Orlando · RedAwning

Universal Studios FloridaUniversal Orlando's 1990 working studio park — Diagon Alley with Hogwarts Express, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy, and the Bourne Stuntacular live show

The first Universal Orlando theme park — opened June 7, 1990 on a 108-acre lot off Universal Boulevard in Orlando, Florida. Originally pitched as Universal's response to Disney-MGM Studios, it's organized into eight themed neighborhoods including Hollywood, New York, San Francisco, Diagon Alley (the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — London expansion, 2014), World Expo, Springfield U.S.A. (The Simpsons), KidZone, and Production Central. Headline rides are Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy, MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack, and the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure.

Hours today9:00 AM – 8:00 PMMonday hours
TicketsFrom $1191-Day, 1-Park — Value
LocationOrlando, Florida6000 Universal Boulevard
Official siteuniversalorlando.comPlan your visit

1990Opened
108Acres
8Themed neighborhoods
~10.7MAnnual visitors

Universal Studios Florida opened on June 7, 1990 — Universal's first East Coast park, conceived as a working film and TV studio that doubled as a Disney-MGM Studios competitor (the two parks opened within a year of each other). Live production wound down through the 2000s; today the 108-acre footprint is fully theme-park-first, organized into eight themed neighborhoods that ring the entry-arch lagoon: Production Central (Despicable Me, Race Through New York), New York (Revenge of the Mummy, the Bourne Stuntacular), San Francisco (Fast & Furious — Supercharged), Diagon Alley (Harry Potter), World Expo (MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack), Springfield U.S.A. (The Simpsons Ride and Krustyland), KidZone (E.T. Adventure, Animal Actors on Location), and the Hollywood entry zone with Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.

The headline experience: Diagon Alley, the 2014 expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that recreates the books' cobblestoned wizarding shopping district behind a hidden brick wall in London, complete with a fire-breathing 20-foot Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon perched on Gringotts. Inside, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is a 3D-IMAX-and-coaster hybrid through the wizard bank's vaults. The Hogwarts Express runs between platforms here and at Islands of Adventure (a Park-to-Park ticket is required to board). Other headliners: Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (1999, a 167-foot launch coaster with a pick-your-soundtrack feature), Revenge of the Mummy (a dark indoor coaster through Imhotep's tomb), MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack (an interactive shooter ride scored across competing vehicles), the Bourne Stuntacular (a 28-minute live stunt show with LED-wall integration that opened 2020), Fast & Furious — Supercharged, and the long-running E.T. Adventure (the only original 1990 ride still operating).

Plan a full day, or two days with a Park-to-Park ticket if you want both Universal parks. Buy date-based tickets through the Universal Orlando app to lock the lowest tier (Jan 7–Feb 4 and Aug 25–Sept 18 are reliably cheapest). On-site Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, and Portofino Bay hotel guests get a free Universal Express Unlimited Pass (worth $159+/person/day on weekdays, $329+ on peak days) — frequently the math justifies the room. Halloween Horror Nights runs mid-September through early November as a separate-ticket nighttime event with 10 haunted houses; tickets sell out far in advance for opening weekend.

