In recent weeks, I’ve shared some my favorite ways to begin my day at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, as well as top picks for finishing a DCA visit, and even places to pause at mid-day around the Resort.

Today, I’m concluding this series with a look at the best options for ending your evening at Disneyland Park. While Disneyland is magical at any time of day, there is something particularly special about those final hours before closing at the original Magic Kingdom. Any one of the following activities (or combination thereof) should guarantee a fitting finale to your day at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Fireworks and Fantasmic!

No one does explosive spectaculars better than Disney, and there is no better one-two punch among theme park pageants than Disneyland’s fireworks and Fantasmic! Whether the show is Remeber…Dreams Come True, Magical, or one of the special seasonal displays, Disneyland’s pyrotechnics are not-to-be-missed. And Disneyland’s Fantasmic! is the ultimate assemblage of animated characters, action stunts, and enormous animatronics. On nights when both shows are performed,first watch the fireworks from the hub near Frontierland, the head immediately towards the river for a seat. Alternatively, stake out a spot early for Fantasmic and you’ll still have a fine view of the overhead sky bursts (though not effects on the castle or Tinker Bell’s flight).

Ride One Last Roller Coaster

Unofficial Guide readers know that the first and last hours of operation are the best time to experience a theme park’s top attractions with minimal waiting. At Disneyland, the end of the day is a great time to get a in a few re-rides on your favorite E-Ticket. A great choice to finish your night is one of the parks outdoor roller coasters. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is currently under an extensive refurbishment, is a different (and scarier) experience after sunset. So are the Matterhorn Bobsleds, which offer a single rider line that may let you walk on without waiting (provided you can fold your legs into the redesigned cars), making them my personal top pick for a late-night lap.

Window Shop along Main Street, U.S.A.

The shops along Disneyland’s entrance corridor stay open an hour past the park’s official closing time for your “shopping convenience.” But even if you don’t want to drop a dime, you can stretch out your day with a stroll past their entertaining wares. I alway make a point of perusing the collectibles in the Disney Gallery (currently being augmented with items from the shuttered Disneyana store) and staring into the spinning optical illusion outside the magic shop (try it!). The candy shop (also home to the remnants of the penny arcade), music shop, and Emporium are also ideal for browsing before you say bye-bye.

Take a Load Off

At the end of a full day at Disneyland, you’ve probably walked five miles or more. Wouldn’t it feel good to just sit down and put your feet up? The are a number of areas around the park where you can find a seat to rest and people-watch, including the Fantasyland motorboat dock and Tommorrowland Terrace. My favorite place to pause while the park is emptying is the “Wizard of Bras” porch on Main Street, U.S.A. You’ll recognize it as the elevated facade with several wooden chairs, located on the left side of the street as you exit. From this vantage point you can reminisce about your day while watching guests from around the world walk towards the front gates. Just be warned, this is a popular spot and you are likely to find all seats occupied — perhaps by me!

Party On at Trader Sam’s

If too much is never enough for you, don’t let your Disneyland adventure end just because the park is closing. Head to Tomorrowland as the clock counts down and hop the last Monorail of the night to Downtown Disney, then take a short stroll to the Disneyland Hotel. Near the recently reimagined pool complex you’ll find a little slice of Adventureland that stays open long past its in-park cousin. Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Room combines the lore of several fabled Disney attractions, including the Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones Adventure, and WDW’s Adventurers Club with a kooky-kitschy tiki bar and restaurant. The drinks are potent, the Polynesian-inspired food is tasty, and there are surprise effects in store for the unwary (to be explored in an upcoming blog posting). Best of all, at the end of your exhausting evening, you are only steps away from your bed (if staying on-site) or the taxi stand (if not).

What is your ideal way to end a day at Disneyland Park? Let us know in the comments below!

Top Five Ways to End Your Day at Disneyland Park is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Welcome to the first weekly installment of Last Week at Disneyland, TouringPlans.com‘s regular round-up of recent events and operations in and around the Anaheim resort. This column will be your weekly refresher of what’s new at the Happiest Place on Earth.

In addition to Disneyland.com and the Official Disney Parks Blog, much of the following news and photography comes courtesy of our friends at MousePlanet and MiceAge. Visit those sites for more images and up-to-the-minute updates.

Crowd Calendar

Attendance was seasonably slow at the resort this week, but look for crowds to build as Memorial Day approaches.

