58 Best Sights in Universal Orlando, Florida

Even if you've never seen the hit animated films, it doesn't take long to fall for Gru, the Scourge of Humanity, in this wild virtual-reality chase through the movie. Two extremely funny (and cute) preshow rooms—Gru's living room and laboratory—set the stage for the 3-D ride. With help from his adopted daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes (and ever-so-anxious minions), Gru reviews everyone to make sure they're ready to become minions. Next, sporting your "minion goggles" (aka 3-D glasses) you are transformed into minions for the rollicking ride, which is filled with close calls and colorful characters as you pursue the ever-elusive prize: the girls' gift for their dad on the one-year anniversary of their adoption. To celebrate, the ride exits into a minion disco (of course).

This attraction is not recommended for expectant mothers or anyone with motion sickness or back, neck, or heart problems. For people with disabilities: Closed-captioned devices are available; those in wheelchairs may remain in them. Go for the stationary seats if you think you'll suffer from motion sickness.

One of Universal's most popular attractions, the experience combines moving vehicles, 3-D film with the highest-definition resolution available, simulator technology, and special effects. What does that mean? It means that after donning 3-D glasses, you drive through the streets of New York in a special car that will pitch and roll as you get swept into a weird, all-encompassing cartoon battle. How weird? When Spider-Man lands on your car, you experience the bump; when Electro runs overhead, you hear his steps. You feel the sizzle of electricity, the frigid spray of water from Hydro Man, and the heat from a flaming pumpkin tossed by the Hobgoblin. No matter how many times you visit, you cringe when Doc Ock breaks through a brick wall, raises your car to the top of a skyscraper, and then releases it for a 400-foot free fall. The bizarre angles and perspectives really do make you feel as if you're swinging from a web. Do not miss this one.

Youngsters accustomed to action TV shows should be fine, but timid kids won't. Also skip this ride if you're pregnant or have heart, back, or neck problems. For people with disabilities: Equipped for assisted-listening devices. Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Come early or at dusk or use Express Pass to save on your wait time. Be sure to check out the wanted posters of Spider-Man villains on the walls.

A roller coaster with a twist and plenty of turns, this ride offers a magical blend of speed with an interesting collection from Hagrid's unusual menagerie. It surpasses expectation despite the potentially hour-plus wait in line. Whether you've got a grip on the handlebars or are tucked into a sidecar, amid Hagrid's commentary and the sound of a motorcycle revving, you rocket into a series of low angle turns that snap around corners and into tight curves. You'll slow down long enough to meet one of Hagrid's friends (one with an unusual defense mechanism), and then it's back to the track with more speedy curves and more surreal creatures before you enter a fog bank and . . . begin the experience backward! One more turnaround, and you're blazing full-speed to the exhilarating end. For people with disabilities: Guests must transfer from wheelchairs to the ride vehicle. Lines can be incredibly long, and Express Pass isn't an option, so check the wait time before lining up.

How do you find Gringotts Bank? Look for the massive dragon atop the building and the statue of a Gringotts goblin standing on a towering stack of gold coins. The queue to the ride is an essential part of the attraction: you'll walk through the bank where a multitude of goblins work at their desks, diligently, wordlessly, and eerily. Soon you're in a ride vehicle and, after it departs the station, it's only a matter of moments before Bellatrix Lestrange notices your presence and then does everything in her supernatural power to prevent you from traveling any farther. So, from here on out, your vehicle will come face to 3-D face with a towering security detail that destroys the tracks and sends you deeper into the bank’s recesses.

Be warned that your first encounter with the one who shall not be named (aka Lord Voldemort) isn’t your last. After he presents you with a fiery souvenir, he and Bellatrix return again—but they’re no match for the scaly superhero who comes to your rescue. This ride's technology is a blend of virtual reality, 3-D effects, 4-D sensations, and gargantuan movie screens featuring scenes synchronized with the motion of your vehicle. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Lines can be quite long, so this is a good candidate for using Express Pass.

Of all of Universal's Harry Potter rides, this is the one that really puts you in the movies. In the queue, you enter the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, where you are introduced to the founders of the school, and you see the sights you know from the books and films: Headmaster Dumbledore's office, Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Gryffindor common room, Room of Requirement, and the greenhouse. You also encounter the Sorting Hat, the One-Eyed Witch statue, and several talking portraits. Keep in mind, all this is just the preshow. Eventually heroes Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrive, encouraging you to skip a lecture and follow them on a soaring journey—and so you go.

