World of Disney at Halloween Time

World of Disney in Downtown Disney can definitely be deemed Halloween headquarters as far as merchandise goes. Perfect whether you are heading to Mickey’s Halloween Party and need to grab a quick costume, accessory or souvenir, visiting Downtown Disney for the day, or staying at a hotel nearby and want to grab souvenirs outside of the park.

World of Disney at Downtown Disney

World of Disney at Downtown Disney

I love Halloween and especially Halloween decor from Disneyland, so I stopped in at World of Disney recently to see what I couldn’t live without. They had so much cute Halloween decor, all of which I saw inside the park as well. But I like grabbing items at World of Disney when it means I don’t have to walk around the park holding them all day. Not to mention I can get lost in that store for endless amounts of time.

Just for you, I’m doing a Halloween photo dump so you can see some of what World of Disney has to offer for your Disney Halloween needs.

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The LOOP: Handcrafted Churros

We made a recent stop on the way home from Disneyland to The Loop: Handcrafted Churros,  named after the shape of the handcrafted churros they offer, which is located in Orange County’s Little Saigon community. In a fun little twist on the classic Mexican treat, the Loop offers churros dipped, glazed, or chilled, meaning they come with an ice cream sundae.

The LOOP: Handcrafted Churros - Westminster, CA

The LOOP: Handcrafted Churros – Westminster, CA

They are so insta-famous to me that I refused to head back to San Diego without getting my hands on some churros. We arrived expecting a crazy line considering it was a Saturday afternoon, but we got lucky and only had a couple people ahead of us. Although, after we ordered it was another story. Continue reading

Julian Pie Company

Yay, it’s the first day of Fall! Bring on all of the apples and pumpkins! I must say Fall is my favorite season. The problem is living in San Diego, we don’t really get Fall weather or season changes, but luckily Julian does. Julian is a mountain getaway, an hour northeast of San Diego, located in the Cuyamaca mountains.

San Diego also doesn’t really offer cider donuts like I was always seeing all over my Instagram feed in the Fall, so one year I did an internet search to track down cider donuts in town and found Julian Pie Company offers them. It makes sense that Julian would be the place to find cider donuts since every September they have a two-day Julian Apple Days Festival, not to mention Julian is famous for apple pies.

Julian Pie Company - Santa Ysabel location

Julian Pie Company – Santa Ysabel location

I got my husband on board for taking a day trip to Julian by fitting in some off-roading in his prized Jeep in the Laguna Mountains after. We set off in the morning on a Saturday and decided to drive through Ramona and stop at the Santa Ysabel location because I knew they had a bigger selection of donuts, in my experience than the Julian location. Continue reading

Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen Express

One of our favorite treats at Disneyland are Mickey Beignets from Mint Julep Bar, but if you are in Downtown Disney® District  did you know you can get Original New Orleans Beignets (Ben-Yays!) from Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen and Jazz Kitchen Express. Dare I say they beat Mickey Beignets?! Okay, I said it! But I’ll never quit Mickey Beignets.

RB JK DTD

Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney

RB’s Jazz Kitchen offers New Orleans cuisine such as Jambalaya, Catfish, Gumbo, etc. They also have a lot of options for kids- pasta, chicken strips, cheeseburgers and more. Every Sunday they have brunch from 10 am to 3 pm with a live Jazz band playing. The biggest draw for me are the beignets. If you aren’t familiar, beignets are a New Orleans classic! They are French donuts deep fried and topped with powdered sugar. Continue reading

Brunch at Bottega Americano

Every Mother’s Day we go to brunch with my whole family because moms, brunch and mimosas just pair together so well. This Mother’s Day we made a brunch reservation at Bottega Americano located in downtown San Diego’s East Village neighborhood. Bottega Americano is a charming Italian restaurant and marketplace with lots of wood, marble and copper accents, which made it a perfect setting for celebrating us moms.

Bottega Americano

Bottega Americano

Bottega Americano offers brunch every Saturday & Sunday with a seasonal food menu, a full coffee menu and an option of bottomless mimosas for $15 per person. Major selling point for me! Continue reading