At Islands of Adventure guest take an epic adventure to immersive lands based on the greatest fictional stories, the sister park to Universal Studios Orlando, is a must-visit for theme park fans. Adventure-seekers will find intense thrills, and Harry Potter fans will get an immersive experience unlike any other. Read on for my Islands of Adventure list of rides and start planning your visit!
After you enter the park through the Port of Entry at Islands of Adventure, you can head right or left and walk through all of the different “islands” (sections of the park) in a circle, and end up right where you started. We’ll start on Marvel Super Hero Island and make our way clockwise around the park as we talk about all the rides.
The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster
Storm Force Accelatron
Doctor Doom’s Fearfall
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Fall
Skull Island: Reign of Kong
Jurassic World VelociCoaster
Pteranodon Flyers
Jurassic Park River Adventure
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Flight of the Hippogriff
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Hogwarts Express – Hogsmeade Station
Poseidon’s Fury(Permanently closed)
The Mystic Fountain
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
Caro-Seuss-el
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
The Cat in the Hat
The Incredible Hulk Coaster is a high-speed, outdoor roller coaster, with seven inversions. This coaster shoots you out of a tube at 67 mph, right into a twist, and if you’re not too busy screaming, you can enjoy quite a nice view of the park!
The coaster then goes into a full loop and under a bridge (where things get a little misty). And just when you think the ride is over, you get one more drop and another loop before coming back to the loading area.
This ride is perfect if: You like intense outdoor coasters.
Storm Force Accelatron is a tea cup-style ride with an X-Men theme. It’s a good ride to catch after The Hulk since it’s right next door and a little calmer.
This ride is perfect if: You like spinning rides or have little ones in your group. It’s also a great way to spend your time while your thrill-seeking friends go on Hulk roller coaster.
Towering over Super Hero Island, Doctor Doom’s Fearfall is a free-fall ride where you are helping Doctor Doom collect fear energy to power his super weapon and take down the Fantastic Four. This ride at Islands of Adventure gives you a great view over both parks and the surrounding area — it also shoots you up to a panic-inducing height before dropping you back down!
This ride is perfect if: You like free-falls and intense thrills.
In Islands of Adventure,Right in the heart of the Marvel Area, the Spider-Man ride takes visitors through the offices of the Daily Bugle and into the “Scoop” ride vehicle, which takes you through a 3-D comic book version of New York City, as villains attempt to steal the Statue of Liberty. Luckily, our favorite webslinger is there to help save the day. Much like the Transformers ride in Universal Studios, this one doesn’t move too fast but the 3-D makes it feel more intense.
This ride is perfect if: You’re a fan of Spider-Man, you love 3-D rides, or you have little ones who enjoy a slightly more intense experience.
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges is a river raft-style ride in which you will. get. wet. The circular raft can fit the whole family and will take you on a Popeye-themed adventure along a turbulent river. There are no big drops, but be prepared to get soaked. The Islands of Adventure park offers paid dryers, but our testers were still soaking wet after a full five-minute dry-off session. Maybe take a poncho!
This ride is perfect if: You want to cool off on a hot day.
Another wet attraction in Toon Lagoon, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls is a log flume-style ride that takes you on a classic cartoon adventure. You try to save the lovely heroine from the mustache-twirling villain, who has tied her to the train tracks. The climax of the ride is, of course, going over “Ripsaw Falls” in a big, watery drop!
This ride is perfect if: You want to cool off on a hot day or just can’t resist a flume ride!
On Skull Island: Reign of Kong, you ride in an expedition bus through the wilds of an uncharted island. As you may have guessed, this island is inhabited by lots of creatures! Giant bugs, bats, and even dinosaurs show up to ruin everyone’s day — thankfully you have a giant ape as your protector! This 2-D attraction takes you into a tunnel where the action is all around you, and it culminates in an up-close encounter with King Kong himself.
This ride is perfect if: You have a range of ages and thrill-preferences in your group — this one is generally good for anyone except the most-sensitive of riders.
This ride is perfect if: You want to cool off on a hot day.
The highly-anticipated VelociCoaster opened in June 2021, and is Islands of Adventure’s biggest thrill. The stats: two launches, four inversions, 70 mph in 2.4 seconds, and 12 seconds of airtime. Not to mention a 360-degree barrel roll that includes an inverted stall, and a 140-foot drop at an 80-degree angle. That’s a lot of numbers that add up to an incredible experience!
