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Have you been to Universal Studios lately?

Karen Biggers
Feb 20
9 min read

Updated: Mar 30

Sign on entrance to theme park with crowd of people entering. — This the entrance into City Walk which is part of Universal Orlando and then will lead you to the entrance to both Islands of Adventure park and Universal Studios park.

Entry with words "The Adventure begins" and people walking under it. — I get so excited to see this lovely entrance into the parks!

I'm so thrilled for the new Epic to open on May 22, 2025! You can read more about Epic later on in another blog, but I also want to highlight that the Universal Studios Florida experience is fantastic even without Epic. In addition to older favorites, there are also a number of new experiences being added all the time.

DreamWorks Land

Picture with Poppy the Troll from the Trolls movie in the theme park. — Getting my picture made with my favorite Troll - Poppy!

Last summer, they added a whole new area, "DreamWorks Land". This has several different interesting places to meet characters, ride a smaller rollercoaster, or get completely soaked! Shrek's Swamp Meet is where you can actually talk to Shrek, Donkey and Fiona right at Shrek's house. Donkey is hilairious just like in the movie, Shrek, and keeps everyone laughing and having fun. Hop on over to Poppy's Playground and meet Poppy and get your picture made with her under a giant 20-foot mushroom. After that, you can jump on the Trollercoaster, a smaller rollercoaster you can ride with your kids. You can also head down to the covered theater where you can meet and talk to Kung Fu Panda! He is on the big screen but interacts with the audience and gets everyone up to dance. As part of Po's Kung Fu Training Camp, you can play to your hearts content. They have dry areas, of course, but the main attraction is the ability to get wet while helping the panda's wash and dry the laundry with huge water cannons, buckets that dump water and giant fans for drying. Many other characters are available for pictures and hugs like Puss in Boots and Gabby from Gabby's Dollhouse. One of the most fun little places to play in this area is King Harold's Swamp Symphony. This is where you can play your own music by stomping on different interactive lily pads. There is a whole choir of frogs that will respond! It's colorful and a lot of fun! Don't skip out on this new area - you'll love it. They also have a fabulous show where you can see a broadway style stage show featuring many parts of the Dreamworks movies! Wonderfully entertaining with live actors, beautiful stage sets and music.

woman sitting on couch with the character Gabby at the theme park. — Gabby and I sitting on her couch.

Poppy character in the Trolls pictured in the shade with a woman. — Saying how happy we are to meet!

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Of course, Universal Studios Florida is really known for all the wonderful rides you can enjoy there. Some people feel like there are more rides for thrill seekers than for others, but I feel like they have something for everyone! It's now all about the thrills, it's also about the immersive feelings for the movies and characters and stories they tell.

Replica of fire breathing dragon on top of the building, Gringotts Bank from the Harry Potter books at Diagon Alley. — This is the top end of Diagon Alley. If you just wait a few minutes you will see the Dragon breathe fire!

Large statue of man raising his hat on top of a toy store in Diagon Alley. — View of the man tipping his hat at the top of Weasley's trick shop.

What are some of your favorites? I happen to be a big fan of the Harry Potter series of books and the movies. I will tell you that the first time I stepped foot in Diagon Alley I felt such a strong sense of actually being on the set of one of those movies! They had the shop where you could choose and buy a wizard's wand based on your own likes and desires, or you could even have a wand choose you! There were some places to eat that seemed to come right out of the movie sets as well. One of the restaurants where I had the joy of eating is "The Leaky Cauldron." It was amazing with its tall ceilings and beautiful stone archways and long wooden tables—you could really see and feel the atmosphere. There was even a huge kettle on the fire place!

Interior shot of a restaurant in WIZARDING WORLD of Harry Potter showing archways and pictures on the tan brick walls. — The authenticity of the the walls in the restaurant called the Leaky Cauldron.

couple posed in their Harry Potter wizards capes and holding their wands pose in the restaurant. Very tall ceilings with open beams and candle type chandeliers. — A view of the entire hall in the Leaky Cauldron. My nephew and his girlfriend have enjoyed wearing their capes and brandishing their wands.

