By Chris Ollendorf I have had the luck to be able to travel to many wonderful cities in America but one place I have not been to is New Orleans. I had no reason to go. I never really knew anybody who lived there until recently and now they always invite me to come during [...]

The Hogwarts Express has arrived at Hogsmeade Station as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter continues to develop at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. As guests enter Hogsmeade, they will be greeted by the iconic, smoke-billowing steam engine, made famous in the Harry Potter books and films for transporting students to a world of magic and [...]

Here’s an interesting e-mail that recently came across my inbox. Tomorrow night, March 4, Micro Championship Wrestling will invade Universal Studios for an “unbelievable night of absolutely insane action. From the world’s smallest wrestler, Demo, to the world’s largest midget, Meatball, the baddest little men and women on the planet will be in action.” Pro [...]

Editor’s Note: 2:30 p.m. Feb. 5, 2010 – We’ve just been notified that LeeAnn Rimes has canceled. The Zac Brown Band will perform in her place at 3 p.m. at SeaWorld tomorrow. It’s a musical weekend in Central Florida. You have your choice between three big name musical acts as three different theme parks kick [...]

By Ricky Brigante Photos by Jeremiah Daws Readers of this blog are already quite familiar with the Universal Orlando Resort. Orlando Attractions Magazine regularly covers the latest happenings at Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure as well as Universal Orlando CityWalk. But this past weekend I took a trip to California and decided to [...]

On Feb. 6, Universal Orlando Resort will kick off its 15th year of Mardi Gras – the biggest and most authentic Mardi Gras celebration outside of New Orleans. Guests will experience the spirit of Bourbon St. in the heart of Universal Studios, with festivities including live concerts, authentic Cajun cuisine, a parade and tons of [...]

Wrestling fans will be able to be part of a rally/party celebrating wrestling legend Hulk Hogan’s new partnership with TNA Wrestling. Starting at 5 p.m. this Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, the Hulkster, along with syndicated radio talk show host Bubba the Love Sponge, will be meeting fans at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville in Universal CityWalk. Hulk [...]

Everyone can give a thumbs up or down to any photo in our gallery. As you’ll see below, our American Idol pictures were very popular by visitors to our online gallery. Here are the top 10 photos from 2009 that received the most thumbs up (and least thumbs down). Click on any of the photos [...]

Our YouTube channel was a popular place in 2009. We reached more than a million views for a couple of our older videos, while others lay dormant for reasons unknown to us. Sometimes we think a video is going to be a huge hit and it flops, and sometimes we wonder why we’re bothering to [...]

A lot has happened in the Orlando area theme parks in 2009. Some new attractions were announced, some have closed down and some have opened up. One both opened and closed in 2009 (we’re talking about you Stitch.) Below are the top 10 most read blog posts on our site during 2009. Below the top [...]

Since 2002, Universal Studios has partnered with Macy’s to bring elements of the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to Orlando during the holiday season. In addition to shipping down memorable floats featured in the annual New York parade, Macy’s brings several of the giganic balloons that have made the parade so popular over the decades. [...]

If there’s just not enough violence for you in all the holiday happenings around Orlando, TNA Wrestling has you covered. TNA iMPACT! television tapings and pay-per-view shows are held regularly at Universal Studios. But they’re giving away a free gift for their Dec. 7, 8 and 21 TV tapings. Every person who is in attendance [...]

December is one of the best times to visit Orlando. Even though there’s no real snow, you’re sure to be able to get into the Christmas spirit with all of the festivities. Whether want to visit the Grinch, go ice skating, see thousands of dancing holiday lights, Orlando has you covered. Here are the events [...]

Now that our clocks have been pushed back an hour, guests at Universal Studios finally have a chance to ride the new Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster after dark. The ride was certainly designed to be ridden this way, featuring a number of lighting effects along the track and on the sides of the [...]

There are only two nights remaining to experience Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. As an added treat, Universal added an all-new scare zone this week. Located within a New York area alley, characters from past Horror Nights events (like Jack the clown pictured above) have emerged to greet guests once again, previewing what’s to come [...]

An all-new terrifying scarezone will emerge from the shadows this week during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. Guests who are brave enough to walk the ominous New York alley will have the chance to inspire elements of next year’s 20th anniversary run of Halloween Horror Nights. “The fog will surround you as you make [...]

By Andy Guinigundo The last few weeks I have been posting Halloween stories, well, because ‘tis the season! As a result, I have a few weeks of backlogged updates to report this week. We’ll travel to Singapore, Africa, and then back home to the USA. Universal to Get Dreamworks Madagascar and Shrek Attractions Universal Studios [...]

We previously reported that Legoland in California was the first theme park U.S. theme park to have a Street View on Google maps. But now Universal Orlando has been added. There’s no link for the Street View while looking at the normal top-down view on Google maps, but as you can see above, all of [...]

Amidst being in Orlando for the Spooky Empire “Ultimate Horror Weekend,” Tippi Hedren, star of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” is seen here visiting Dracula and his brides at the entrance to one of the haunted houses in this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios. This photo makes me wish the old Alfred Hitchcock [...]

Hollywood director John Landis, best known for his films Animal House, The Blues Brothers, and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, was one of the special guests at the Spooky Empire “Ultimate Horror Weekend” 2009. After he watched a “Thriller” reenactment performed by the Rich Weirdoes and original “Thriller” video dancer Cheryl Sington’s Dance Warehouse group, [...]