Universal Studios Florida

 

It's time to discover the real side of movies in Universal Studios Florida. This is where guests are invited to "ride the movies" and experience many attractions based on films. These immersive, innovative attractions make the worlds of these films come to life in many surprising ways.

This park opened in 1990, and it kind of invented what Universal parks are today. This is where immersive rides based on movies were first introduced to the Universal parks. After their success here, they were added to the park in Hollywood. Despite being a more mature setting, newer additions like Dreamworks Land and Minion Land have been aimed at families.

Let's go over the top five things to do in this incredible park.

#5 E.T. Adventure

Location: Hollywood
Height Requirement: 34 in.
Opening Year: 1990
Scope: C-Ticket

This suspended dark ride sends guests flying through the night as they help E.T. return to his home planet. This was an opening day attraction in 1990, and it's the only ride from back then that is still open today. Plus, this ride has a personal touch, where guests have intergalactic passports, which allows them to travel between planets.

The ride's premise is explained by director Steven Spielberg. E.T.'s home, the Green Planet, is dying, and only his healing touch can save it. Guests will be bringing E.T. home on flying bikes. Although their journey starts off rough with the scientists trying to catch them, they quickly escape and fly over the California skyline. Then, they make it to the Green Planet, where E.T. heals the place, reunites with his friends, and if they're lucky, says the name of some of the guests.

# 4 Men in Black: Alien Attack

Location: World Expo
Height Requirement: 42 in.
Opening Year: 2000
Scope: D-Ticket
This interactive shooter ride casts guests as trainees for the Men in Black. Here, they go through and shoot aliens, gaining points. This is a nice ride for competition, although it does spin since the aliens can attack back.

Guests come into a world's fair exhibit called "The Universe and You," only to discover that it's really a cover-up for Men in Black headquarters. Director Zed has selected guests to be Men in Black trainees and sends them to practice. However, their training is interrupted when a ship of alien criminals crashes in Manhattan and they're sent to take care of it.

Depending on how well they do, guests will get a different ending. Get "Bug Bait" or "Cosmically Average," and they will see a coach alien. Get "Galactic Defender" and they'll make it in the ranks of the Men in Black. Plus, guests can request a free tour of the Immigration Room, depending on cast member availability.

#3 Transformers: The Ride - 3D

Location: New York
Height Requirement: 40 in.
Opening Year: 2013
Scope: E-Ticket
This is another 3-D dark ride, but with more realistic effects and more intense movements. This puts guests in the middle of the action as they are caught in an epic battle between good and evil.

Guests come in as new recruits for N.E.S.T. (Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty), a secret strike force to help the Autobots protect Earth. But before they can even start training, the Decepticons attack, looking for the source of life for all the Transformers: the AllSpark. Guests are ordered to take it out of the base, and to do it, they are paired with an Autobot named Evac. However, they are quickly caught in the battle as they exit the base, facing off with Megatron and his army. Luckily, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and the other Autobots are there to help the guests out, making sure they succeed in their mission.

#2 Revenge of the Mummy

Location: New York
Height Requirement: 48 in.
Opening Year: 2004
Scope: E-Ticket
This indoor roller coaster brings guests into a dark world of curses and mummies, complete with three launches, a backwards section, and even a fake unload to catch you off guard. It's a pulse-pounding thrill ride that is surely exhilarating.

Guests come into the Museum of Antiquities, where they come onto the set of Revenge of the Mummy. As they do, they discover that the cast and crew are all worried about some sort of curse, so they're all wearing Medjai amulets. However, a certain production assistant named Reggie has gone missing. As guests go looking for him, they discover that the curse is very real, and the evil mummy Imhotep wants to steal their souls. They must escape his wrath, or else they will be entombed forever.

#1 Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

Location: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade
Height Requirement: 42 in.
Opening Year: 2014
Scope: E-Ticket
This is a 3-D spinning coaster that goes deep into the vaults of Gringotts bank. It features two launches, a steep drop, and special effects to bring this experience to life and make it feel real.

Guests come into Gringotts to open a bank account, but their timing isn't great. Harry and his friends are there to take a certain item (Helga Hufflepuff's Cup) from the vault. While Bill Weasley is guiding guests through the vault, the alarm goes off and they are caught in perilous situations with trolls, dragons, and encounters with villainous wizards like Voldemort and Bellatrix.

Honorable Mention: Hogwarts Express

Location: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley)
Height Requirement: None
Opening Year: 2014
Scope: A-Ticket
This is a transportation attraction that takes you from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley and vice versa. Along the way, guests will look out the windows and see characters from the Wizarding World come by. It's a different experience both ways, so guests will want to ride it twice. They do need a park-to-park ticket in order to do it, of course.

And that's all for now. Make sure to see my new book, Magecraft: Legend of the Last Snawfus, on Amazon now!

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