Have you visited Cars Land yet? I was so honored to be able to take the Richesons, the family you’ll meet tonight in HGTV’s “My Yard Goes Disney”, to Disney California Adventure park for the grand opening!

Mom is the only lady amongst this amazing, energetic family. The rest are ALL boys! There’s Dad, Daniel, along with sons, Issac and Caleb, and more on the way; about-to-be-born twin boys are just days away! And they LOVE Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, Sally, and everything else “Cars”!

Using inspiration from the simply incredible, brand new land at the Disneyland Resort, the HGTV Designers re-created a mini Radiator Springs for this lucky family! You’ll see their very own Tower of Tires, right outside their Luigi’s Casa Della Tires. And the exciting “E-Ticket” Attraction, Radiator Springs Racers, inspired a pretty cool backyard race track of its own!

Another amazing feature of this yard – one-of-a-kind billboards! As you probably know, the “Cars” films drew inspiration from the legendary Route 66, which was known for many things, of course, amongst them, their famous billboards! When you visit Cars Land, you’ll see some very unique (and clever) ones… so the HGTV designers created an array of signs that tell this family’s story in an extraordinary way! Check them out!

If you haven’t had a chance to get out to the resort to see the latest jewel of the Disneyland Resort expansion, take a great, close-up look on “My Yard Goes Disney” tonight at 5:30 p.m. on HGTV.

Check out these other posts about “My Yard Goes Disney”:

• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: An All-Star Sports Twist on Toy Story Mania
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: A Blizzard Beach-Meets-Brooklyn Backyard
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawai’i, Inspires a Backyard Retreat

Tagged: DLR, Gallery, Video, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

One of the hardest questions I get asked around here is, “What’s your favorite attraction at Disney?” (Unfortunately, I was told that an Ocean View Room at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa in Hawaii doesn’t qualify as an “attraction.”) So, I usually follow up with, “Which Park?”

When someone says Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it’s easy. I love Toy Story Mania. How can you not? Speed, skill, thrills. And I get to break virtual plates, pop virtual balloons, not get in trouble AND don’t have to clean anything up? Count me in!!

You can count the Brown Family in, too, who you’ll meet tonight in HGTV’s My Yard Goes Disney. Aaron and Heather and their kids, Tobey (9), Timothy (5), and Tyler (18 months), love Buzz, Woody, and everything Toy Story! So when the HGTV Designers heard that, inspiration for this backyard makeover came easily!

Of all the families we featured this season, none was more athletic than the Browns. Huge sports fans, all of them! Then, it’s no wonder that they’re big fans of Disney’s All Star Sports Resort – so much so, that the Designers recreated the Resort’s oversized sports court right in their backyard!

This family had so much fun playing football at the Resort that they were nearly late for their meeting with Buzz and Woody! (And, wouldn’t you know it, Sarge and his men showed up to put these kids through their paces, as well!)

Take a sneak peek at the designer’s out-of-this-world interpretation of Buzz’s spaceship. It’s one-of-a-kind… it’s life-size… it’s got on-board special effects… and you can see it here first.

Join us for all the mania on tonight’s episode of “My Yard Goes Disney!” at 5:30pm Eastern on HGTV.

Check out these other posts about “My Yard Goes Disney”:

• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: A Blizzard Beach-Meets-Brooklyn Backyard
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawai’i, Inspires a Backyard Retreat
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: An Area Inspired by The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park

Tagged: DLR, Gallery, Video, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

Many of us have spent lots of time exploring the Walt Disney World Resort. There’s so much beyond our fantastic theme parks and water parks!

One of my favorites is what insiders refer to as the “Wilderness Region.” This area is comprised of two unique resort experiences. At Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds, guests hike winding paths, explore nature trails on horseback and have the time of their lives in the great outdoors among hundreds of acres of natural beauty. They can enjoy heated pools and a foot-stompin’ heap of recreation activities, including a campfire and nightly movie with Chip ‘n’ Dale. Although the resort is relaxing and quiet, Magic Kingdom Park is just a boat ride away!

At Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, guests escape to the rustic charm of a resort that recalls the majesty of the grand National Park Service lodges from the Great American Northwest.

The Monize family, whom you’ll meet tonight on HGTV’s “My Yard Goes Disney” episode, has the largest backyard the HGTV designers have ever encountered. Brendon and Mimi, along with their two daughters Sulah (6) and Linah (5), are huge Disney fans. And, because they couldn’t make up their mind which resort they love more, the designers used both as inspiration!

The girls are avid bike riders – in fact, the family love their surrey bike rides throughout the Wilderness Region. So the designers built them an amazing bike path! Have you ever toasted marshmallows with Chip ‘n’ Dale and watched an outdoor movie at the Campgrounds? Well, the Monize family gets their very own outdoor movie theater to make their Fort Wilderness memories last a lifetime!

And, to top it all off, see if you can spot a backyard geyser to rival Fire Rock Geyser, the Wilderness Lodge’s recreation of the famous geyser “Old Faithful.”

Hope you’ll gather round with us tonight for “My Yard Goes Disney!” at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on HGTV.

Check out these other posts about “My Yard Goes Disney”:

• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: A Blizzard Beach-Meets-Brooklyn Backyard
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawai’i, Inspires a Backyard Retreat
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: An Area Inspired by The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park

Tagged: DLR, Gallery, Video, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Hotels & Resorts, Walt Disney World Resort

With summer in full swing, who doesn’t love a visit to a Disney Water Park? My idea of a perfect July day is to spend the morning riding thrilling attractions at one of the parks and then heading off to Blizzard Beach for a splash of excitement!

You love the Disney Water Parks, too? Imagine if you had one in your backyard!

Tonight, on HGTV’s “My Yard Goes Disney,” you’re going to meet the Thompson Family. Maria and Rodney, along with their sons Issac (7) and Alex (4), fell in love with Walt Disney World Resort when the boys were younger. Alex visited Magic Kingdom Park when he was six months old. His parents bought him a plush Mickey Mouse doll that has followed him everywhere they’ve lived, from Puerto Rico to New York City.

Their absolute favorite place is Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. They love the snow theme throughout the park. As a family, they love the wave pool and Teamboat Springs. Rodney’s favorite is the Ski Patrol Training Camp and, no surprise here, Maria loves Melt-Away Bay.

Dad grew up in Brooklyn and doesn’t get to see snow now – except when he’s at Blizzard Beach. When the HGTV Designers discovered that, they knew that this would be the perfect makeover for their backyard. Just look at this snowy landscape they created!

The level of detail is truly extraordinary – right down to my favorite Water Park snack, the Blizzard Beach mini-donuts!

Chill with us on tonight’s episode of “My Yard Goes Disney” at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on HGTV.

Read on for more posts about “My Yard Goes Disney”:

• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawai’i, Inspires a Backyard Retreat
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: An Area Inspired by The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: A Haven Inspired by Epcot

Tagged: DLR, Gallery, Video, WDW

Filed: Disney's Blizzard Beach, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

I hope that you, your friends and your family had a fantastic and restful Fourth of July. I was at my favorite Independence Day spot – Magic Kingdom Park here at Walt Disney World Resort! Is there any better way to celebrate our nation’s birthday than watching “Disney’s Celebrate America! – A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky”?

Another favorite place of mine is Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawai’i. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit this spectacular destination half a dozen times in the last year. (See, I keep telling all of you that I have the best job at Disney!) But no visit was as memorable or as special as my trip there to film with tonight’s “My Yard Goes Disney” family, the Greens.

Titus, Emily, and their three energetic kids, Logan (6), Mia (4), and Andi (2) are huge Disney fans. They’re lucky enough to live not too far from Walt Disney World Resort, so they visit frequently. But their big dream was to visit Hawaii – and when the HGTV Designers saw their backyard, they immediately knew that it would be a fantastic spot to build an Aulani-inspired oasis.

We had the most fantastic time exploring all of the great water play areas at Aulani, hearing the amazing stories of Hawai’i as told by our cast, and sampling pretty amazing Hawaiian food, too! Plus, the family even learned to surf on one of the exclusive Adventures by Disney excursions offered at the resort. You’ll see on tonight’s show that Logan was standing on a surfboard after less than an hour of instruction.

