We have a video showing a unique view from the air of construction of the former Amity Island/Jaws area at Universal Studios and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Blueprints have also been found online that show what and where buildings might be going in the former Jaws place. An expansion has been announced for [...]

By Kevin Yee Dinosaur World has opened the final segment of their recent expansion. This roadside attraction near Tampa (45 minutes from Walt Disney World) has added additional dino statues and an entire museum with artifacts, real fossils, and a few robotic dino performers. At Universal Studios, the mini golf at CityWalk has opened, but [...]

Grad Bash at Universal Orlando invites high school seniors to celebrate graduation with exclusive access to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The event also includes street entertainment and live performances by popular musical artists. Grad Bash 2012 will be held from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. on April 20, 21, 27 and 28, and [...]

The theme parks are always changing, and last year was an interesting one for the demolition of retired attractions. Seen here is the demolition of the original Hard Rock Cafe Orlando, on the night of Oct. 26, 2011. The original location of the Hard Rock Cafe was adjacent to the Universal Studios park, …

The upcoming Hollywood Drive-In miniature golf course at Universal CityWalk sure does look fun. But what if the Universal web cam caught the arrival of the aliens at the Studios park, before taking residence at CityWalk? The golf course depicts scenes of an alien invasion in the “Invaders From Planet Putt” course. Click …

Universal is in need of parade performers for their upcoming daytime Superstar Parade. Those interested in full-time or part-time work as performers are encouraged to audition Feb. 4 through Feb. 7. Universal is looking for skilled dancers, stilt walkers, drummers, roller skaters, animated character performers and more. The actors hired will help bring life to [...]

A brand new parade and nighttime fountain show are just two of the new things guests will find at Universal Orlando this year as they celebrate 100 years of Universal movies. Also announced today are the opening times for their new Dispicable Me attraction and their upgraded Spider-Man ride, plus a new show for the [...]

We spent a couple of days at Universal Orlando this past week and saw many new and interesting things at both parks and in CityWalk. Here’s what caught our eye. As you enter CityWalk, you’ll notice construction of the mini-golf courses is coming along well. Check out our full miniature golf photo update here. In [...]

This year’s Mardi Gras celebration at Universal Studios is bringing some of the biggest names in music to Orlando. Besides the headliners, on Saturdays and select nights starting Feb. 11 through April 14, Mardi Gras includes New Orleans authentic food, a parade and bands. Some of the headline artists performing on the Music Plaza Stage [...]

Universal is marking its 100th anniversary this year and will commemorate its centennial with a yearlong celebration honoring the studio’s film history and cultural legacy. Universal’s Parks and Resorts will help highlight the campaign with centennial specific content and merchandise throughout both the Orlando and Hollywood locations. The Orlando resort will soon announce a specially themed [...]

The Jaws ride had its final voyage last night. Many fans were on hand to get their last rides and say goodbye to the whole Amity area as it closed to make way for new attractions. We were among the lucky 48 who were able to get a ticket to “Jaws – The Final Voyage” [...]

It appears someone at Universal Orlando has anonymously shared plans for the upcoming Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion at Universal Orlando with Robert Niles of ThemeParkInsider.com. The detailed plans call for a Gringotts Bank ride, a large restaurant and more at the Amity and Jaws area, which is closing Monday. Robert says he has [...]

By Kevin Yee The SeaWorld Orlando penguin exhibit will be replaced by a ride in the coming months and years, so we swung by to document the building and exhibit as it exists now (the puffin exhibit is already closed). We did the same for Jaws at Universal, which is rumored to be replaced by [...]

Work continues on development of a new lagoon show at Universal Studios Orlando. No announcement has been made about the show. The three floating stages recently soared into the air. Here’s a view of the activity at the base. A couple of weeks ago, the same area looked like this. Note how the stage …

Not many details have been announced yet, but Warner Bros. Entertainment and Universal Parks and Resorts have announced a ‘Significant expansion’ for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando. The Universal Studios Hollywood park in California will also be getting its own Wizarding World of Harry Potter. “We are thrilled to be able [...]

The last time to ride Jaws, and walk through the town of Amity at Universal Studios will be 9 p.m. Jan. 2, 2012. Universal has stated new attraction experience will replace it. While they haven’t said what that will be, rumors suggest it may be more Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Universal team members who [...]

Universal Orlando will be celebrating the holidays from Dec. 3 until Jan. 1, 2012 with special events and activities inside both theme parks as well as all three on-site hotels. At Islands of Adventure, families can enjoy different Grinch-themed shows and activities. “Grinchmas Wholiday Spectacular” is a daily show starring The Grinch and the Whos [...]

This aerial photo from April 2011 shows four spheres in the Universal Studios Florida lagoon. These spheres were removed a few weeks ago and have not returned. The four-story-tall, 360-degree projection “cinespheres” were featured in the seasonal “Universal 360″ closing fireworks show. The spheres also were used some years in Halloween Horror Nights, and were [...]

There’s a great tour option available at the Universal Studios park in Hollywood, Calif. called the VIP Tour Experience. It includes elements of their normal tram tour, but also includes walking tours of sets, stages and production buildings, plus gourmet food and Front of the Line privileges to the park’s shows and rides. Each day’s [...]

I attended Universal’s first ever Halloween Horror Nights Tweet-up last week and was lucky enough to win a ticket to their Team Member Advance Screaming last night. Here are some photos and video from the preview to give you a taste of the event this year. This is from the scare zone called 7. It’s [...]