Thanks to a combination of live-action, robotic technology, and innovative filmmaking, your broomstick flight brings you face-to-face with a flying dragon and the Whomping Willow before being propelled into the heart of a Quidditch match. You also zip through a dozen scenes and encounter supporting characters Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Draco Malfoy, and members of the Weasley family. It's a fantastic attraction—especially for fans of the series. Alas, this is another ride that's not suitable for those with neck, back, or heart problems, as well as those who are pregnant or suffer from motion sickness. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Lines are usually long, but the preshow here is a large part of the fun, so although Express Pass is an option, you could also just simply relax and enjoy your tour of the school.

Predatory velociraptors patiently await your arrival on this new-in-2021 roller coaster featuring extremely wild twists and turns. Sparking the adventure is a high-speed launch that accelerates the string of cars from 0–50 mph in just 2 seconds. What immediately follows is a 90-degree twist and then a series of rises, turns, and S-bends before yet another boost that increases the speed from 40 to 70 mph in 2.4 seconds. It's just enough acceleration to get you to the peak of the attraction, a 155-foot "top hat" that's essential for what follows, namely, a 140-foot drop at an 80-degree angle, followed by a rapid series of turns of varying degrees and culminating with the "Mosasaurus Roll"—a loop at 53 mph. What you experience on this adrenaline-filled attraction might just explain why dinosaurs are extinct. It probably goes without saying, but we'll say it anyway: women who are pregnant and anyone who has a heart, neck, or back condition should avoid this coaster. For people with disabilities: the attraction has a device that can help people using wheelchairs transfer to the ride (see an attendant).

Walking through the queue area takes you through the history of The Tonight Show, with memorabilia honoring the hosts—Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon—who have all put their stamp on the most famous program in late night. Nostalgia paves the way to a rocketing road trip that begins after a serenade by the Ragtime Gals, a visit by Hashtag the Panda, and a preshow area where, for the first time anywhere (more than likely) safety instructions are offered in a freestyle rap performed by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter of The Roots.

When the doors finally open, you'll find a seat before a towering screen that really comes to life when you fasten your seat belt, put on your 3-D glasses, and find yourself on the set of the show getting ready to race Jimmy through the halls of 30 Rock, down Broadway, through the streets of New York—and beyond. You follow in your own "car" beside Jimmy as you whip past taxis, pedestrians, and landmarks, before heading into space to land on the moon. Why not? For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Free lockers are available for loose items. Use them.

As you enter this ride through Krusty the Clown's gaping mouth, and then receive a video greeting by citizens of Springfield, police chief Clancy Wiggum reminds you that if you must get sick, do it in your hat—and thus the tone is set for your arrival in one of television's most popular animated communities. The preshow explains that Krusty has expanded his empire to include a theme park, which his disgruntled former sidekick, Sideshow Bob, plans to sabotage. After a fairly tame start, your virtual car soars through virtual Springfield, plunging toward familiar businesses and buildings and narrowly escaping disaster as Sideshow Bob tears up the tracks and sends you racing through wild scenes in a variety of locations such as Disney, SeaWorld—and hell. Several times you're saved by the split-second timing of an unexpected hero.

Guests who are pregnant or who have heart, back, or neck problems shouldn't ride. For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. If you have even a scintilla of motion sickness, this one will throw you for a colorful, cartoonish loop.

The show begins in an intriguingly creepy preshow area where masks, props, and rubber skeletons from classic and contemporary horror films and tributes to great makeup artists like Lon Chaney, Rick Baker, and Jack Pierce make a great backdrop for a horrifying family photo. Inside the theater, your host brings out a special-effects expert who describes and shares some secrets about what goes into (and oozes out of) creepy movie effects (e.g., corn syrup and food coloring make for a dandy blood substitute).

Older children, in particular, eat up the blood-and-guts stories. But despite the potentially frightening topic, most audiences get a kick out of the show, because the subject is handled with an extraordinary amount of dead-on humor, including one-liners delivered with comedy-club timing. For people with disabilities: The theater is wheelchair accessible. Good scripts and good shtick mean that those with visual impairments can enjoy the show. Arrive about 15 minutes before showtime (doors close immediately after show starts).

The tricks (or, rather, "behaviors") that the arkful of live animal stars perform are mostly audience-participation segments, which makes this show entertaining for young and old alike. Birds, cats, pigs, parrots, otters, ducks, dogs, hawks, and a skunk have been trained to portray a range of thespian actions that are woven into a series of vignettes, from a clever parrot that has a knack for plucking cash from the outstretched hand of an audience member to a dog that is a convincing actor in a melodrama.

Although the line-up of animals and the scenes they perform might vary, the show's fast pacing and variety make it seem that you're watching several shows in one. Enjoy it! These are some of the cutest actors ever to hit the stage. For people with disabilities: The theater is equipped for assisted-listening devices and is wheelchair accessible. Some shows include a sign language interpreter. There's plenty of seating, but come early for a good spot.

While it may be a hard claim to qualify, this certainly appears to be the most exciting indoor stunt show in America. Following an eight-minute preshow that fills you in on the backstory (an assassin trained in a secret government program has gone off script and eluded his handlers), what ensues is an international chase that takes place with live actors and right before your eyes. Against a series of dazzling, always-in-motion film backdrops you follow Bourne around the world as he eludes his pursuers. From the Middle East to the middle of the desert to Washington, D.C., and other capitals, Bourne is running, racing cars, and riding motorcycles to stay alive. The wide-screen images, the rapid pace, and the constant adrenaline will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the solid 20-minute show.

Remember when you were content with just a swing set and monkey bars? Well, such playground standards have been replaced by theme play areas like this. Though the prehistoric camp is primarily for kids, some adults join in, racing along footpaths through the forests, slithering down slides, clambering over swinging bridges and across streams, scrambling up net climbs and rock formations, and exploring mysterious caves full of faux lava. Watch for the dinosaur footprints: when you jump on them, a dinosaur roars somewhere (and different footprints have different roars). Also look out for the watery crossfire nearby—or join in the shooting yourself. For people with disabilities: Much of this attraction is wheelchair accessible (its upper levels probably aren't). Great anytime.

Ordinary horse-centric merry-go-rounds seem so passé compared with the menagerie on this one: the cowfish from McElligot's Pool, the elephant birds from Horton Hatches the Egg, and the Birthday Katroo from Happy Birthday to You! It's an entire ark of imaginary and interactive animals—indeed, the animals' eyes blink, and their tails wag. It might be a cliché, but there's a good chance you'll feel like a kid again when you hop aboard one of these fantastic creatures. You'll love it. For people with disabilities: Modified mounts let guests using wheelchairs ride without having to transfer to a ride vehicle. Make this a special end to your day. Lines move pretty well, but if they're long enough to intimidate you, use Express Pass.

Here, you encounter a crazy cat ready to wreak havoc while your mom is out. As you sit on a couch that spins, whirls, and rocks its way through the house, you'll roll past 18 scenes, 30 characters, and 130 effects that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You're never alone. The mischievous cat appears balanced on a ball; hoists china on his umbrella; introduces Thing 1 and his wild sibling, Thing 2; and flies kites in the house while the voice of reason, the fish in the teapot, sounds the warning about the impending return of the family matriarch. As the tension builds, so does the fun—and kids love pointing out scenes from the classic book. This isn't the right ride for anyone who's pregnant; prone to motion sickness; or suffers from heart, neck, or back problems. For people with disabilities: The ride accommodates guests using wheelchairs and is equipped for assisted-listening devices. Come early or late.

Although the 200-foot towers look really scary, the ride itself is just kind of scary (but still pretty cool). Several sets of four chairs wrap around the tower, and you and three fellow guests are seated and strapped in just out of the sight of other riders before the disembodied voice of Dr. Doom tells you the contraption is designed to extract fear he'll collect to use and rule the world. Without warning, all the chairs are rocketed to the peak, which jump-starts a surge of adrenaline as it rises, falls, rises, and falls again in a very brief, but quite thrilling, experience.

Often it's easy enough to have a second go, as you can actually step off and get right back into line again. Guests who are pregnant or have heart, back, neck, or motion-sickness problems should sit this one out. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. The line moves fairly fast, though it's crowded early in the day; come late or use Express Pass.

In the 1960s, Dudley Do-Right was recognized as the well-intentioned (but considerably dim) Canadian Mountie who somehow managed to always save the damsel and always "get his man" (that is, foil the villain). But you don't need to be familiar with this character to enjoy this "waterlogged" attraction. The twisting, up-and-down flume ride through the Canadian Rockies begins with your mission to help Dudley rescue Nell, his belle, from the evil, conniving Snidely Whiplash. Tucked inside a hollow log, you'll drift gently down the stream before dropping through the rooftop of a ramshackle dynamite shack. After an explosive dive into a 400,000-gallon lagoon, you're not just damp—you're soaked.

If the weather is cold or you absolutely must stay dry, pick up a poncho at Gasoline Alley, opposite the ride entrance, and store other items in a locker. This isn't suitable for guests who are pregnant, experience motion sickness, or have heart, back, or neck problems. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Come in late afternoon, when you're hot as can be, or at day's end, when you're ready to head back to your car or hotel.

