Our final theme park visit of the holiday was to Universal Studios Orlando, and it turned out to be my favourite of the lot by some distance.
Unlike some of the other parks, Universal clicked with me almost instantly — mainly because so much of it is rooted in films, TV and popular culture I actually recognise.
Opened in 1990, Universal Studios Florida was designed as a working studio and theme park combined, with attractions based on movies, television and entertainment franchises. Over the years it’s evolved into something far bigger, but it’s still very much about putting you inside the worlds you’ve watched on screen.
Springfield: A Simpsons Fan’s Dream
The absolute highlight of the day for me was Springfield.
I’ve always loved The Simpsons, so seeing the town brought to life was brilliant. We wandered past the Lard Lad Donuts sign, visited Krusty Burger and Krustyland, and inevitably ended up buying tat from the Kwik-E-Mart.
A beer at Moe’s Tavern was mandatory, and it was every bit as daft and enjoyable as you’d hope.
The only downside came when I had my photo taken with Homer Simpson, who patted my belly and laughed — a moment that confirmed, in front of witnesses, that I probably did need to lose some weight.
Oh, the shame.
Harry Potter and Familiar Streets
We also spent time in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Despite never having read the books or seen the films, I couldn’t help noticing that the main street looked remarkably like The Shambles in York — crooked buildings, narrow streets and all.
Elsewhere in the park we wandered through streets and film sets that felt instantly familiar, recognising locations inspired by countless movies and TV shows.
At one point we found ourselves back in Blighty, courtesy of Universal’s versions of King’s Cross and Trafalgar Square, before suddenly ending up in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf.
Characters, Icons and Rain
Along the way we met Dr Emmett Brown from Back to the Future, grabbed a photo with Popeye, and generally enjoyed the fact that Universal doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The weather held out for most of the day before some fairly heavy rain rolled in during the late afternoon — very Florida — but it didn’t really dampen the mood.
Letting the Teenager Loose
Oscar had arranged to meet up with a friend from Orlando that he knew through the online roller coaster community.
So yes, with some trepidation, we let our 16-year-old son wander off on his own in a foreign country to meet a stranger from the internet.
Probably not our finest parenting moment — but thankfully, all turned out well.
CityWalk and the Best Guacamole Ever
That evening we headed to Universal CityWalk, the entertainment and dining area outside the parks.
We ate at a Mexican restaurant where the waiter made guacamole fresh at our table — easily the best guacamole I’ve ever had — washed down with a couple of cold cervezas.
Oscar eventually rejoined us, full of stories about the numerous roller coaster “creds” he’d added to his tally with his new friend.
Heading Home
After a long but brilliant day, We grabbed some rather delicious looking doughnuts from Voodo Doughnuts, jumped in the car and headed back to the villa in Davenport, tired, happy, and ready for a good night’s sleep.
As theme park days go, Universal nailed it.
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