• Quietest Days: Resort attendance was lowest on May 3 (Predicted 1 out of 10, Actual 2).
• Busiest Days: Resort attendance was highest on April 29 (Predicted 6 out of 10, Actual 5).

Subscribe to the Touring Plans Disneyland Crowd Calendar for full details on predicted attendance for the next 30 days.

Special Events

• Disneyland celebrated Cinco de Mayo on May 5 with a special menu at Tortilla Joe’s in Downtown Disney.
• Reservations are now being accepted for special after-hours Annual Passholder parties being held on May 14, 15, 21, and 22 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fantasmic!
• A sweepstakes was announced for Annual Passholders to win a preview visit to Cars Land and Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure on June 11.
• ABC Television announced that the episode of Modern Family that was shot at Disneyland on Leap Day will be broadcast on May 9.
• New membership spots in the ultra-exclusive Club 33 are available, in case you have a stack of spare $10,000 bills lying around. New members will be able to visit 1901, the new private lounge being built inside the Carthay Circle Theatre at DCA.

Opening, Closures, and Refurbishments

Disneyland

• The candy store, Penny Arcade, and Gibson Girl ice cream parlor on Main Street, USA, reopened on May 2 following a major refurbishment. The makeover is getting high marks from early visitors, excepting the removal of the glass elephant and several vintage arcade machines. Carnation Cafe remains closed until June 2.
• The Carnation Plaza Gardens closed forever on April 30, to be transformed into the Princess Fantasy Faire in 2013. Saturday swing dancing will be relocated to Downtown Disney in the interim.
• Frontierland Festival Arena stage is now home to the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree, with characters and crafts Friday-Sunday. This is also where school musical groups perform now that Plaza Gardens is gone.
• Matterhorn Bobsleds remained closed for a major overhaul until June 15.
• Indiana Jones Adventure was closed for a quick refurb on May 1-2.
• Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition is closed now through May 25.

Disney California Adventure

• Ariel’s Grotto restaurant is closed through May 3, and the attached Cove Bar is closed through June 1.
• Ariel’s Undersea Adventure was closed April 30 to May 4 to install new hair on the “Under the Sea” Ariel animatronic and replace CGI projections with new hand-drawn animation. The changes will also appear in the WDW version of the ride, opening this winter.
• Soarin’ Over California closed unexpectedly on May 3 after guests at Epcot’s version of the ride managed to slip out of their restraints. The ride reopened on May 4, and safety procedures are being reevaluated.
• Buena Vista Street and Cars Land remain under construction until June 15, though some soft-openings are possible later in the month.
• Preparations are underway for the Mad T Party, this summer’s replacement for the ElecTRONica weekend dance parties. The new Alice in Wonderland-inspired event will feature themed midway arcade games.

Downtown Disney

• The large LEGO Imagination store reopened on May 1 after a major refurbishment. The temporary LEGO store in the former home of Island Charter is now transforming into the WonderGround art gallery which will open on June 9.

Last Week at Disneyland Resort (4/29/2012 – 5/5/2012) is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

A quick note, Disney is bumping Fantasmic at the Studios up to 3 nights of showings per week – up from the 2 nights a week they’ve been trying since the New Year. Guest complaints are apparently getting pretty bad.

Fantasmic 3x a week is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Beginning in January, Fantasmic will routinely be shown only 2-times per week at Disney’s Hollywood Studios park. Check dates and times if you wish to see the show.

Fantasmic gets trimmed is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

There will be no showings of Fantasmic 1/28/08-2/1/08.

Fatasmic dark 1/28/08-2/1/08 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

The Disney-MGM Studios park will have an additional showing of Fantasmic! on the night of June 16th, 2007. The park is apparently going to be busier then Disney originally anticipated.

MGM adds Fantasmic! show 6/16/07 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

A small update. Fantasmic! at Disney MGM Studios has gotten a small upgrade on its set in the form of new backdrops. The new backdrops look like a quaint forrest setting – like something from Bambi – and replace the army-camo mesh that once adorned the sides of the giant rock.

Fantasmic! gets new backdrops is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Fantasmic! at Disney-MGM Studios will be closed for refurbishment November 1-8, 2006. There will be no showings of the nighttime spectacular during this period. Shows will resume on November 9th.

Fantasmic! Refurbishment Nov. 1-8 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.