DRIVING FROM GA TO DISNEYLAND About This Page:

[PURPLEPRINCESS]

We are thinking about driving to disneyland in sept. I know it is a 32 hr drive, but are there any interesting places to stop along the way,?
My other questions is are there any tour services in disneyland that can take you to hollywood and some of the other sites?
Is the geand canyon far from disneyland?

Thanks for any help or suggestions you can give.
Dawn

[scottjs]

Do you mean the Grand Canyon??? Its is hundreds of miles away from Disneyland. Its is Arizona!!! But depending upon which highway you take you could see it maybe on the way. Have a great trip!!!

[DopeyGirl]

From what I have seen, the fastest way to get there from where you are is by taking I-20 to Birmingham then cutting up to I-40 . . . from there, you are essentially following Route 66.

The Grand Canyon is off of I-40 in Arizona by quite a ways . . . and it is about 450 or so miles (9 to 9 1/2 hours) away from Disneyland.

[w-steele]

It would all depend upon which route you will be taking. If you come in by the southern route, I-10 & I-20 (aprox 2,253 miles to DLR), you will be about 140 miles from the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. If you are coming in on the central route, I-40 (aprox 2,185 miles to DLR), you will be about 60 miles from the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Either of these are a must see if you like seeing natural beauty.

[PURPLEPRINCESS]

We will be going I-40 to disneyland with stops. At first I wanted to do the tourist stops before we get to disneyland but my husband want to do the stops on the way back home. Here are some of our must see stops so far
Oklahoma City- The memorial of the Oklahoma city bombing and may take a side trip up to the Cherokee Reservation. My family is part of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation so I woul love to see the western Band.

Amarillo Texas- stop at the Big Texan (my husaband seen this on tv and want to see it in person). Route 66 sights. Spend the night here. This is the halfway point.

the Grand Canyon - stay at the El Tovar on the canyon rim for a night.
The Hoover Dam
Las vegas -stay at the Excalibur Hotel and casino maybe stay 2-3 days.

Disneyland- stay at the Grand Californian for 5 nights/6days also do tours of LA/Hollywood, San Diego for Sea world and Wild Animal park.

i know there are some things to do in Memphis but we have decided to save memphis for a long weekend trip since it is not that far away from home.

Are there any other good tourist sights that are must sees to do along the way that are not to far off the I-40 route or that we can take while at DL or in Las Vegas?

We are still in the planning stages so any advice or good opinions are appreciated.

Thanks
dawn

[scottjs]

Dawn--you have got to cruise The STRIP in Vegas!!! Thats where all the great motels and casinos are. There are a lot of new motels just begging for guests!!! Maybe you can get a good deal!! One motel has a roller coaster about 1000 feet up!! Build right on the roof. I won't ride it but maybe your braver!!! Have fun.

[PURPLEPRINCESS]

Hi Scott,
No roller coaster for me. I am a scary cat. I thought I was going to die on the Rockin Roller Coaster at Disney. No More Roller Coaster for me.
I would love to walk the strip of Las Vegas and see all I can see. My husband, I know want to go to a casino. That is why I am giving it a few days to enjoy some of the sights. Any more suggestions of things we can see in las vegas?

Dawn

[Gin7274]

Just wanted to say hello to you. I don't live that far from you. I agree with Scott, if you go to Vegas, by all means take in the sights on the strip. It is pretty overwhelming.

[Indyost]

Originally Posted by PURPLEPRINCESS

We will be going I-40 to disneyland with stops. At first I wanted to do the tourist stops before we get to disneyland but my husband want to do the stops on the way back home. Here are some of our must see stops so far
Oklahoma City- The memorial of the Oklahoma city bombing and may take a side trip up to the Cherokee Reservation. My family is part of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation so I woul love to see the western Band.

Amarillo Texas- stop at the Big Texan (my husaband seen this on tv and want to see it in person). Route 66 sights. Spend the night here. This is the halfway point.

the Grand Canyon - stay at the El Tovar on the canyon rim for a night.
The Hoover Dam
Las vegas -stay at the Excalibur Hotel and casino maybe stay 2-3 days.

Disneyland- stay at the Grand Californian for 5 nights/6days also do tours of LA/Hollywood, San Diego for Sea world and Wild Animal park.

i know there are some things to do in Memphis but we have decided to save memphis for a long weekend trip since it is not that far away from home.

Are there any other good tourist sights that are must sees to do along the way that are not to far off the I-40 route or that we can take while at DL or in Las Vegas?

We are still in the planning stages so any advice or good opinions are appreciated.

