16 Best Sights in Universal Studios, Universal Orlando

While it may be a hard claim to qualify, this certainly appears to be the most exciting indoor stunt show in America. Following an eight-minute preshow that fills you in on the backstory (an assassin trained in a secret government program has gone off-script and eluded his handlers), what ensues is an international chase that takes place with live actors and right before your eyes. Against a series of dazzling, always-in-motion film backdrops you follow Bourne around the world as he eludes his pursuers. From the Middle East to the middle of the desert to Washington, D.C. and other capitals, Bourne is running, racing cars, and riding motorcycles to stay alive. The widescreen images, the rapid pace, and the constant adrenaline will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the solid 20-minute show.  This attraction accepts Universal Express Pass.

How do you find Gringotts Bank? Look for the massive dragon atop the building and the statue of a Gringotts goblin standing on a towering stack of gold coins. The queue to the ride is an essential part of the attraction: you'll walk through the bank where a multitude of goblins work at their desks, diligently, wordlessly, and eerily. Soon you're in a ride vehicle and, after it departs the station, it's only a matter of moments before Bellatrix Lestrange notices your presence and then does everything in her supernatural power to prevent you from traveling any farther. So, from here on out, your vehicle will come face to 3-D face with a towering security detail that destroys the tracks and sends you deeper into the bank’s recesses.

Be warned that your first encounter with the one who shall not be named (aka Lord Voldemort) isn’t your last. After he presents you with a fiery souvenir, he and Bellatrix return again—but they’re no match for the scaly superhero who comes to your rescue. This ride's technology is a blend of virtual reality, 3-D effects, 4-D sensations, and gargantuan movie screens featuring scenes synchronized with the motion of your vehicle. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle.  Lines can be quite long, so use an Express Pass.

Looking like an endless strand of spaghetti, this ½-mile-plus coaster loops, twists, dives, and winds above and through Production Central. After you're locked into your seat, you'll select your personal soundtrack (choose from heavy metal, techno, country, rap, and pop) to accompany the video (starring you) that's shot as you scream your way along. And you will scream! It all starts as you're hauled nearly 17 stories straight up and then dropped nearly 17 stories straight down before being lifted again into a towering loop and released into what seems like a never-ending series of twists, curves, sideways slings, and snap rolls at speeds up to 65 mph.

By the time you return to the station, you might be woozy and a little spent—but you might spend a little more: the video with the soundtrack you selected is available for purchase. Off-season, the line never seems too bad. In season, consider using a Universal Express Pass. The ride isn't suitable for expectant mothers; anyone with neck, back, or heart problems; or people with a fear of heights. For people with disabilities: Closed-captioning is included, and guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle.  Come early or late, and be sure to stow loose items in the available lockers. This ride accepts Express Pass.

Walking through the queue area takes you through the history of The Tonight Show, with memorabilia honoring the hosts—Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon—who have all put their stamp on the most famous program in late night. Nostalgia paves the way to a rocketing road trip that begins after a serenade by the Ragtime Gals, a visit by Hashtag the Panda, and a preshow area where, for the first time anywhere (more than likely) safety instructions are offered in a freestyle rap performed by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter of The Roots.

When the doors finally open, you'll find a seat before a towering screen that really comes to life when you fasten your seat belt, put on your 3-D glasses, and find yourself on the set of the show getting ready to race Jimmy through the halls of 30 Rock, down Broadway, through the streets of New York—and beyond. You follow in your own "car" beside Jimmy as you whip past taxis, pedestrians, and landmarks, before heading into space to land on the moon. Why not? For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle.  Cut down on wait times by using Express Pass, or come early or late. Free lockers are available for loose items. Use them.

As you enter this ride through Krusty the Clown's gaping mouth, and then receive a video greeting by citizens of Springfield, police chief Clancy Wiggum reminds you that if you must get sick, do it in your hat—and thus the tone is set for your arrival in one of television's most popular animated communities. The preshow explains that Krusty has expanded his empire to include a theme park, which his disgruntled former sidekick, Sideshow Bob, plans to sabotage. After a fairly tame start, your virtual car soars through virtual Springfield, plunging toward familiar businesses and buildings and narrowly escaping disaster as Sideshow Bob tears up the tracks and sends you racing through wild scenes in a variety of locations such as Disney, SeaWorld—and hell. Several times you're saved by the split-second timing of an unexpected hero.

If you have even a scintilla of motion sickness, this one will throw you for a colorful, cartoonish loop. Guests who are pregnant or who have heart, back, or neck problems shouldn't ride. For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle.  Use Express Pass.

The tricks (or, rather, "behaviors") that the arkful of live animal stars perform are mostly audience-participation segments, which makes this show entertaining for young and old alike. Birds, cats, pigs, parrots, otters, ducks, dogs, hawks, and a skunk have been trained to portray a range of thespian actions that are woven into a series of vignettes, from a clever parrot that has a knack for plucking cash from the outstretched hand of an audience member to a dog that is a convincing actor in a melodrama.

