Disneyland is divided into eight separate areas: Main Street U.S.A., Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Frontierland, Adventureland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country and Mickey's Toon Town. The attractions in each area are tailored to match that particular theme. For example, rides like Space Mountain and Star Tours can be found in Tomorrowland, while the Peter Pan and Snow White rides are in Fantasyland. That can prove useful when searching for a particular ride.
As an extra bit of fun, the designers of Disneyland hid the classic silhouette of Mickey Mouse on a number of different rides. These differ from more decorative images of Mickey in that they are deliberately hidden: one appears in the treasure room on Pirates of the Caribbean; another pops up in the attic of the Haunted Mansion. Spotting them can become a fun game as you move around the park. Disneyland won't officially confirm the number of hidden Mickeys, but sharp-eyed guest have noted hundreds throughout the park.
The Enchanted Tiki Room in Adventureland remains a bit of a forgotten ride--featuring birds, flowers and Polynesian masks who sing to visiting guests--but it remains an important part of Disneyland's development. It was the first ride to use animatronics; that's a type of engineering that allows mechanical figures to talk, move and express a surprising amount of realism. Thanks to the success of the Tiki Room, other rides soon opened featuring animatronic figures, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones and Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.
Disneyland is always evolving and opening new rides, but some things never change. 14 of the park's rides were present on opening day in 1955, and they have remained at the park ever since. They are the Jungle Cruise, the Mark Twain riverboat, the Disneyland Railroad, the Main Street fire engine, the Main Street Cinema, the Golden Horseshoe, the King Arthur Carousel, the Casey Jr. Railroad in Fantasyland, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan, Snow White, the Autopia and the Storybookland Canal Boats.
When you enter the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, you may feel as if the inside of the ride is bigger than the outside. That's because it--and several other Disney attractions--are built underground. It saves space (which is at a huge premium within the park) without compromising the rides' potential. The first room you enter in the Haunted Mansion is actually an elevator taking you underground. Similar underground rides include the Pirates of the Caribbean (which drops you underground as the ride begins) and the Indiana Jones ride (which features a winding line leading underground).
