Plaque at the entrance to Disneyland Photo: Wikipedia

The fantasy theme park that spawned a thousand and one imitations, Disneyland is located in Anaheim, 28 miles east of Los Angeles.

The "Happiest Place on Earth" is California's top tourist attraction, a Mecca for children and their nagged parents the world over. It is 85 acres of extravagant rides, live entertainment, souvenir shops and grinning Disney characters hugging every child in site.

The long, snaking lines for popular rides such as the Indiana Jones Adventure, Space Mountain and It's A Small World dilute some of the magic of Walt Disney's vision.

Still, with eight themed areas to explore, there's enough here to keep any child, teenager or jaded adult giddy with excitement for at least two days.