So much of our beautiful resort is captured in the family’s backyard. Take a peek and see if you can spot some of the infamous Menehune that live all over Aulani!

Please join us tonight at 5:30 p.m. EST on HGTV for some Disney magic, with a touch of aloha spirit!

Check out these other posts about “My Yard Goes Disney”:

• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: An Area Inspired by The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: A Haven Inspired by Epcot
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: An Escape to Castaway Cay

Tagged: Aulani, DLR, DVC, Video, WDW

Filed: Aulani, Disney Vacation Club, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

“My Yard Goes Disney” returns to the reimagined Disney California Adventure park this week.

Tonight you’ll meet the Castro family – Allen and Paula, as well as 10-year old Paulina and 5-year-old Lia. They love their visits to both Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort, and especially the memories they’ve created at the amazing and unique swimming pools at the hotels. It was Lia, in fact, who served as “family spokesperson,” and she is not the least bit modest about her swimming skills. So, when Lia announced that she “can swim better than Ariel,” it got the HGTV Designers thinking.

Any visitor to Disney California Adventure park knows what a big “splash” The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure made when it opened last year, and it continues to thrill our guests who go “under the sea” every day.

The attraction serves as the perfect inspiration for a pool fit for a mermaid, so we brought the family to the Disneyland Resort, where they met Ariel at her grotto and experienced the attraction for the first time! You’ll get to experience that visit tonight and see their amazing new backyard, where they’ll continue to make memories that last a lifetime in their undersea adventure-inspired pool! See if you can spot its very unique feature in this video.

Next week, “My Yard Goes Disney” visits Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa in Hawai’i, for the very first time, which inspires a backyard makeover you won’t believe. Until then, enjoy tonight’s episode, airing at a new time at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on HGTV.

Look below for more posts about “My Yard Goes Disney”:

• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: A Haven Inspired by Epcot
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: An Escape to Castaway Cay
• Expedition Everest Inspires Tonight’s ‘My Yard Goes Disney’

Tagged: DCA, DLR, Video, WDW

Filed: Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

After visits to the Disneyland Resort for the opening of Cars Land, and to Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawai’i for the Magic of Healthy Living Weekend, it’s great to be “home” – which for me, of course, is the Walt Disney World Resort. And this week, “My Yard Goes Disney” is here, too, with an amazing episode that’s all Epcot!

Tonight you’ll meet the Trautwein family – John and Ileana, and their three children, Robert (8), Victoria (6), and Thomas (2). John works at NASA, so it’s not surprising that Spaceship Earth, Mission: SPACE and Soarin’ are amongst his favorite Epcot attractions. (Okay…a little production secret. Even though we didn’t film at the Magic Kingdom Park, I took them over and let them ride Space Mountain. After all, Dad’s all about space flight, right?)

And the family has another interesting tie to Epcot: The Trautweins enjoy growing what they eat. They have a vegetable garden, citrus trees, and lots more growing in their yard. Dad loves to ride Living with the Land at Epcot to see what’s flourishing there.

So, when the HGTV Designers heard about John’s dream of having his own greenhouse like those at The Land Pavilion, they decided to create one for him. And, because the family loves Spaceship Earth so much, their new greenhouse looks just like it! They even got a little help from our friends over at Epcot Science, who gave them lots of tips about how we grow our plants at Epcot!

Add in an Epcot-themed water feature – and some spectacular flora, inspired by our annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival – and you’ve got a very cool backyard. I bet you’ll even see a butterfly or two…just watch!

Next week’s show will take us out to Disney California Adventure park and “Under the Sea” with Ariel. But until then, enjoy tonight’s episode at 8 p.m. Eastern on HGTV.

Check out these other posts about “My Yard Goes Disney”:

• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: An Escape to Castaway Cay
• Expedition Everest Inspires Tonight’s ‘My Yard Goes Disney’
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’ Returns Tonight

Tagged: DLR, Epcot, Video, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort