Little boys and birthdays are full of fun and cake. That’s a fact. Nowhere is this more evident than a Disneyland birthday celebration at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Seriously, go there and see for yourself if you don’t believe me. There is cake everywhere.

We took our now 6-year-old bundle of joy and adrenaline to a Disney character breakfast at Storytellers Cafe in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. The hotel is awe-inspiring. The breakfast was fantastic. I love it when that happens.

We bought the buffet, which was fresh, amply stocked, and moved along quickly (unless you waited for a personal omelet, but that’s all you). The buffet was just under $24 per person for adults and slightly under $12 for kids. Smaller kids (0-2) are free.

The breakfast was hosted by Chip and Dale, of Chip and Dale fame, and with some of their other Disney animal friends they visited each table in turn and spent a good amount of time with each child (and adults, too).

Then came singing and cake (an optional addition for $15.99 of a pirate treasure chest or princess-themed box filled with said cake), and the smiles were worth every penny. And then some.

We went into Disneyland full and happy, first stop was Town Hall on Main Street, U.S.A. for free birthday buttons and a character phone call, then it was into the magic and the memories made there.

My son said it was the best birthday ever. I am inclined to believe him.

There is a character breakfast in each of the Disneyland Resort Hotels and one in each park (Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure). Reservations are recommended (call (714) 781-DINE or (714) 781-3463). If you are celebrating a special occasion let the host or server know.

Speaking of special occasions, Town Hall has buttons for everything — anniversaries, first visit, birthdays, button wearers… you name it!

We paid for our own stay on Disney property, park ticket admission, and buffet. Disney was kind enough to provide the birthday pirate chest for the purpose of this review. Opinions are my own (and everyone that was with us).

Photo by W. Honea

We recently visited Legoland in Carlsbad, California (just north of San Diego), and the results were a bit mixed. Kind of like nuts.

The good: It is all about Legos, which are, obviously, awesome. The bad: the rides are awful. The majority of rides are geared towards children under the age of six, because personal experience has shown that Lego-obsessed kids around 8-years-old were barely able to hold back a yawn. Sure, it’s great that the younger kids have fun — it’s for them, I get it, but there should be something for kids of other ages, not to mention an occasional block thrown to the adults.

The good: The park itself is quite beautiful. Most of the walkways are wide and clean, and the landscaping is lush and pleasant. The bad: The lines are really long and do not have any sort of theme or interactive components that might keep kids occupied or entertained.

The good: The food served is pretty tasty by theme park standards. The bad: The food is expensive, which is to be expected, but the admission is really expensive — it’s not much cheaper than a day at Disneyland, and it offers about a tenth (if that) of the experience.

The good: It’s close to the ocean. The bad: You actually need to have something else to do, because there isn’t enough to do in the park to last a full day, and even if there was Legoland closes on most days before the sun sets (that includes stores and dining, when they say they’re closed they aren’t messing around).

The good: The Star Wars exhibit is really cool. The bad: It’s basically a museum of things to look at, which would be fine IN A MUSEUM. It’s a theme park about Legos featuring Star Wars things created with Legos, offer something for kids to do that combines the two. Peanut butter and chocolate, people.

We wanted to like Legoland. My wife and I love the San Diego area. Our whole family loves Legos — seriously, there are an embarrassing amount of Legos in our house. We had a fun time at Legoland, but that was despite the park, not because of it. We were on vacation and we made the most of it. Also, we wouldn’t talk bad about something that the kids were enjoying, however, even they noticed the park’s many shortcomings, and when we asked them if they were ready to leave they didn’t hesitate to say “yes.” That’s never a good sign.

Photo: W. Honea

Just across from New Orleans Square in Disneyland is an island that be circled by ship and canoe, or reached via ferry. It used to be all about Tom Sawyer, but now it is about Tom Sawyer and his encounter with the pirates. There are caves to explore, treasure to plunder, and interactive skeleton fun (don’t worry, not your skeleton).

It’s a great place to let kids run wild and burn off some energy — just make sure you have a place to meet should you become separated, and understand that there is only one way on and off of the island.

Have fun!

This post is part of the Uptake Family Friday Series.

Photo: Whit Honea

Cheekwood Mansion

Exploring the sprawling gardens and extensive art collection at Cheekwood is a must for Nashville visitors. Built by the Cheek family, owners of Maxwell House Coffee in 1932, the historic limestone mansion and formal gardens are closely tied to Nashville history. A visit to the gardens and galleries offers an intriguing peek at grand, Southern lifestyles during the early 20 th century. Read More »