopping experience. For all the Star Wars fans out there, this is definitely a fun stop. They have everything from your traditional Jedi costume to newer Asoka Tano and Baby Yoda plush dolls. If the line is long make sure to sign up for the virtual cue by scanning the QR code located just outside the shop. Then you will get a text to let you know when it is time to come back.

NEW FLAVORS AT SALT & STRAW: If you are looking for a sweet, cold treat, you will want to check out Salt & Straw. They have some great flavors of ice cream, some that are seasonal and others that are staple. Seasonal flavors right now are; Salted Caramel Cupcake, Cinnatopia Cinnamon Bun, Strawberry Tres Leches, Brown Ale & Bacon, Lemon Cheesecake Crumble (which was out when we went). One scoop goes a long way, I can easily share it another person, which is good because it does cost over $6 for a single scoop. 

RESTAURANTS THAT ARE OPEN FOR SERVICE: Most restaurants & quick service places are open for service, some highly recommend reservations, especially on the weekends. Here is a list of the ones I noticed open…

• La Brea Bakery Cafe
• Naples Ristorante (reservations recommended)
• Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen (reservations recommended)
• Tortilla Jo’s
• Uva Bar & Cafe
• Earl of Sandwich
• Splitsville (no bowling at this point, only outdoor dining)
• Wetzels Pretzels
• Jamba Juice
• Marceline’s Confectionery (virtual cue on busy days)
• Starbucks
• California Churro

CURRENT HOURS OF OPERATION: Some restaurants have different opening times, so make sure to check before going.

• Monday-Thursday 10am-8pm
• Friday 10am-9pm
• Saturday & Sunday 9am-9pm

PARKING: Parking is still only in the Simba lot, just past the Paradise Pier Hotel, and costs $10.

ENJOY THE FLOWERS: Don’t forget to stop by to see the beautiful cherry blossom tree’s that are blooming right outside the gates of the parks. They make for a beautiful photo.

If you would like to know more about the safety precautions DTD is taking, feel free to check out this post HERE.