I LOVE the VelociCoaster. It’s packed with thrills and airtime while actually being a very smooth ride. The top hat is incredible, and I highly recommend waiting for the first row of seats (the VelociCoaster seats two to a row) — it’s completely worth the extra wait.
This ride is perfect if: The Incredible Hulk Coaster has become a little tame in your eyes.
Pteranodon Flyers is a bit of a tricky ride, as you have to have two people just the right heights to ride it! The rider in front has to be between 36–56″ and the rider in the back has to be over 56″. It’s a great ride for a parent and child, or even a big brother or sister to ride with their younger sibling. Uniquely you must have a child with you to ride this ride, no adults only!
This ride is perfect if: You want a relaxing ride with a nice view and you have a little buddy!
The Jurassic Park River Adventure puts you on a large boat and takes you through different dinosaur habitats. You accidentally end up in the Raptor Containment Center with raptors on the loose. The ride ends with a big splash as you go down a huge drop and get absolutely soaked.
This ride is perfect if: You want to get really wet, or you’re enough of a Jurassic Park fan that you have to do all the Jurassic rides!
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is one of the best rides Islands of Adventure has to offer. In fact, it’s easily in my top 5 theme park rides of all time. It’s so unique — you can’t miss it!
If you’ve had dreams of getting your letter to Hogwarts, wait no more! The queue for this ride takes you through the dungeons (look for the Mirror of Erised), castle gardens (look for the mandrakes in the pots!) and into the castle itself where you’ll visit Dumbledore in his office, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the lady in the portrait that guards the Gryffindor common room, and even the Sorting Hat. As you board the ride vehicles, look up to see the display of floating candles.
On the ride, your journey will include physical elements (giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest, the Whomping Willow) as well as on-screen visuals that make you feel like you’re right there in the action (avoiding a fire-breathing dragon, flying around the Quidditch pitch, soaring across the lake). The technical wizardry brings the movie wizardry to life!
This ride is perfect if: You love Harry Potter or really high-tech, story driven experiences. But seriously, you have to ride it!
Flight of the Hippogriff is a small outdoor rollercoaster tucked into the back portion of Hogsmeade, right across from the Hogwarts castle. There is an initial climb, followed by a few dips and falls, but overall it’s fun and enjoyable, and obviously geared towards people who enjoy a less intense experience.
This ride is perfect if: You have little ones or want to check off all of the Harry Potter rides.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is another ride that makes my top five list! It’s a high-speed outdoor roller coaster with a few special surprises. The ride vehicles are made to look exactly like Hagrid’s motorbike, sidecar and all.
The motorbike, allows you to lean forward and hold on to the handlebars (as if you were actually riding a motorcycle), and something about that posture makes the ride more fun than your typical coaster. The wait times can skyrocket, even on slower days, and Universal often switches to a “virtual queue” on their app, making it trickier to guarantee a spot (but usually helps the line move faster). My advice is to get to the park early and head there first, or snag a virtual pass the second they become available (usually right when the park opens).
This ride is perfect if: It’s just perfect. If you can handle some medium-intense thrills, do it!
Now I come to the final Harry Potter ride at Islands of Adventure — the Hogwarts Express! This is a must-ride for Harry Potter fans, but be warned that you can ONLY ride the Hogwarts Express if you have a park-to-park pass. It will take you from Islands of Adventure to Universal Studios (or vice versa), so you have to have a pass that allows you entrance into both parks.
The Hogwarts Express looks exactly like the famous train from the books and movies, and you can see magical scenes out your “window” as you travel (be sure to watch the window AND the compartment doors), taking you to Kings Cross Station in Universal Studios. The line can get long later in the day, so you might want to get on while it’s still early!
Be sure to take the train both ways, because the experience is different depending on your direction!
This ride is perfect if: You’re heading to Universal Studios or you love Harry Potter!
Have your seat and have your fill of tasty British fare including 'The Great Feast', Fish And Chips, Shepherd's Pie, Beef Pastries, Turkey Legs, and fresh vegetables.
Located in the back of Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, this is the place for you to stop in for a Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice, along with domestic and imported beers,specialty drinks, wine, spirits, and mixed drinks.
Must be 21 or older with a valid photo ID to purchase and consume alcohol.