Large oversized cauldron sitting on top of a grate in a fireplace. Cauldron has huge split on the side. — This is in the back corner of the Leaky Cauldron Restaurant.

The very unique things about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter part of the park is that this is where the two parks connect. You can ride the Hogwarts Express train to get to each side, but if you don't have a park-to-park pass, you can't ride the train. This is something that I will make sure you know about before you go, because I would hate for you to miss riding the train. It's quite an experience in itself. First of all, you catch it at Platform 9 3/4 where you actually walk through a brick wall! You will feel like you are riding the same train where Harry first meets his friends on his way to Hogwarts. And if you look out the window on your journey you can see many other characters from the books and movies! Maybe even say hello to Hagrid!

Inside shot of cubicle on a train featuring a bench with two lamps above and a large rack for suitcases across the top. There is a window to look outside as well. — This is a picture I was able to snap before we got in our car on the Hogwarts Express.

Picture of luggage on a rack and when you look behind it you can see the images of people walking through a brick wall. — Here you can catch a glimpse of people walking through the brick wall to board the train.

Sign at the train station that says 9 3/4 Hogwarts Express. — In this picture you can see the 9 3/4 station sign.

Picture of the Hogwarts school in the distance. In the front of the picture is a forest of trees. — Picture of Hogwarts in the distance.

It's pretty easy to see a lot of different characters walking around and they are glad to take pictures with you too! I love seeing them so much. Who are your favorites? No matter what your answer, you'll probably find them there! And at night there is actually a light show with music over the Hogwarts school too. It's so beautiful, you don't want to miss it.

Rides

The rides at these parks are amazing and thrilling! All of them really know how to immerse you into feeling like you are actually in the movie! One of my favorites has been around for a long time and is now very nostalgic for me when I ride ET’s Adventure! I've tried taking pictures and video on the ride but because it's so dark they don't really turn out well. I love that movie so much and this is a ride the whole family can enjoy as you slowly fly on your soaring bike with ET.

Picture of a boy on a bike with ET in the basket and they are riding in the sky with the moon behind them. — This picture was taken in the store near the ET Adventure ride.

Picture of the entrance of the ride on a statue of fish swimming and the sign says one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. — Fun family ride for all ages!

I have so many favorite rides as I'm sure you do too! There are actually 32 rides across the two parks! And there is something for everyone. From family friendly that you can even take babies on to the the most thrilling rides that even experienced thrill seekers will love riding over and over again.

I loved riding Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. It is a high-speed roller coaster so might not be suitable for everyone but it is an amazing ride. Some of the things that makes this ride so unbelievable is the realistic animatronics and the wonderful visuals and of course the rush of the wind blowing through your hair as you whip along. The only problem with this ride is the wait to get on it! That is where my expertise can help you though. I can show you all the different ways and secrets to making that line shorter!

Picture of a roller coaster in the background with a nest and huge bird type creature sitting on the nest. — Flight of the Hippogriff ride.

Not all rides are super thrilling for those of us that might want to take it a little slower. One of my favorite rides is the Flight of the Hippogriff! While this is a roller coaster, it is also much smaller and a great first coaster! If you're little one is a little unsure if they want to try a coaster, I promise you this one is the one to try.

I know so many people who are huge fans of VelociCoaster! It's one of the newest and most intense rides at the park! If you are a fan of those rides where it drops you from a height of 140 feet at 70 miles per hour, you will love it! And the launch accelerates from 0 to 50 in just 2 seconds! My nephew rode it over and over when we went together last time. He just loved it! But I think I will still sit this one out.

For more thrills and spills, some of the best rides in the park are Fast and Furious Supercharged, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy, Doctor Dooms Fearfall, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and the Incredible Hulk Coaster. You can also tell the more intense and thrilling rides by checking out the height requirements.

But, Universal Studios Florida doesn't leave out anyone. Just look at this next list of all the family and kid-friendly rides you can enjoy! Storm Force Accelatron, Pteranodon Flyers, Popey and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train, Flight of the Hippogriff, The Cat in the Hat, Caro-Seuss-El, Trolls Trollercoaster, Villian-Con Minion Blast, The Simpsons Ride, Kang and Kodo's Twirl and Hurl, Hogwarts Express, and Despicable Me Minion.