Thanks
dawn

I live in Amarillo, so if there are any questions or particular sights that you'd like to see, I can provide a little insight. Not only should you stop by the Big Texan (of which you'll see signs for it hundreds of miles away), but Cadillac Ranch also is a great place to stop and take pictures. It's about 2 miles west of town on the south side of I-40. Plus, about 20 miles south of Amarillo is Palo Duro Canyon, which is absolutely spectacular to see. Second in size only to the Grand Canyon. You can see some of the pictures that I've taken there here. All sorts of other little oddities in and around here, depending on how much time you're willing to spend

[PURPLEPRINCESS]

thanks indyost. youre pics are beautiful. now i have to convince dh to visit. I will ask for more details later.

[Dave Marx]

There's a bunch in New Mexico and Arizona that hasn't been mentioned yet. Some are just short stops along the way. Taos, New Mexico is one - shopping, galleries, dining, etc. Near Winslow, AZ ("Standin' on a corner in Winslow Arizona, such a fine sight to see...") there's Meteor Crater. Flagstaff is the gateway to the Grand Canyon, but while you're in the area there's also Monument Valley, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and just a couple of miles down the road, Wupatki National Monument (a Native American archaeological site).

I suggest you watch Disney/Pixar's Cars. The Interstate in that movie is I-40. The movie just may inspire you to take some side trips along the way. The Mother Road: Historic Route 66

Well it goes through St Louis, Joplin Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo... Gallup New Mexico
Flagstaff Arizona, don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino

Hey, maybe you should get the Cars CD to accompany your trip. Between that and an Eagles greatest hits album (for Hotel California - even if it isn't the Grand Californian, and for "Take it Easy," which I quoted before) you'll be in the mood the whole time.

[AGentlRose]

I live in Las Vegas and the places that I like to recommend are free:
The Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venentian, although the gondola ride will set you back about $10 or $12 a person, it is still a nice place to walk around and see.

The Forum at Caesar's Palace (2 different free shows on different ends of the mall)

Treasure Island - The Sires of Treasure Island outdoor show (free)

Mirage - has Secret Gardens of Siegfried and Roy (charge), but they do have a white tiger behind glass that you can see behind the front desk area. The lobby area reminds me of the Polynesian at WDW.

They also have an erupting volcano outside.

Although pricey, Mandalay Bay is currently featuring the Broadway show, The Lion King.

The Rio (off strip on Flamingo) Masquerade in the Sky show (free)

MGM Grand - Lion Habitat (free)

The Luxor is interesting to walk through, and if they let you, ride the elevators, they are not really elevators, but inclinators as they do not go straight up and down, but on the angle of the pyramid.

Off Strip - Ethel M's Chocolate Factory tour (free with free chocolate sample)
a bit past the airport on the other side from where your hotel is, but not far.

Red Rock Canyon scenic loop (charge per vehicle, last time we went it was $6)

If you have any questions, PM me.

[TravelinGal]

The hotel/motels inside the Grand Canyon park are VERY hard to get into - and quite expensive for very basic/rugged accommodations. We found a B&B in Williams AZ (not to terribly far from GC) that we are staying in at the end of this month. If you'd like more info on that, just let me know. They do have family 'suites' for a fairly reasonable price and they take young children (something many B&B's do not allow)

If you do Las Vegas, shop around - check the individual hotel websites for all the deals - and try to hit it during the week! (avoid Fri/Sat night stays if possible) At The Mirage, we are getting a 1 bedroom Tower Suite for 120 a night the first week of August!! That includes a dining credit and 4 passes to the 'secret garden'.

Passing through Oklahoma - if the little town of Jet isn't too far out of your way, you should check out the salt plains. Fascinating! You can dig for selenite crystals there. Messy but fun! It is off the beaten path, but depending on what kind of unique experiences you enjoy it might well be worth the side trip.

[AGentlRose]

Regarding the Las Vegas hotels, sign up on the hotels' websites and you'll get some very special offers. We live here, had show tickets at the MGM Grand, and I got an offer from them for a deluxe room in the Grand Tower, that came with a $35 dining credit, a credit for room service continental breakfast in the morning as well as 2 free drinks. With the perks, our room ended up costing just $25 for the night, and it saved me having to drive 25 miles home at night (don't like night driving)

[Papa Mouse]

Hi Dawn. In Las Vegas "downtown" would be a must too and only a couple of blocks long. Yes you can walk on the strip too. However keep in mind that it is a few miles long.

When leaving Nevada you will want to visit the Hoover Dam. Almost a must if you have not seen it before.

Hoover Dam, Nevada TravelNevada

As long as you are sightseeing get off in Yermo, California and three miles away is Calico GhostTown. This is one of the famous ghost towns of the old west with old shops of its time. The only ride is a train. It is full of history.

Calico Ghost Town, an Old West Mining Adventure, in California

If you visit Knott's Berry Farms this is the Calico that they refer to.

Las Vegas is approximately 125 miles to Yermo and approximately another 30 miles to Barstow.