Although the line-up of animals and the scenes they perform might vary, the show's fast pacing and variety make it seem that you're watching several shows in one. Enjoy it! These are some of the cutest actors ever to hit the stage. For people with disabilities: The theater is equipped for assisted-listening devices and is wheelchair accessible. Some shows include a sign language interpreter.  There's plenty of seating, but come early for a good seat, or use Express Pass to get you in ahead of the crowd.

Even if you've never seen the hit animated films, it doesn't take long to fall for Gru, the Scourge of Humanity, in this wild virtual-reality chase through the movie. Two extremely funny (and cute) preshow rooms—Gru's living room and laboratory—set the stage for the 3-D ride. With help from his adopted daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes (and ever-so-anxious minions), Gru reviews everyone to make sure they're ready to become minions. Next, sporting your "minion goggles" (aka 3-D glasses) you are transformed into minions for the rollicking ride, which is filled with close calls and colorful characters as you pursue the ever-elusive prize: the girls' gift for their dad on the one-year anniversary of their adoption. To celebrate, the ride exits into a minion disco (of course).

This attraction is not recommended for expectant mothers or anyone with motion sickness or back, neck, or heart problems. For people with disabilities: Closed-captioned devices are available; those in wheelchairs may remain in them.  Go for the stationary seats if you think you'll suffer from motion sickness. This ride accepts Express Pass.

This well-meaning, circa 1990, ride is looking (and even smelling) a little tired, although you might still get a kick out of the take on Steven Spielberg's E.T. Once Spielberg himself advises you that it's your mission to help E.T. return to his planet, you board a bicycle mounted on a movable platform and fly 3 million light years from Earth, past a squadron of policemen and FBI agents, to reach E.T.'s home. Here colorful characters climb on vines, play xylophones, and swing on branches in what looks like an alien Burning Man festival. Listen very closely for the payoff: having given your name to a host at the start of the ride, E.T. is supposed to bid you a personalized good-bye.

This ride isn't suitable for guests with heart, back, neck, or motion-sickness problems. For people with disabilities: Guests with mobility issues must be in a standard-size wheelchair or transfer to a ride vehicle. Service animals aren't permitted. There's some sudden tilting and accelerating, but those for whom these movements are a concern can ride in E.T.'s orbs (spaceships) instead of on the flying bicycles.  Use Universal Express Pass, or come early.

For fans of the film franchise, the chance to join the crew on a hair-raising car chase is the appeal of this virtual reality attraction. Two preshows lead to a ride vehicle that travels down the highway in a bumper-to-bumper, side-by-side, combination race and gunfight (including helicopter gunships) complete with adrenaline-inducing rocking-and-rolling movements.

To help distract you while waiting in line, more than a dozen cars from the film are displayed in the queue area. Knowing guests will have downloaded the Universal Orlando app, which includes a game that lets you test your Fast & Furious knowledge in trivia matches, receive messages from the crew, and take a quiz to reveal what kind of ride suits your personality. For guests with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must be able to transfer to the ride vehicle.  Universal Express Pass is accepted.

When Universal announced the Studios’ Diagon Alley would connect to IOA’s Hogsmeade via a train ride, many people assumed an open-air train ride through the park’s backstage area. But many people aren’t nearly as creative as the geniuses at Universal. To reach Hogsmeade, you walk through an exact re-creation of a London rail station, where a magical effect takes you to Platform 9¾. When the train arrives, settle into the compartment with other guests. Outside your window as you chuff away from the station, an owl follows you, music plays, and it feel as if you’re traveling through the English countryside.

Adding to the magic, silhouettes of Harry, Ron, and Hermione appear in the corridor outside your window, with their narration adding to the drama of the trio's attempt to banish Dementors (and to corral a loose box of chocolate frogs). By the time Hagrid appears, and you arrive in Hogsmeade, you really feel as if . . . you’ve arrived in Hogsmeade.  Express Pass is accepted here, but it might not save you a lot of time except near park closing, when the lines can be very long.

This ride is inspired by the intergalactic creatures that make an occasional appearance in Springfield. About a dozen flying saucers encircle a towering statue of Kang (or Kodos), the one-eyed, fang-toothed, octopus-tentacled alien. Once you've climbed into your saucer, the spinning ride takes flight and whirls you and your co-pilot around Kang (or Kodos). Kids who love the opportunity to take the controls raise and lower the craft in hopes of avoiding the jets of water shot from surrounding poles. It's a pleasing, fun, low-thrill ride.   This attraction accepts Express Pass.