And to round up even more rides that I feel are sort of in between these two categories you have: Men in Black Alien Attack, Race through New York starring Jimmy Fallon, Transformers: the Ride 3-D, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, and Skull Island: Reign of Kong.

And don't forget about all the wonderful shows and events you will enjoy! One of my very favorite shows is the Bourne Stuntacular. Even though you are in the audience, you really feel like you are part of the movie. Jason Bourne as he is pursued by villains is being chased across rooftops, and jumps on motorcycles and dangles from a helicopter. There's not a bad seat in the house and they use physical and digital and combine them in amazing ways. This show is not to be missed.

Another favorite show I love is the Horror Make-Up show. This show is absolutely outrageous—and it's live! As a audience member, you really get to see how all the amazing special effects that happen through make up and it's just brilliant and so so funny. This is definitely another must see!

There are other live shows as well that are so much fun including Blues Brothers, Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees in Diagon Alley, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Frog Choir, Animal Actors on Location and Oh! The Stories You'll Hear from the Cat in the Hat. There is also a nighttime show on the lagoon that uses 600 drones to make movie music come alive!

And...let's don't forget about the FOOD!

As you can see, it's gonna take some time to be able to do it all and will most likely take several trips as well, but while you're there, ya a gotta eat! There are so many wonderful restaurants and snacks to be experienced not only in the 2 parks but also in the City Walk area outside the gates.

When you get hungry, you're definitely in luck because there's so much good food! You can grab quick bites like burgers and fries at Mel's Drive-In, which feels like you're stepping into a 50's diner straight out of American Graffiti. If you're in the mood for something more filling, the Leaky Cauldron that we talked about earlier in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has great British food like fish and chips and don't forget to try the famous Butterbeer! There are also tons of fun snacks around the park, like King Kong cupcakes and Minions popcorn! No matter what you're craving, you'll find something to satisfy your appetite while you're exploring.

A statue of a large eagle type of crater holding a staff that has fire coming from the top. — Statue near the entrance to Mythos.

I loved eating at Mythos! This was a great restaurant with delicious Mediterranean-inspired plates in a beautiful and unique setting. For lunch, I would suggest trying the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem Cafe. The colorful atmosphere and the deliciousness of the food is not something to skip. It's not a full-service type of restaurant, but it offers a variety of quick snacks and treats with a Minion flair as well as great salads, sandwiches and desserts!

Plate of food that has salmon, blue rice, cucumbers and edamame — Salmon, edamame, blue rice and cucumber plate from Minion Cafe.

In City Walk you will find numerous restaurants with lot of delicious choices too. One of my favorites there is the Antojitos restaurant, where you will find authentic Mexican food. They will start you off with complimentary house-made chips and salsa, which are delicious. Inside you will find live music on stage and just a lovely and colorful environment to enjoy. In City Walk you will also find some other great restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe and if you go there, be sure to step inside the shop and maybe grab a t-shirt. The restaurant is full of memorabilia of Rock and Roll bands and instruments.

3 people in a restaurant with a show going on in the background on a stage. The show has women in large and brightly colored dresses. — A cosy table for the three of us and you can see the stage show with live music and dancing behind us at Antojitos Mexican restaurant.

A shop ceiling with many varieties of musical instruments. — This is the wonderful shop inside Hard Rock Cafe where you can browse and maybe buy something.

Entrance to the Hard Rock Cafe with very large sign. Also shows steps walking up to it. — The entrance to Hard Rock Cafe just outside the theme park entrance.

Universal Studios Florida is home to some truly amazing places to stay as well! They have some for the more budget friendly like Surfside and Dockside and then they also have some that are for those even more special times when deluxe is what you want! You can even stay at the Hard Rock hotel which is right by the gate to walk into the parks. These rooms even come with the ability to play a guitar while you're there and really feel like a rockstar! And with some of the hotels (including Hard Rock) you will even get some pretty amazing perks that come with it like ways to skip the long lines in the parks!! There are even more resorts on property that are in between where you can ride a water taxi to and from the parks. All of the accomodations will come with complimentary transportation to the parks. There are so many choices that we can talk over when you get ready to go.