What’s New in California Travel 2025

Part of the magic of California travel is that it seems like there is always something new to see or do. The New Year brings a host of updates to familiar locales and also new places to explore.
“The diversity and abundance of new openings across California in 2025 reinforces the state’s position as the Ultimate Playground,” said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California, the state’s travel destination informational website.
Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center
3500 Numancia St.
Santa Ynez, CA 93460
www.sychumashmuseum.org
The Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is slated to open in 2025.
The Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is scheduled to open early in 2025, but an opening date has yet to be announced.
The museum and cultural center will allow the Chumash tribe to share its rich cultural heritage with the public.
Elements of Chumash culture will surround visitors as they progress through the museum, beginning at the Welcome Gallery.
The permanent exhibit gallery is where the tribe’s message will be told. Other spaces include a gathering house amphitheater and lush gardens to help visitors learn about the sustainability and balance that have played important roles in Chumash culture.
The museum grounds are designed with terra cotta tile, local stone and adobe-like concrete bricks that merge with native plants, boulders and man-made water features, creating an immersive environment that resonates with the echoes of the tribe’s past.
The 3.5-acre cultural park and outdoor living museum includes storytelling in the amphitheater, outdoor exhibits and a living village.
The landscape offers traditional plants used for food, medicine and crafts in Chumash culture. A basketry and cordage garden showcases the plants used in ancient weaving practices.
The area is surrounded by oak trees and meadows planted with traditional use seed plants. Sycamores, walnut and California bay laurel can be found in the low areas of the park.
Visit the Chumash museum’s website to sign up for email alerts to learn when the museum will open.
Counterculture Museum
1485 Haight St.,
San Francisco, CA 94117
The Counterculture Museum, opening in spring 2025, will be located at the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets, the iconic center of the counterculture movement of the 1960s.
The museum, created by the founders of The Beat Museum, 540 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133, will include the many other transformative social movements that have shaped the recent history of the United States: The Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Rights, Hippies/Youth Revolution, LGBTQ+ and more.
“I feel strongly that these social movements have not only had a profound impact on society, but continue to inspire change today, and I believe this concept has immense potential, not only as a tribute to the past, but as a means to help us understand the challenges we still face. If we understand where we’ve come from, we can better decide where we need to go and how to get there,” said Executive Director Estelle Cimino, Foundation for Creative Expression.
SeaWorld San Diego
500 Sea World Drive,
San Diego, CA 92109
“Jewels of the Sea: The Jellyfish Experience” is opening at SeaWorld San Diego in spring 2025.
The first of its kind for SeaWorld parks, it will be the newest immersive and interactive aquarium at SeaWorld San Diego.
Enter the world of the jellyfish in a more stunning, immersive way than ever before.
Guests will be greeted by a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes in three unique galleries as if diving into the heart of the ocean.
Each of the galleries will feature a jelly species to discover including Moon Jellyfish, Pacific Sea Nettles, Upside-Down Jellyfish and Comb Jellies.
Disneyland Resort 70th Anniversary
1313 Disneyland Drive
Anaheim, CA 92802
Disneyland Resort’s 70th anniversary celebration will take place May 16, 2025 through summer 2026. “Celebrate Happy” will be the theme of the 70th celebration
Highlights include the return of the fan-favorite “Paint the Night” parade and “Wondrous Journeys” nighttime spectacular at Disneyland Park, plus the all-new “World of Color Happiness!” and return of “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” parade at Disney California Adventure Park.
Coming in May to the Main Street Opera House, currently home to a patriotic attraction centered on Abraham Lincoln, is “Walt Disney – A Magical Life.”
Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s arm devoted to theme-park experiences, have crafted an audio-animatronics figure of Walt Disney that will appear in the show. Disney, creator of Micky Mouse and founder of Disneyland, died in 1966. The attraction is expected to be set in his studio office and to feature one of his favorite songs, “Feed the Birds” from the film “Mary Poppins.”
The 70th anniversary celebration will also include the new “Mickey and Friends Celebrate Happy!” cavalcade, the return of fan-favorite entertainment, all-new offerings that include a captivating projection show at “It’s a Small World,” and encounters with Mickey & Minnie and their pals, dressed in new outfits.
The fireworks show “Wondrous Journeys” will return on select nights for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary.
Belmont Park Turns 100
3146 Mission Blvd.,
San Diego, CA 92109
www.belmontpark.com
Historic Belmont Park in San Diego turns 100 years in 2025. San Diego’s iconic beachfront amusement park, Belmont Park, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary beginning on the Fourth of July.
The birthday festivities will take place for 100 days and celebrate the park’s rich history as one of Southern California’s most beloved and notable attractions.
The event includes limited-edition merchandise, special events including a park-wide scavenger hunt and a chance to win a lifetime pass to the park.
The park still features the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, the beloved wooden coaster built in 1925.
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