Universal Orlando Resort facts for kids
| Previously known as Universal Studios Florida (1990 - 1998) Universal Studios Escape (1998 - 2001) |
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| Location | Orlando, Florida, United States |
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| Coordinates | 28°28′28″N 81°27′46″W / 28.474316°N 81.462843°W |
| Opened | June 7, 1990 |
| Owner | NBCUniversal |
| Operated by | Universal Parks & Resorts |
| General manager | Bill Davis |
| Slogan | Be Courageous. Be Outrageous. Be Extraordinary! |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | Greater Orlando |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 26 |
| Roller coasters | 7 |
| Water rides | 6 |
Universal Orlando Resort is a resort in Orlando, Florida. It is in a partnership between NBC Universal and The Blackstone Group. The resort consists of two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure), CityWalk (a nighttime entertainment destination), and three Loews hotels. CityWalk includes the 20 screen Loews Universal Cineplex, a lot of restaurants, shops, and clubs. There are eight restaurants, five entertainment areas and 11 shopping stores.
Contents
Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is one of the themes parks in Universal Orlando Resort. It includes rides and many shows.
Attractions
- Fear Factor Live!
- E.T. Adventure
- Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
- Shrek 4-D
- A Day in the Park with Barney
- Fievel's Playground
- Revenge of the Mummy
- Back to the Future: The Ride
- Earthquake: The Big One
- Men in Black: Alien Attack
- Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time
- Twister...Ride it Out
- Animal Planet Live
- BeetleJuice's Rock 'n' Roll Graveyard Revue
- The Blues Brothers
- Curious George Goes to Town
- Jaws
- Universal's Horror Make-Up Show
- Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster
Former Attractions
- King Kong (Replaced by Revenge of the Mummy)
- Murder, She Wrote Television Experience (Replaced by Hercules and Xena)
- Ghostbusters (Replaced by Twister)
- The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera (Replaced by Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast)
- Nickelodeon Studios Tour (space currently derelict; queues used by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling for its events in Soundstage 21)
- Animal Actors Stage (Replaced by Animal Planet Live)
- Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Experience (Replaced by Shrek 4-D)
- The Wild, Wild, Wild West Stunt Show (Replaced by Fear Factor Live)
- Stage 54 (Replaced by an interactive experience with Donkey, connected to Shrek 4-D)
- Hercules and Xena Television Experience (space currently derelict)
Islands of Adventure
Islands of Adventure is a theme park in Orlando, Florida. It opened in 1999 as an expansion to the Universal Orlando Resort and CityWalk areas. The park has six "islands", each having its own theme.
The Port of Entry is the area north of the entrance, positioned at the southernmost point of the park. It is primarily a shopping center, and has the feel of an Arabian bazaar. Its main feature is the Confisco Grille, a restaurant. Located next to the Port of Entry, Marvel Super Hero Island has rides similar to Marvel comic books. Its four rides are the Incredible Hulk Coaster, the only launched Bolliger and Mabillard roller coaster, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, a simulator ride set in New York, Doctor Doom's Fearfall, a vertically launched ride similar to Power Tower at Cedar Point in Ohio, and Storm Force Accelatron which is a faster version of the traditional Teacup ride.
Toon Lagoon contains mostly water rides and is themed after the cartoons found in the Sunday newspaper. These rides include Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, a whitewater rapids ride, and Dudley Do-Right's Rip Saw Falls, a log flume with a 50 foot drop. Also here is Me Ship, The Olive, a kids play area. The Comic Strip Cafe and Wimpy's provide food here.
Set in the time of Jurassic Park the movie, the only ride is Jurassic Park River Adventure. The Lost Continent has a theme of a lost medieval city. Dueling Dragons is an inverted roller coaster with two different tracks, Fire and Ice. Poseidon's Fury is a special effects show where you can explore Poseidon's underground tomb. Close by is The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad, a live action stunt show. Outside the entrance to this show is the mystical Talking Fountain which talks to, and soaks people who goes by it. Also in the Lost Continent is the Flying Unicorn, a roller coaster for children and The Enchanted Oak Tavern. Mythos is a casual sit-down restaurant at the entrance to the Continent.
Seuss Landing is the only zone at Islands of Adventure for small children. It is based on the works of the author Dr. Seuss. It has several Seuss-themed rides including the Caro-Seuss-el, The Cat in the Hat Ride, and If I Ran the Zoo. It also features One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and the Green Eggs and Ham Cafe.
Former Attractions
When the park opened, a boat ride, Island Skipper Tours, took park guests around the central lagoon of Islands of Adventure. It had stops in Port of Entry across from the Confisco Grille restaurant, and in Jurassic Park next to the Discovery Center. The ride was closed in 2002.
Originally Toon Lagoon featured a live show with cartoon characters. It was replaced in 2002 by a Dave Mirra-themed BMX stunt show. There used to be a Triceratops Encounter in Jurassic Park that featured a lifelike animatronic dinosaur.
A ride that was supposed to open with the park in Seuss Landing was Sylvester McMonkey McBean's Incredible Driving Machines. This was similar to Pteranodon Flyers in Jurassic Park in that parents and children could ride together in cars that ran on an elevated track that toured Seuss Landing. They were never able to get the ride to work, and the supplier that made most of the components went bankrupt in 1999. The ride never opened, but the tracks are still at the park.
Gallery
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The original entrance to Universal Studios Florida.
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Hard Rock Cafe at Universal CityWalk
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Universal CityWalk
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Universal Studios Entrance
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Revenge Of The Mummy
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Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
Images for kids
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Entrance sign to CityWalk from the parking garage
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Walkway entrance to the Theatre from CityWalk, shown prior to the construction of the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster
See also
In Spanish: Universal Orlando Resort para niños