The preshow of "the world's first ride-through video game" provides the storyline: To earn membership in MIB, you must round up aliens that escaped when their shuttle crashed on Earth. On board your vehicle with a few others, you enter the backstreets of a city where aliens pop out from windows, trash cans, and doorways. Fire at them with that laser gun mounted to your futuristic car, and since there's no limit to the number of shots you can take, blast away. Even though the gun's red laser dot is just a pinpoint, an onboard scoreboard helps you keep track of what you've hit. Aliens fire back at you, and if they score a hit, it'll cause your car to spin out of control. Depending on the collective score, your ride will wrap up with one of 35 endings, ranging from a hero's welcome to a loser's farewell.

All in all, it's pretty exciting, though the spinning nature of the cars might cause dizziness. Use caution if you're prone to motion sickness, and don't ride if you have heart, back, or neck problems. For people with disabilities: Equipped for assisted-listening devices. Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle.  In summer, waits can be up to an hour. Come first thing, or save time by using Express Pass.

Action, adventure, and horror are in abundance in this spine-tingling thrill ride that combines roller-coaster technology, pyrotechnics, and some super-scary skeletal warriors. The entrance is set up like the tomb of a pharaoh, which means you'll walk through winding catacombs in the near-dark, passing Egyptian artifacts and archaeological scenes before reaching your vehicle. After boarding the multipassenger coaster car and zipping into the heart of a haunted labyrinth, "dead" ahead, you're given the chance to sell your soul for safety and riches. Whether you take the deal or not, a guardian mummy thinks it's high time to send you hurtling through underground passageways, where you must escape a beetle-infested burial chamber, zip backward through fog, and then race full-tilt into the mummified mouth of Imhotep.

Take note: you feel the 1.5 g-forces when flying uphill, and much of the ride takes place in the dark, which adds to its unforgettable intensity. Needless to say, this isn't a good choice for expectant mothers or anyone with neck, back, or heart problems. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle.  Cut down on wait times by using Express Pass, or come early or late. By all means, use the available free lockers to stash loose items.

It's been years since the hit film premiered, but Shrek fans still line up for this animated 3-D saga. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow reprise their vocal roles as the swamp-dwelling ogre, Shrek; his faithful chatterbox companion, Donkey; Shrek's bride, Princess Fiona; and the vengeful Lord Farquaad (or rather his ghost). The preshow stars the Gingerbread Man, Magic Mirror, and the Three Little Pigs, and, although this intro is slightly entertaining, at about 15 minutes long, it's longer than the main attraction. Afterward, you're given OgreVision (aka 3-D) glasses through which to view Shrek as he attempts to rescue Fiona from Lord Farquaad.

The adventure includes a battle between fire-breathing dragons and a pretty scary plunge down a virtual 1,000-foot waterfall—all made more intense by special theater seats and surprising sensory effects (mainly blasts of air and sprinkles of water) that create the "4-D" part. The ride can be unsettling for those with motion sickness—but fun as all get-out for everyone else. For people with disabilities: Equipped for assisted-listening devices. Those using wheelchairs don't need to transfer to a ride seat. There are, however, eight seats that allow guests with disabilities to fully experience the sensory effects.  Despite a capacity for 300, you might wait up to an hour to reach the preshow. Come early or late in the day. This ride accepts Express Pass.

Based on the toy-turned-film franchise that's generated billions of dollars, this high-intensity attraction has the ability to generate a lot of thrills and screams. You board your transport inside the stark industrial building that’s the headquarters of NEST (Nonbiological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty). In a flash, you're in an illusory world where 60-foot screens, fast-paced action, and plenty of 3-D effects ratchet up the excitement in a battle to save the planet as the heroic Autobots (including Optimus Prime and Bumblebee) try to keep the Allspark from falling into the hands of the evil Decepticons (Confused? Ask your kids).

The attraction spins, twirls, splashes, and drops you. You'll also have some tremendously realistic intergalactic encounters that rock and roll you through the Transformers' world. Like the movies, this ride is very loud and very wild. Unlike the movies, this isn't suitable for expectant mothers; anyone with neck, back, or heart problems; or people with a fear of heights. For people with disabilities: Guests using wheelchairs must transfer to a ride vehicle.  Come early or late, or use Express Pass.

The show begins in an intriguingly creepy pre-show area where masks, props, and rubber skeletons from classic and contemporary horror films and tributes to great makeup artists like Lon Chaney, Rick Baker, and Jack Pierce make a great backdrop for a horrifying family photo. Inside the theater, your host brings out a special-effects expert who describes and shares some secrets about what goes into (and oozes out of) creepy movie effects (e.g., corn syrup and food coloring make for a dandy blood substitute).

Older children, in particular, eat up the blood-and-guts stories. But despite the potentially frightening topic, most audiences get a kick out of the show, because the subject is handled with an extraordinary amount of dead-on humor, including one-liners delivered with comedy-club timing. For people with disabilities: The theater is wheelchair accessible. Good scripts and good shtick mean that those with visual impairments can enjoy the show.  If busy, use Express Pass, or come in the afternoon or evening. Arrive about 15 minutes before showtime (doors close immediately after show starts).