July is now here, so of course I’m thinking about… fall. It’s my favorite season, not least of which because it’s a great time to one of my favorite theme park destinations, Universal Orlando Resort! Here are all the things you’ll want to enjoy at Universal Orlando this fall.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
For the first time ever, join Hagrid as you fly far beyond the grounds of Hogwarts castle on a thrilling roller coaster ride that plunges into the paths of some of the wizarding world’s rarest magical creatures. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Universal’s most highly themed coaster is now open, and is ready to go for guests visiting this fall!
Surfside Inn & Suites
Universal Orlando’s newest on-site resort will offer fun, beach-style, and budget-friendly accommodations that will include both standard hotel rooms as well as 2-bedroom suites for larger groups and families. The hotel will also offer all the same benefits that we love about Universal Orlando’s on-site hotels, including early park admission to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and complimentary bus transportation to CityWalk and the theme parks. The new resort is now open and is available to book through next year.
Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle
Opening later this year, this exciting all-new light projection experience will cast a mesmerizing display unleashing eerie creatures and villains upon the stone walls of the castle. Illuminating the darker side of the Wizarding World, this spectacle of music and lights will unleash some of the eeriest creatures and darkest wizards of the Harry Potter series, cast ominously against the stone walls of the castle.
As darkness falls on Hogwarts castle, Dementors, Death Eaters and other unspeakable creatures including Acromantula, Mountain Trolls, and Thestrals will cloak the castle in with their great presence. Eventually, the chilling visage of the Dark Lord, Voldemort, appears to close the castle’s takeover… until one of the wizarding world’s most famous defensive charms is cast.
New CityWalk Dining Venues
Only steps away from the theme park entrances is CityWalk, which is a great place to step away from the bustle of the parks for a quick bite, or a leisurely dinner. New options for both of those will be available for guests visiting this fall. Already open is the TODAY Cafe, which offers up sandwiches, salads, pastries, and specialty coffees, with a rotating menu of dishes inspired by personalities of the TODAY show. It will be a welcome addition for breakfast, and for a quick lunch on CityWalk. A new table-service restaurant will also open this summer – Bigfire, a restaurant focusing on open fire cooking and the nostalgia of summer vacations at a lakeside house.
Halloween Horror Nights
For almost 30 years, Universal Orlando Resort has hosted this incredible scare-fest full of haunted mazes, scare zones, wild stage shows, and more on select nights in September and October. The event features amazing original mazes, and also brings favorite horror films and shows to life. For 2019, Stranger Things will return with a maze based on season 2 of the show, and I’m also very much looking forward to a house based on Universal’s classic monsters. If you want to bring on the scares during this year’s Halloween season, this event is for you. Tickets and vacation packages are now on sale.