List of rides and attractions at universal studios orlando

It’s been four years since I’ve updated our list of the best rides at Universal Studios Florida, so clearly it was time to reassess this situation. The park’s lineup of attractions saw a lot of flux between the first and second versions of this list, which I wrote in 2015 and 2018, respectively, so it might be expected that a similar amount of change has happened in the last four years. Guess what: it hasn’t. A lot of that probably has to do with the pandemic, but also the newest updates to Universal Orlando Resort have mostly come at the resort’s other theme park, Islands of Adventure, which has opened two major new roller coasters since 2019. With Islands currently taken care of, and the resort’s third theme park, Epic Universe, in the early phases of construction, it’s now time for Universal to turn its attention back to its original Florida theme park. Earlier this year they closed the aging Shrek 4D attraction for good, and will be replacing it with a new ride that they’re teasing will feature the Minions, those little yellow weirdos plastered all over your aunt’s Facebook page. When that opens that will be the first new ride at Universal Studios Florida since 2018. They did launch a pretty fantastic stunt show based on the Jason Bourne movies in 2020, though, and you’ll find the Bourne Stuntacular on this list for the first time.

If you haven’t hit up Universal Studios Florida since before the pandemic, you’ll find it relatively untouched since your last visit, and every bit as charming and entertaining. If you’ve never been before, you have a great day ahead of you. Here are the 10 best attractions at Universal Studios Florida.

Note: For this list I’m only considering attractions found in the Universal Studios Florida park. We have a separate list for Universal’s Islands of Adventure, which you can read here.

10. Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon

I’ll be honest: I am not a fan of Fallon’s show. When I first rode Race Through New York, I had a hard time enjoying it because of the constant attempts at humor. I went on it a second time, though, and once I knew what to expect, I was able to focus on the ride experience itself. As a big box that shakes you up and makes you feel like you’re whizzing around one of the greatest cities on Earth, Race Through New York is a fun and exciting jolt of frenetic action. It may not be a work of art, in a theme park sense, but it’s a fine way to fill out your day at Universal Studios.

Race Through New York is a reminder of the value of theming in a theme park. This is an experience that hinges on design and architecture more than the ride itself, from the exterior, which seamlessly fits an iconic part of Manhattan’s skyline into Universal’s New York area, to the two pre-show waiting areas, which look and feel like they were imported straight from the real 30 Rock. The motion simulator itself is a fine mid-level attraction


9. Men in Black: Alien Attack

I love dark rides. It feels like they’re slowly disappearing, as thrill rides grow increasingly dominant and motion simulators are used more and more to recreate popular movies. I love the actual dark ride aspect of Alien Attack, from the recreation of New York City (complete with Will Smith circa 1998 giving us a pep talk from the huge TV screen in Times Square), to the animatronic aliens that appear everywhere throughout. Like Disney’s Buzz Lightyear AstroBlasters, Alien Attack is a target shooting game—every seat has a gun, and you get points for shooting those aliens. The marksmanship aspect makes the ride a little more hectic than it would otherwise be. My only problem with Alien Attack is that when another rider shoots my car’s target it stops and quickly spins in a full circle six or eight times in a row. It’s the only time I felt any motion sickness at Universal.


8. Transformers: The Ride 3D

This ride perfectly captures the style-over-substance incomprehensibility of Michael Bay’s Transformers movies. It’s another ride dependent on movie screens, but this time your vehicle is almost constantly moving, suddenly speeding up or slowing down, rushing backwards and making tight spins or turns. The story involves Transformers punching each other a lot (yes, including Megatron and Optimus Prime) and loud sounds and buildings falling apart. It’s an overwhelming, rapid-fire spectacle, especially since the movie scenes are all in 3D. It proves something that you’ve probably already assumed: those Transformers movies work better as a theme park ride.


7. Hogwarts Express—King’s Cross Station

NOTE: You’ll need a Park-to-Park Pass to ride the Hogwarts Express.

I hate to admit it, but I skipped the Hogwarts Express the first time I visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter because I assumed it was just a standard train for people who didn’t feel like walking between the two Harry Potter areas. Almost every theme park has a train, and almost all of those trains exist primarily to give your hard-working feet a break. Over time I realized how foolish I was, and went out of my way to ride this thing on my last trip. Guess what: it’s fantastic. I’m not even a Potter fan, but the work Universal has done bringing the books and movies to life surpasses even Disney’s recent projects when it comes to creating a themed environment, and the Hogwarts Express is a vital part of the illusion. It uses screens and projections inside a themed train car to show the trip from London to Hogsmeade or back again, with cameos from various Potter characters and magical beasts. The technology and set design comes together perfectly to capture that other-worldly, wizarding feeling.


6. The Simpsons Ride

The Springfield portion of Universal Studios is my favorite, with life-sized recreations of Moe’s Tavern and Kwik-E-Mart, along with a Krusty Burger, Duff Gardens, Lard Lad Donuts and other locations from The Simpsons. The ride is a relatively basic motion simulator—you sit in a car that rises a few feet off the ground and then rocks or tilts to simulate motion as you watch a 3D movie. The jokes are solid enough—like the movie, it could pass for a late ‘90’s episode, after the classic era but still better than what airs on Sundays today. The experience of flying through Springfield is fantastic, though, even if you’re being dragged around by a giant mutated Maggie. The architecture recreates the look of the show, and the ride captures the spirit, which makes it one of the best experiences at Universal.


5. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

I almost couldn’t ride this one. Watching the cars spin around the track in the middle of a loop made me positive that I would get sick. And I don’t normally get sick on roller coasters. Still, this is a job, and thankfully Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit isn’t as painful or frightening as it looks. It’s still intense, though, starting you off on a 180-degree track that shoots straight up from the ground, before immediately hitting that loop. Yes, the cars spin halfway through the loop. Yes, it is awesome. I strongly believe that roller coasters are better with a soundtrack, and Rip Ride Rockit goes one better by letting you pick one of 30 songs from a handful of genres to pump into the speakers in your headrest. (And that’s not to mention the secret playlist…) Every theme park should have at least one world-class roller coaster, and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit more than fits the bill for Universal.


4. The Bourne Stuntacular

Universal’s latest stunt show is an impressive bit of high-tech showmanship, combining video, live actors, and complicated live sets into a story of international intrigue straight from a Bourne movie. As impressive as its tech and stunts are, it’s not afraid to embrace the inherent showbiz corniness of the theme park stunt show, with a smarmy villain who overacts perfectly. Yes, it’s violent, and very loud, but it’s a fun show full of intricate action set pieces that will leave you bewildered and entertained.


3. E.T. Adventure

This is the only original Universal Studios ride that’s still open. You can tell it’s older if only because there are no movie screens involved. This is a classic dark ride, like something you’d find in Fantasyland at a Disney park. Anybody who saw E.T. at the right age should grow wistful when the bike-shaped vehicles take off into the sky, flying over a town recreated in miniature like Disney’s Peter Pan ride, while casting shadows on the full moon. The final part of the ride takes place on E.T.’s home planet, and it’s like It’s a Small World if every child looked kind of like Alf. You give your name to a ride attendant before you board, and at the end E.T. says your name in a heavy Speak & Spell accent. I don’t know if kids today watch E.T.—I’ll totally judge their parents if they don’t—but it’s hard not to love this classic ride if you know the movie.


2. Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride

As complex and exciting as Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is, it can’t compare to the simple thrill of barreling through complete darkness in a roller coaster. Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride reminds me of Space Mountain, only instead of space you’re flying through an underground tomb. The presentation is more complex than Disney’s classic—you’ll stop occasionally, as the mummy from the Brendan Fraser movies threatens you, or so you can feel the heat from the sheet of flame engulfing the roof above you. Occasionally screens will make it look like the mummy is jumping out at you as you shoot down the unseen track. Somehow removing our ability to see where we’re going makes a roller coaster even more exciting, and Revenge of the Mummy is the best ride at Universal Studios that isn’t heavily dependent on a movie screen. From the elaborate world-building of the queue area to the wonderful integration of theme and ride, it’s a Disney-level experience. And if you hate Brendan Fraser, you might even think it’s the best theme park ride ever—it’s the only one where Brendan Fraser dies at the end.


1. Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts

I’ve never read a Harry Potter book. I slept my way through the first movie and never tried to watch any of the rest. I know a bit about that world simply by being a person alive in the Western World in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, but I am by no measure a Harry Potter fan. So when I tell you that the Diagon Alley portion of Universal Studios might be the most impressive theme park attraction I’ve ever visited, that should mean something. Universal did an amazing job of making Diagon Alley feel like its own unique, fully formed world, from the architecture to the pavement to the type of stores and restaurants on display. At the center of Diagon Alley is a large building with a dragon nestled on its roof. Inside that building is Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts, perhaps the most amazing experience I’ve ever had at a theme park. Earlier I referred to Disney-level world-building; Gringotts outclasses anything I’ve ever seen at a Disney park. From the animatronic banktellers to the animated newspaper headlines, you’ll always have something fascinating to look at while waiting in line. And once the ride starts, you’ll wonder if children today could ever possibly be impressed by the rides we grew up riding. Gringotts is similar to The Transformers ride in that it’s a mixture of a moving vehicle and 3D film. The vehicle’s motions are far more elaborate, though, and eventually the two-car train splits into individual units that can rotate a full 360 degrees. The story involves an attack on the Gringotts bank, with your car stuck in a battle between Harry and his friends and the forces of Voldemort. The visual effects are superior to the other, similar rides at Universal, and the total experience is about as revelatory as a theme park attraction can get today.


Senior editor Garrett Martin writes about videogames, comedy, travel, theme parks, wrestling, and anything else that gets in his way. He’s also on Twitter @grmartin.

How many rides and attractions are at Universal Studios Orlando?

There are 48 rides currently at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

What rides are available at Universal Studio?

01 of 11. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Arthur Levine. ... .
02 of 11. Studio Tour. ... .
03 of 11. Transformers: The Ride-3D. ... .
04 of 11. King Kong 360 3-D. ... .
05 of 11. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. ... .
06 of 11. Jurassic World — The Ride. ... .
07 of 11. Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride. ... .
08 of 11. The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash..

How many rides are in Universal Studios Florida park?

Universal Studios Florida Rides There are currently 13 rides in Universal Studios Florida and one new ride under construction. Learn about the Harry Potter and Escape From Gringotts ride inside Gringotts Bank in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley.

How many rides are at Universal Studios Orlando 2022?

How Many Rides Are at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure? Another common question we receive when talking about the rides at Islands of Adventure is, how many rides are at Universal Islands of Adventure? Very simply, as of 2022 Universal Islands of Adventure has 16 rides for guests to enjoy in the theme park.