Disneyland Rides by Age Group

Planning a trip to Disneyland and wondering what rides are right for your babies? Your toddlers? Your older kids and daredevils? Then this guide to Disneyland rides by age group has you covered!

Even though Disneyland is a theme park for families, there are definitely rides meant for older kids (and honestly some that I won’t even go on). So let’s break this all down by age and park!

And in a similar vein, if you’re planning a Disney World trip, you can find a guide to Disney World rides here.

Disneyland Rides for Babies

There are actually a TON of rides perfect for babies at both Disneyland and California Adventure. But of course these are great for all ages too!

Disneyland Park Rides for Babies

• Alice in Wonderland — A classic, gentle, dark ride that takes you on an adventure with Alice.
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters — A dark ride where you can shoot laser guns at different targets for a high score. Older kids will of course appreciate the game aspect of this, but it’s still a gentle enough ride for a baby go to along on.
• Casey Jr. Circus Trail — Truly meant for the kids! (Because the cars feel a little…small.) This is a short train ride around the Storybook area of Fantasyland.
• Disneyland Railroad — Take the train around the perimeter of Disneyland!
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant — A gentle ride that goes around in a circle in the air as you sit in a flying elephant.
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage — Board a submarine and look out the windows to watch Nemo’s story unfold. If you have an older adult or kid who is claustrophobic, they may not like this one so much. But babies will be fine. Just know that it is a pretty long ride though, so if your baby is in a fussy mood, you might skip this one.
• Haunted Mansion — A dark ride through a haunted mansion. It’s really not that scary though, and the scary stuff will go right over a baby’s head.
• it’s a small world — A gentle boat ride through the world with the song that will never leave your head.
• Jungle Cruise — Another gentle boat ride, this one outside through the jungles of the world with animatronic animals and lots of corny jokes.
• King Arthur Carrousel — A classic carousel. There are also stationary benches, which might be perfect for a parent and small baby.
• Main Street Vehicles — The Main Street Vehicles are different cars that can take you up and down Main Street. They are iconic at Disneyland!
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh — A slow, dark ride that tells the story of Winnie the Pooh.
• Mark Twain Riverboat — A simple riverboat ride.
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway — A dark trackless ride. The motion on this one is a little faster than the other dark rides, but most babies should still be fine.
• Peter Pan’s Flight — A slow, dark ride where you fly (the vehicles hang from the ceiling) over London and off to Neverland.
• Pinocchio’s Daring Journey — Another slow, dark ride. Honestly, I find this ride to be super creepy, so your preschoolers may be more hesitant about it than your babies.
• Sailing Ship Columbia — Another large boat ride like the riverboat, but on a sailing ship.
• Snow White’s Enchanted Wish — A slow, dark ride about Snow White. This one was re-done in 2021, so it’s less scary than it used to be.
• Storybook Land Canal Boats — A gentle boat ride that takes you through different miniature storybook lands.

Disney’s California Adventure Rides for Babies

• Golden Zephyr — A gentle fair-swing-like ride that circles you around the air in a miniature zephyr.
• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind — Another ride that circles you around the air. This one is even more gentle. But be aware that the sides of the ride are pretty high, so even though it’s a ride that seems made for kids, babies and smaller kids may not be able to see anything.
• Jesse’s Critter Carousel — A classic carousel, except with animals in the Toy Story animation style.
• The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure — A slow, gentle, dark ride that tells the story of The Little Mermaid.
• Monsters, Inc. Mikey & Sulley to the Rescue — A slow, dark ride that tells the story of the Monsters Inc. movie.
• Pixar Pal-A-Round – Non-Swinging — The giant Ferris wheel that’s also the park icon. Make sure you go in the non-swinging line for babies and younger kids. And honestly some older kids and adults (like me!).

Disneyland Rides for Toddlers and Preschoolers

In addition to all the rides for babies, there are more rides that your toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy!

Some of these rides DO have height requirements, so be aware of that!

Disneyland Park Rides for Toddlers and Preschoolers

• Astro Orbitor — Similar to Dumbo in that it circles you around the sky, this time in a rocket ship. But it can feel a little more intense than Dumbo, so we’re putting it here.
• Autopia — Drive a car around the Autopia track. Height requirement: 32 inches. (54 inches to drive your own car.)
• Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster — The PERFECT first rollercoaster for little kids. Height requirement: 35 inches.
• Mad Tea Party — While babies *could* go on Mad Tea Party, the spinning of the tea cups could feel a little intense. So this classic lands here on our list.
• Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride — This is a slow dark ride, but some elements, like loud explosions and a little jostling, have us thinking it’s better for toddlers and preschoolers than babies. Although technically your babies can go on this.

