Look for digital signs in the park that highlight the current wait times for all rides, as well as the schedule for daily shows, and download the Universal Studios Hollywood Mobile App to help you strategize your day. Jurassic World-The Ride delivers Mesozoic-era fun with a “Raptor Encounter” with the beloved velociraptor Blue, an interactive “DinoPlay” area, and a Jurassic-themed bar and restaurant. Take the escalator to the park’s lower lot to hop on rides based on Revenge of the Mummy (where you’ll feel the G-forces on California’s fastest indoor rollercoaster) and Transformers (don your 3D glasses for stunningly authentic visual effects).
Toward the rear of the park, you’ll find the Springfield of Simpsons fame, including an irreverent simulator ride and branches of Moe’s Tavern and Krusty Burger. Head to the right and you’ll arrive at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, complete with a recreation of Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade Village. Step inside the park’s front gates, for instance, and you can choose from the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride, the zombie-filled AMC’s Walking Dead Attraction, or the popular WaterWorld live show, with stunning pyrotechnic effects and real-life stunt actors performing daredevil feats. On a sprawling complex in the Hollywood Hills, this movie-studio-meets-theme-park blends a studio tour with thrilling action rides that swoosh, dive, swoop, and astonish with dizzying special effects. If Hollywood is the land of make-believe, then Universal Studios Hollywood is your chance to step into that fantasy world. Or, ask staffers about character meet-and-greets around the park, offering the chance to pose for a pic with the Minions, Shrek, the Simpsons, Scooby Doo, and more.
Kids and pet lovers, meanwhile, won’t want to miss the Universal’s Animal Actors show, which highlights the talents and charms of a variety of dogs, cats, and birds who have starred in Universal films-including a few of the owls who have winged their way into Harry Potter movies.ĭownload the Universal Studios Hollywood Mobile App to track the show times for various shows during your visit. Or, watch jet-ski stunts, perilous plunges, and a simulated seaplane crash at WaterWorld (the top-rated live show may now be more popular than the 1995 movie that inspired it). Go to one of these shows and you’ll get a nice reminder that, beyond the theme park rides, this is still a vibrant working studio.Īt the Special Effects Show, for instance, you’ll see live demonstrations of how digital and 3-D technology-as well as old-fashioned pyrotechnics-create vivid illusions for movies. For all of the movie magic and animation at Universal Studios Hollywood, you can also catch plenty of live shows, which offer their own versions of behind-the-scene explorations of movie magic.