On This Day: Universal Studios Florida opens in 1990
Photo taken in October 1990. The original globe at Universal Orlando was moved to Universal Hollywood in California. It remains there to this day.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Universal Studios Florida opened to the public on June 7th, 1990.
According to the History Center, the park opened after years of planning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony from Steven Spielberg. About 10,000 guests were said to have attended, including actors like Michael J. Fox and Sylvestre Stallone.
Ever since, the park has featured rides based on fan-favorite films. Starting with movies like ‘King Kong,’ ‘E.T.,’ and ‘Jaws,’ to now featuring blockbuster hits like ‘Harry Potter,' ‘Despicable Me,’ and ‘Jurassic World.’
One of the original rides is still open to this day: ‘E.T. Adventure.’ The attraction takes you on a bike ride with E.T. himself in the basket. You walk through a forest that smells of fresh pine before boarding a bike to bring E.T. home. Along the way, you encounter police, scientists, a beautiful skyline, and singing creatures. E.T. wishes you goodbye while saying your name on the way out.
Looking forward, Universal Orlando Resort is about to open its newest attraction, ‘Jurassic World: VelociCoaster,’ on June 10th at its second park, Islands of Adventure. The theme park company described the thrill ride as "a series of intense maneuvers that will send guests catapulting up to 70 mph and more than 150 feet in the air with the swiftest of prehistoric predators."
RELATED: Jurassic World VelociCoaster: Look inside the queue
According to the theme park company, be prepared to:
- Accelerate through two pulse-pounding launches, the fastest reaching 70 mph in 2.4 seconds
- Encounter a one-of-a-kind, 360-degree barrel roll right above the Islands of Adventure lagoon
- Experience a zero-gravity inverted stall that will send riders upside down across 100 feet of track in a jaw-dropping maneuver that is the first of its kind
- Go airborne during the towering "Top Hat," which propels riders 155 feet in the air and then immediately into an 80-degree drop – Universal’s steepest drop yet
- Brace for a total of 12 heart-pounding seconds of airtime – the thrilling sensation of weightlessness riders feel when they’re lifted from their seats – throughout the entire adventure
The Jurassic World VelociCoaster will be the world’s first coaster based on the blockbuster franchise and will feature an original story "that expands upon the thrills, dinosaurs, and environments fans have seen on the big screen.
RELATED: Hear the screams! Video shows Jurassic World VelociCoaster running with humans onboard
Guests will reportedly join the cast of the films — Chris Pratt, as Owen Grady; Bryce Dallas Howard, as Claire Dearing; and BD Wong, as Dr. Henry Wu — on a high-speed chase alongside a nimble Velociraptor pack.
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