This well-meaning, circa 1990, ride is looking (and even smelling) a little tired, although you might still get a kick out of the take on Steven Spielberg's E.T. Once Spielberg himself advises you that it's your mission to help E.T. return to his planet, you board a bicycle mounted on a movable platform and fly 3 million light-years from Earth, past a squadron of policemen and FBI agents, to reach E.T.'s home. Here colorful characters climb on vines, play xylophones, and swing on branches in what looks like an alien Burning Man festival. Listen very closely for the payoff: having given your name to a host at the start of the ride, E.T. is supposed to bid you a personalized good-bye.

This ride isn't suitable for guests with heart, back, neck, or motion-sickness problems. For people with disabilities: Guests with mobility issues must be in a standard-size wheelchair or transfer to a ride vehicle. Service animals aren't permitted. There's some sudden tilting and accelerating, but those for whom these movements are a concern can ride in E.T.'s orbs (spaceships) instead of on the flying bicycles.

For fans of the film franchise, the chance to join the crew on a hair-raising car chase is the appeal of this virtual reality attraction. Two preshows lead to a ride vehicle that travels down the highway in a bumper-to-bumper, side-by-side, combination race and gunfight (including helicopter gunships) complete with adrenaline-inducing rocking-and-rolling movements.

For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must be able to transfer to the ride vehicle. Waiting in line here can be fun: cars from the film are displayed in the queue area, and a game on the Universal Orlando app tests your knowledge of Fast & Furious trivia and lets you take a quiz to determine which vehicle suits your personality.

This kid-friendly coaster is a simple way to introduce your children to the pleasures of g-forces and vertigo. The queue takes you past Hagrid's hut and then on board for a "training flight" above the grounds of Hogwarts Castle. On the brief journey, there are some nice little twists and dips that'll give them a pint-sized dose of adrenaline—just enough to please parents as well as the kids themselves. That said, this ride isn't appropriate for people with heart, back, or neck problems or who are prone to motion sickness. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Lines are usually long, so consider using Express Pass for this one.

In 2023, Universal Orlando joined the escape room trend to create two of its own, each one themed to a legendary film. After entering a classic movie theater and passing into a lobby, you'll embark on your chosen adventure—either Back to the Future: Outatime or Jurassic Park Escape—following a series of hidden clues and tasks through eight rooms to complete your mission. This involves either tracking down Biff, who's stolen Doc Brown's latest time-travel device, or solving a puzzle that will keep you from coming face-to-face with an escaped dinosaur (which technically could be avoided if you had Doc Brown's time-travel device).

You can go solo, but you might be assigned to participate with a group of other guests (no more than six other people). Plus it's much more fun solving puzzles, completing tasks, and looking for clues with a group. The venue is open daily, with the first experiences starting at around 10:45 am and the last ones at around 10:30 pm. In addition, two on-site bars serve beer and wine as well as specialty cocktails and mocktails.  Reservations are a good idea, and you should arrive about 15 minutes before the start of your experience, which will take about an hour to complete. 

If you arrive too late to find a prime spot on Waturi Beach, this smaller, secluded, less-crowded beach near the back of the park is the perfect alternative. It's between the Taniwha Tubes and TeAwa the Fearless River attractions.

Colorful and quirky miniature Seussian trains on separate tracks embark on a slow and pleasing tour that provides an aerial view of the area, with Seusslike narration along the way. You'll roll right through the Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous and along the shores of the lagoon, where you can see the Sneetches as they enjoy the beaches. Kids love trains, and with its cartoonish design, they'll love this one even more. A treat for kids (and grown-ups, too!). For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Kids love trains, so plan to get in line (or possibly use Express Pass), especially if you have young ones.

A trip on the Hogwarts Express will enchant you—from departure at Hogsmeade Station to arrival at King’s Cross Station (on Platform 9¾ no less) in Universal Studios. Settle into the compartment, and gaze out your window at the village of Hogsmeade and towering Hogwarts Castle. As the train leaves the station on its four-minute journey, Hagrid waves good-bye, centaurs gallop beside you, and the Weasley brothers fly by on their broomsticks. Hogwarts gradually recedes, and you move briskly through the rainy British countryside and to the streets of London. When the train stops, you're just steps from the magic of Diagon Alley. Remember that to travel between one area of the land known only to wizards and the other, you need a two-park Universal ticket.

