At Universal’s Islands of Adventure in the section of The Lost Continent is the Mystic Fountain. A seemingly decorative bubbling fountain is actually a very entertaining attraction. Brave kids approach the artifact to drop a coin only to have a lively conversation with a mischievous ‘water spirit’. A very humorous and sometimes splashy experience.
Dr. Seuss land left quite an impression on Jeff and me when we first visited these parks 10 years ago. It has not changed and it is still awe inspiring in its Dr. Seuss-ness. The saturation of color, the freaky yet beautiful life size Truffula trees, the whole area looks like 50 billion pounds of marzipan fell from heaven. I would not recommend licking anything, but just wandering around it felt like light itself was bending in a different direction. Freaky indeed.
Here are some highlights of the Islands of Adventure Park. The best ride there (in my opinion) was the Incredible Hulk roller coaster. Jasmine and I did it twice and the second time we got front row. The Rip Ride Rocket is good, with the first descent pretty impressive, but for overall performance I have to go with the Hulk. Even 10 years between rides and it is still my most favorite roller coaster. Jasmine did the Dr. Doom Fear Fall by herself. Jeff and I were not that brave (or foolhardy).
Here are some picture of the Universal Studios park. We took in a couple of shows, including a Beetlejuice themed musical review and a surprisingly great animal show. The day ended with a movie vignette showing clips from 100 years of Universal films timed to music and fireworks. You forget how many good movies this studio put out.
I think Jeff and Jasmines fav ride was the mummy indoor rollcoaster thrill ride with a crazy amount of real and simulated effects.
While reading up on Universal from a guidebook – I heard good things about the Bubba Gump restaurant. The place was cleverly adorned with themed decor. The waiter even played movie trivia with me – with some helpful hints I got most of them correct.
Jasmine and I got our shrimp on!