Diagon Alley & Gringotts
The 2014 expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Universal's most ambitious land build, hidden behind a London-themed brick facade with a one-way entrance through a King's Cross-style alley. Inside: a 60-foot-tall Gringotts dragon that breathes a 20-foot fire jet every 12 minutes, the Knight Bus, the Leaky Cauldron sit-down restaurant, and Ollivanders wand shop with a kid-actor-driven wand-choosing ceremony. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is the headline ride: a 5-minute 3D-IMAX-coaster hybrid through the wizard bank's underground vaults.
Hogwarts Express
A 4-minute steam-engine train ride between King's Cross Station (this park) and Hogsmeade Station (Islands of Adventure) — themed as the actual Hogwarts Express journey, with two completely different show scenes depending on direction (Dementor attack one way, the Weasley twins flying their car the other). Park-to-Park tickets are required to board; without one, the platform is gated. Each station has photo-stop spots — the Platform 9¾ wall-walk-through illusion runs continuously at King's Cross.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
A 167-foot vertical-lift launch coaster opened August 2009 — riders pick a soundtrack (one of 30+ songs across rock, country, classic, club/electronic, pop, and rap) before launch and the song plays through onboard speakers in the headrest for the entire 90-second ride. The 65-mph top speed includes the world's first non-inverting loop (the "Treble Clef") and a 17-foot "Double Take" stall. Single Rider line averages 30 minutes shorter than standby.
Revenge of the Mummy
An indoor steel launch dark-coaster opened May 21, 2004 — themed as Imhotep's tomb from the 1999 Stephen Sommers Mummy films, with original Brendan Fraser pre-show footage. The 1,500-foot track inside a pitch-black warehouse hits 45 mph, includes a 39-foot vertical drop, fire effects with real propane, and a 23-second backwards segment. Brendan Fraser shot a custom queue video; lit ride photos at exit are a mainstay souvenir.
MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack
An interactive shooter dark ride opened April 2000 — riders board six-person training-pod vehicles and score points blasting alien targets in a competing-vehicle scoring system. Two ride vehicles run side by side; the higher-scoring vehicle gets the better ending sequence. Famous celebrity Easter eggs in the alien crowd: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Quentin Tarantino, and a Jackie Chan figure waving from a stoop. Ride length: 4 minutes, 30 seconds.
The Simpsons Ride & Springfield U.S.A.
Opened May 2008 in the former Back to the Future: The Ride dome — a 4-minute simulator ride through Krustyland built around 80 dome-projected scenes of the Simpsons family escaping Sideshow Bob. The land surrounding it is themed as Springfield with full-scale recreations of Moe's Tavern (serving real Duff beer and Flaming Moes), Krusty Burger, the Lard Lad donuts giant, the Aztec Theater, Cletus's Chicken Shack, and Lisa's Teahouse of Horror.
The Bourne Stuntacular
Opened June 30, 2020 in the former Terminator 2: 3-D theater — a 28-minute live stunt show that integrates 13 stunt performers with a 130-foot-wide curved 4K LED wall and physical sets that swap behind the curtain. The show recreates rooftop chases through Tangier, a Paris streetfight, and a final-act shootout in Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Five showings daily; the 2,000-seat theater rarely fills outside spring break.
E.T. Adventure
The only original 1990 ride still operating at Universal Studios Florida — a 4-minute, 30-second flying-bicycle dark ride through E.T.'s home planet, with riders given a name at the queue's video kiosk that the audio-animatronic E.T. then thanks personally at the ride's exit. The pre-show is a Steven Spielberg-narrated rainforest tour. Spielberg himself voices E.T.'s farewell. Universal Hollywood's version closed in 2003; the Florida ride has run continuously for 35 years.

Open hours

Hours expand sharply for Halloween Horror Nights (mid-September through early November, separate-ticket nighttime event with 10 haunted houses), Mardi Gras (early February through April, with concert headliners), and Christmas Celebration (mid-November through early January). On-site Universal Resort hotel guests get one hour of Early Park Admission to Diagon Alley and the Wizarding World daily — a real advantage for first-of-the-day Gringotts and Forbidden Journey rides.

MondayToday9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Saturday9:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Sunday9:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Note · Park-to-park tickets are required to ride the Hogwarts Express between this park and Islands of Adventure. The CityWalk dining-and-entertainment esplanade between the parks stays open until 2:00 AM.

Ticket pricing

Per-person admission. Buy in advance to skip the gate line.

1-Day, 1-Park — Value$119Cheapest weekday in mid-January or early September
1-Day, 1-Park — Peak$174Christmas week, spring break, July 4th
1-Day Park-to-Park$184Required to ride the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure
Child (3–9) — Value$114Children 2 and under enter free
Universal Express Pass$89Skip-the-line one ride per attraction, weekday entry-level
Universal Express Unlimited Pass$159Unlimited skip-the-line, peak-day pricing tops $329

Universal uses date-based tiered pricing similar to Disney's. Buy in advance through the official site or Universal Orlando app. Parking at the central garage is $30/day; Preferred Parking is $45 (closer to CityWalk). Hogwarts Express requires a Park-to-Park ticket — without it you cannot board the train, and Diagon Alley remains accessible from the front gate. On-site Universal Resort hotel guests at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, or Portofino Bay get a free Universal Express Unlimited Pass with their stay (a $159+/person/day perk). The Volcano Bay water park is operated separately with its own ticket.

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