If you’re just looking for a Butterbeer and not ready for a meal there are a couple of carts around Hogsmeade. They serve both the cold and frozen Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice and Gilly Water (bottled water).
If you plan on visiting Hogsmeade than Honeydukes is a must! Get your favorite Wizarding World candies and treats! You can purchase Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, Peppermint Toads, and so much more!
Poseidon’s Fury is part-show/part-walkthrough-attraction. On May 10, 2023 “Poseidon's Fury” in The Lost Continent at Universal's Islands of Adventure was closed for good. The immersive action show has been at the park since it opened in 1999.
The Mystic Fountain can be a fun diversion, especially if you’re stuck in the line for Hagrid’s. Talk to the fountain and it’ll talk back! It might also spray you with water or play some music.
If you’re interested in a full-service experience, Mythos Restaurant in The Lost Continent has a reputation as one of the best theme park restaurants. The name ‘Mythos’ is reflective of its design, as the seating area looks like it’s carved out of a cavern that pays homage to the gods whose legends so frequently play a prominent role in this mythology.
Fire Eater’s Grill is a Mediterranean-themed food merchant providing quick, hot meals and outdoor seating. This spot offers slightly more exotic and flavorful choices than your typical theme park fare, such as gyros, kebabs, and chicken stingers.
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride is exactly what it sounds like — a trolley that takes you through Seuss Landing on an elevated track. This ride is unique because it has two tracks. You could go through the story of the Sneetches or learn the Seuss Landing ABCs. It’s a good ride to do more than once!
This ride is perfect if: You have little ones or want to enjoy a breezy view.
In every theme park, there should be at least one carousel! The Caro-Seuss-el checks that box for Islands of Adventure. There are so many funny creatures to choose from and it’s suitable for all ages. There are also benches available for people who don’t enjoy the up-and-down motion of the animals.
This ride is perfect if: You have little ones or just need a break from the bigger rides!
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish combines a standard “Dumbo-style” ride with a water ride. There’s fun music played in the background that tells you when to go up or down if you don’t want to get wet, while the fish around the ride try to squirt you with water. The best part is that you can control how wet you get (as long as you and your ride partner share the same goals)!
This ride is perfect if: It’s a hot day and you want to cool down a bit without getting soaked.
Circus McGurkus is an elaborately themed restaurant serving a whimsical spin on dishes like chicken & biscuits, pasta, and burgers. It features a colorful circus atmosphere and guests get to watch The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride roll through the upper interior of the restaurant every few minutes.
Monday – Sunday: 10:20 AM – 5:45 PM
A fan favorite is the Green Eggs and Ham Cafe in Seuss Landing, featuring a menu revolving around potato barrels, or "tots." This popular favorite can be smothered in pepperoni-and-sausage pizza toppings; other offerings include buffalo chicken tenders with mozzarella and ranch dressing, or the namesake combo of green eggs (colored with natural herbs) and diced ham. The menu’s star has to be the corned beef Who Hash, served with white cheese sauce and scallions in a souvenir can.
Every few steps you’ll find some kind of treat or delicious surprise waiting for you — you won’t go hungry, that’s for sure!
The rides are definitely the main attraction at Islands of Adventure, but there are plenty of other things to do and see — and let us not forget the food!
In Hogsmeade at Islands of Advenuter, you can catch performances by the Frog Choir and watch the Triwizard Spirit Rally. In Seuss Landing, catch your favorite characters telling some of Dr. Seuss’s beloved stories in Oh! The Stories You’ll Hear!
On select nights, you can watch colorful light shows on the Hogwarts Castle. Catch special versions at Halloween and Christmas!
In Seuss Landing, kids can enjoy the If I Ran The Zoo play area, with lots of interactive fun.
Me Ship, The Olive is another fun play area for little ones in Toon Lagoon.
Kids from littles to teens, love running around Camp Jurassic, and the nearby Jurassic Park Discovery Center has some interactive exhibits to keep kids busy while you stay cool inside.
At Christmastime, Seuss Landing is the place to be — for Grinchmas! The Christmas decorations come out in their full gaudy glory, and cheery Christmas music is played throughout the land. You can meet the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, and they even do a musical retelling of the Grinch’s story on stage.
I hope this post has helped you plan the perfect day at Universal's Islands Of Adventures. I wish you great weather, short lines, and a ton of Islands of Adventures fun and great memories!
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