When Universal announced the Studios’ Diagon Alley would connect to IOA’s Hogsmeade via a train ride, many people assumed an open-air train ride through the park’s backstage area. But many people aren’t nearly as creative as the geniuses at Universal. To reach Hogsmeade, you walk through an exact re-creation of a London rail station, where a magical effect takes you to Platform 9¾. When the train arrives, settle into the compartment with other guests. Outside your window as you chuff away from the station, an owl follows you, music plays, and it feel as if you’re traveling through the English countryside.

Adding to the magic, silhouettes of Harry, Ron, and Hermione appear in the corridor outside your window, with their narration adding to the drama of the trio's attempt to banish Dementors (and to corral a loose box of chocolate frogs). By the time Hagrid appears, and you arrive in Hogsmeade, you really feel as if . . . you’ve arrived in Hogsmeade. You need a two-park ticket to travel between the wizarding worlds. Also, Express Pass is available here, but it might not save much time except later in the day, when lines can be especially long.

This attraction comes stamped with the postscript "Turtle and Whale," which simply means that when you reach the top you'll find two tubes (the other being the "Ika Moana" of Honu Ika Moana). It's similar to other rides where you slip into an inner tube and then ride through a slick channel, but the difference here is that you join three others in a four-person raft. Although the speed isn't as fast as single-rider attractions, the sensations are just as enjoyable as the raft sloshes and sweeps around huge walls and rounded corners, into tubes and then out again, before flopping into the final pool. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairways and exit the splash pool without assistance or with help from members of their party.

In this interactive Seussian maze, kids can leave the adults behind and have fun at their level. Exploring involves climbing, jumping, and crawling around several of Dr. Seuss's fantasy creatures, as well as pushing buttons to animate them. Park designers have learned that kids' basic needs include eating, sleeping, and getting splashed, so they've thoughtfully added some interactive fountains as well. For people with disabilities: The area is wheelchair accessible. If you can talk your little ones into waiting, come at the end of your visit.

The counterpart to the Honu four-passenger raft is a few feet away in this five-passenger raft. The ride is slow, sloshy, and easy to handle, even when the raft glides around turns and passes over geysers that erupt like whale spouts. For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must transfer to the ride raft unassisted or with help from members of their party.

The twist at this new-in-2023, laser-shootout attraction is that instead of sitting in a ride vehicle and blasting away, you're issued a colorful handheld E-Liminator X blaster that's charged up and ready to go, and you step onto a conveyor belt. You then roll through a succession of towering rooms flooded from floor to ceiling with a colorful montage of rapidly moving animated figures—including a mess of minions and a volume of villains—that are nearly all potential targets for you to blast and rack up points, which are tallied on your weapon. It's an immersive, video-game-like experience that's both mighty weird and mighty fun. That said, if you're bothered by flashing lights and loud noises, you might want to skip this. For people with disabilities: Although it's accessible to guests in stationary wheelchairs, this attraction doesn't accommodate mobility scooters or ECV vehicles. As a new attraction, there may be a line which, with the conveyor belt process, may flow smoothly. If not, use Express Pass.

Just seeing this attraction from the sidewalk is a thrill: its cars shoot out from a 150-foot catapult that propels them from 0 to 40 mph in less than two seconds. If this piques your interest, get in line, where the wait for the prized front-row seats is the longest. That said, every seat lets you experience flesh-pressing g-forces that match those of an F-16 fighter. When you're launched into the ride (and we mean launched), you're whipped into an upside-down, zero-g position more than 10 stories up before being zipped into a dive at some 60 mph. You then race along the track before spinning through seven rollovers and plunging into two deep, foggy, subterranean enclosures. Just when you think it's over—it's not. This coaster seems to keep rolling along well after you've exhausted your supply of screams and shrieks. Powerful.

The smooth track creates a smooth ride for the neon-trimmed train cars; this also makes the ride itself quieter—an aspect that seems to amplify the sound effects and screams. Pregnant women and people with neck, back, heart problems, or motion-sickness issues shouldn't ride. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle. Come here first (effects are best in the morning and up front). Loose articles are not permitted, so stow things in a convenient locker.

Since it sits to the side of the walkway, this unassuming, museumlike attraction is often overlooked, but it's worth a visit if your kids love dinosaurs. In demonstration areas, a realistic raptor hatches, and you can see what you'd look (or sound) like if you were a dino. In the Beasaur area ("Be-a-Saur"), you get a dinosaur's view of the world. There's also a dinosaur trivia game, as well as numerous hands-on exhibits. Burger Digs, the quick-service upstairs restaurant, is a nice place for an indoor air-conditioned break or a lagoon-view respite at a table out on the balcony. A wide promenade also affords lovely views of the entire park. For people with disabilities: The attraction is fully wheelchair accessible.