Cars Land is easily my favorite land in Disney California Adventure park. It’s so fun, lively, and unlike anywhere else.
You really feel like you’re in Radiator Springs in the Cars movies. It’s designed exactly the way it is in the movie and everything about it is perfect.
There are three rides in Cars Land. They are Radiator Springs Racers, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters.
There is also some really good food at Flo’s V8 Cafe and at the Cozy Cone Motel, like ice cream, popcorn, and mac n cheese.
You can also meet characters like Lighting McQueen and Mater. Sometimes you can also meet Red the fire truck and Cruz Ramirez.
There are some lesser known things to do and see in Cars Land though and that’s what this article is here to tell you about.
I’m going to share with you some cool things in Cars Land to look for on your next trip.
1. Look At The Stoplight
There’s one stoplight in town and while it may look like an ordinary traffic light, Cars fans have figured out that there’s an Easter egg within in.
In the first Cars movie, Fillmore (the VW bus) says to Sarge “I’m telling you man, every third blink is slower”.
So when you’re in Cars Land, look up at the stoplight and watch it blink a few times. Every third blink really is slower and lasts a little longer than the other two blinks.
2. Toy Story Characters
Did you know you can find some Toy Story characters in Cars Land? They’re pretty hidden, so you have to know where to look.
Go to the Cozy Cone Motel. There’s a building in the middle, right next to where the Cars characters drive in.
Look in the windows and you’ll see some traffic cones on the shelves. Look closely at what’s under the orange traffic cones and you can see some Toy Story’s characters feet poking out, like Buzz Lightyear and Rex.
This is a reference to Toy Story 2 where the toys cross the street by hiding under traffic cones to get across.
3. Hidden Mickey In The Wires
I’m a big fan of hidden Mickeys and Cars Land has one of my favorite ones. There’s a hidden Mickey up high in the wires.
It’s not very noticeable if you aren’t looking at it from the right angle.
To find it you’ll want to go to the end of the street in Radiator Springs. When you get to the Stanley Our Founder statue, look up and to the left.
Make sure to show your friends and family to impress them with your hidden Mickey finding skills!
4. Sh-Boom Lighting
The last cool thing I’m going to share with you about Cars Land is the Sh-Boom lighting.
Every night at sunset, the song Sh-Boom by The Chords plays on the speakers and one by one all of the neon lights in town turn on for the night.
This is just like the scene in the first Cars movie when Lightning McQueen surprises everyone by fixing their neon lights. The same song plays in the movie when all of the lights come on.
This happens at sunset. Check the weather app on your phone to see what time sunset is. Get to Cars Land a little before that to wait for the lighting.
It feels so magical when you’re there experiencing this!