Disney’s California Adventure Rides for Toddlers and Preschoolers

• Goofy’s Sky School — This is a step up from GADGETcoaster, but if your kiddos liked that, they may be read for this wild mouse-style coaster. Height Requirement: 42 inches.
• Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters — A trackless ride that puts you in cars from the movie franchise as they dance around a parking lot. Height Requirement: 32 inches.
• Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree — A spinning ride that flings you around the Junkyard. (It’s just like Alien Swirling Saucers at Disney World). I don’t love spinning rides, but I LOVE this one, so it’s not too intense. Height requirement: 32 inches.
• Toy Story Midway Mania — A point and shoot game where you try to hit targets with a slingshot wearing 3D glasses.
• WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure — Another interactive point-and-shoot game, except this time you use your own hands. It’s super fun and family-friendly, but do be aware that some of the scenes may feel intense to kiddos that are more sensitive to loud noises and scarier situations.

Disneyland Rides for School-Age Kids

Once your kids get to school-age the world of rides REALLY opens up for you! There’s not much beyond this category as far as intensity goes!

Disneyland Park Rides for School-Age Kids

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — A step up from the kiddie coaster (like GADGETcoaster), but still no major drops or inversions. This is one of my favorites! Height Requirement: 40 inches.
• Indiana Jones Adventure — My absolute favorite ride at Disneyland! A fast-paced Jeep adventure through the temple. The spider-sensitive may want to close their eyes in one part. Height Requirement: 46 inches.
• Matterhorn Bobsleds — An original coaster from Disneyland’s opening day and still a Disneyland icon. This is a downhill single-seater roller coaster. There are a few “scary” Yeti scenes, and kids will need to be able to sit by themselves. Also adults with back problems may want to skip this one. Height Requirement: 42 inches.
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — A motion simulator where guests get to fly and interact with the Millennium Falcon on a mission. Height Requirement: 38 inches.
• Pirates of the Caribbean — A dark boat ride that takes you though a pirates lair and into a town they are plundering. While any age can ride this one, there are two small drops and some scenes may feel scary for younger kids.
• Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin — A dark ride that feels like a chaotic fever dream honestly. You can spin your vehicle, and there are lots of loud noises, so that’s why it’s on our list for the school-age kids even though it’s pretty slow.
• Space Mountain — A dark coaster through space! If you’re used to Disney World’s version you should know two things: Disneyland’s Space Mountain is MUCH smoother and it sits two people side-by-side. Height requirement: 40 inches.
• Star Tours – The Adventure Continues — Another Star Wars motion simulation ride, except this time you are in one large room with everyone else. It can be pretty intense for younger kids (queue my daughter when she was five screaming “Too fast! Too fast!” during the ride). Height requirement: 40 inches.
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — A trackless ride that is probably the most innovative thing Disney has done. In this ride, you get captured by the First Order and have to escape. It truly feels like you are in a Star Wars movie. (And it’s just like the one at Disney World.) Height Requirement: 40 inches.
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — This replaced the classic Splash Mountain with scenes from The Princess and the Frog and the big drop at the end. Height Requirement: 40 inches.

Disney’s California Adventure Rides for School-Age Kids

• Jumpin’ Jellyfish — A ride that pulls you up in the air on chairs and then lets you drop down with a parachute. It’s relatively gentle, but I did lose my stomach a bit on this one. Height Requirement: 40 inches.
• Pixar Pal-A-Round – Swinging — Unlike the non-swinging cars on the Pixar Pal-A-Round, this ride has you falling and swinging in your cars in unpredictable ways. It’s a skip for me, honestly.
• Radiator Springs Racers — This is part dark ride, part race track. You get in a car for a race, then go through scenes from the movie Cars before you pick up speed for a race. Height Requirement: 40 inches.
• Silly Symphony Swings — The classic fairground ride that swings you around in swings. I’ll be honest though…the height of this one intimidates me a bit. Height Requirement: 40 inches.
• Soarin’ Around the World — A motion simulator that has you hang gliding near famous places in the world. Height Requirement: 40 inches.
• Grizzly River Run — A river raft ride where you are in a circular raft that spins unpredictably. There are a few big drops in this one. (But I think it’s MUCH better than Disney World’s Kali River Rapids!) Height Requirement: 42 inches.

Disneyland Rides for Older Kids (+ Adults!)

Once you get to your tweens, teens, and adults, you’ve pretty much tapped out the thrill potential of Disneyland. But there are a couple of rides that will appeal just to this age group!

Disneyland Park Rides for Older Kids & Adults

Congratulations! By the time your kids are school-age you’ve probably ridden most of the Disneyland rides. So for bigger thrills you’ll want to go to California Adventure!

Disney’s California Adventure Rides for Older Kids & Adults

• Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! — A drop ride with a Guardians of the Galaxy story. It’s the same ride as Tower of Terror, but with different theming. And I’ll be honest, as someone who doesn’t really like drops, I’m too scared to ride this one. Height Requirement: 40 inches.
• Incredicoaster — The only coaster with an inversion at Disneyland! It also has a quick launch. It’s a super fun one, with an Incredibles storyline. Height Requirement: 48 inches.