A Disney Halloween (plus Five Ways To Stay Cool at Disneyland)

This past weekend, my family got to check out Disneyland Resort for Family Media Day. Halloween Time is such an awesome time to visit!

THINGS TO DO

For starters, there are the fun, spooky costumed characters to interact with:

There are creative pumpkin carvers and crafts at the Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch. You can also pet animals and watch a magic show here:

And rides like The Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain get spooky, ghostly makeovers:

At the media reception, we also had the opportunity to pose for a Disney silhouette. I highly recommend visiting the Disney Silhouette Studio on Main Street and getting one of these done...only takes five minutes and these guys are magicians with scissors! This makes for such a sweet souvenir, and Pinga's came out great:

STAYING COOL

And now for some tips on staying cool! October tends to be a hot month at Disneyland, and this day was no exception. That didn't take away from the fun though! Here are five things we did to beat the heat:

1) Visit the Animation Academy at California Adventure

This place is huge and we had a blast chatting with Crush the Turtle, creating simple animation and interacting with all the cool exhibits. Bean was fascinated with the zoetropes. It's all indoors and if you wanna just relax, you can take a seat in the main foyer and watch the cartoons on the walls.

2) Watch a Sneak Preview of Big Hero 6 at the Magic Eye Theater

Nothing's better than sitting in a cool theater on a hot day. The Magic Eye Theater in Tomorrowland offers up an exclusive sneak peak at Disney's latest animated feature. Big Hero 6 is presented in 4D, so be prepared for some exciting in-theater special effects! Both kids loved this, and we're looking forward to seeing the whole movie when it comes out.

3) Hang Out at Innoventions

One of Bean's favorite places at Disneyland is Innoventions, also located in Tomorrowland. He loves playing all the video games. Turns out, it's also quite cool inside. This time, he got to play a new game called Fantasia: Music Evolved for the Xbox One. It's a rhythm motion game that Bean happened to excel at. The cast members said he was the best player they had ever seen! Pinga also got in the action. Do me a favor and watch all 30 seconds of this video. Then try and tell me this isn't a genius way to wear out your kids:

4) Make Reservations At A Restaurant

Traveling with kids has made us realize that they get hungry. A lot. So this time, we decided to make a reservation at a restaurant and make sure that they get a proper meal. We chose to eat at The Blue Bayou, which turned out to be awesome. It got us out of the hot sun, plus the food and atmosphere were amazing. We got to see the boats of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride as they passed by, plus our drinks glowed! And take a look at this scrumptious pork chop, only available at Halloween Time. To die for!

5) Get Some Dole Whip and Chill At The Enchanted Tiki Room

Here's the skinny on Dole Whip: it's delicious. You can't not get it. And since you're getting it, you may as well eat it in comfort. Get it, then head to The Enchanted Tiki Room right next door, where you can sit, eat and hear the adorable birds sing. I guarantee it'll make you smile.

Finally, end your day by looking at this and you're golden:

Special thanks to Disneyland Resort for giving us a magical day at the parks!