Universal Studios Orlando is the place to be for vacation anxiety and cheers

The fall holiday events are well underway at Universal Studios Orlando. ComingSoon was visited during Halloween Horror Nights 30 for a killer good time and we have more details on upcoming Christmas attractions at the Florida resort.

Halloween Horror Nights 30

We were recently invited to Universal Studios’ HHN as the season’s event was in full swing. As a frequent visitor in hauntings, I always like to go at least twice if I can (both during opening and around a few weeks during the Halloween season). The latter tend to be more interesting as the artists really find their groove inhabiting their roles and many things have been refined as food and drink

Must start by giving the street artists their massive guilt. They set the tone and it shows as you walk past the Universal gates. No one else does it like monsters on HHN Orlando. Each theme-scary zone envelops you in immersion with detailed environments, stages to terrible moments, and interactions on earth. My favorites were definitely the playful, yet misguided artists who hammered it up in Lights, Camera, Haction: Eddie’s Revenge with lots of chainsaws for your solution and the ethereal beauty of Gorewood Forrest with surprising scares among atmospheric sights and sounds. They are the social media MVPs as a glimpse of the artistic, horror and showmanship to expect when you take the trip out.

@coolplaceswithus Scare Zone street artists are MVPs for # HHN30 #UniversalStudiosOrlando #ScareZone #HorrorNights #Ghost #Halloween #Metallica #Monsters #Horror ♬ Enter Sandman – Ghost

One of the aspects that makes Orlando’s HHN more of a destination to spend several nights at is the extensive festive food offerings scattered throughout the event filled with themed snacks and beverages. I start the labyrinths with this, because when you get there, you hit the ground and run all you can between the labyrinths. My favorites were the Bride of Frankenstein vortex cone at Monsters cafe, which paired vanilla with black sesame for a unique and earthy yet sweet flavor, and Pumpkin Guts, which was a medley of pumpkin sides fried in brown butter. Perfect to eat before entering the Wicked Growth maze, where pumpkins try to claim their revenge. There are so many themed and perfect dining options in a place around the lagoon where you can watch the Marathon of Mayhem: the amazing Horror sizzle projected on the water and the surrounding buildings celebrating Universal’s monsters as well HHN Icons.

Usually my recaps too HHN focus on the fact that horror movies IP take shape in houses at the annual events – whether it feels like you are on the set of Haunting of Hill House or where to find it Creation of the Black Lagoon in Breakup of Frankenstein LIVER! And to sum it up, there is a good amount of it this year HHN. The standout is Beetlejuice Labyrinth, which features laugh-out-loud while screaming, experiences recreating gags from the movie in surprising ways. The way I jumped in the waiting room as Miss Argentina jumped out from behind her window and into the Day-O dining room will be memorable for my party and me for many years to come. The magic of that maze is how you get distracted by the details like a movie nerd. I loved Maitland’s ceiling scene with drop lights and miniature city and then screamed as it was transported to Dante. We need this maze on the west coast and the recall nights that host Beetlejuice back.

Do not forget to mention the killer Haunting of Hill House facade that literally took my breath away and the best use of the dark hallway scares for a long time. Horror from above that will haunt my nightmares. I have to hand it in to Orlando to have the parent Hill House labyrinth. So many more bold choices taken there. Will not really compare as we are just lucky enough to be able to have events for Halloween in general and we really do not know what went down in the planning of these events which had a real probability of not happening.

As a first-time East Coast-haunted correspondent who previously visited as a guest, this is the first year I am being introduced to all HHN Icons at once. As they celebrate 30 years of fear, delayed – of course, the icons really take center stage. I have definitely become a soft spot for the original IP at Universal Orlando and this year it really felt like an indoctrination. Of course, I’ve seen videos and clips from recent years that include Jack, The Storyteller, and Caretaker, but I love them! IN HHN Icons: Captured maze, each gets their own section that pays homage to their origin and place among the heritage of HHN. In the end, each gets a rotating final fright on top of a throne. I made this maze twice because I just wanted to get to know them more. I have clear favorites: of course Eddie and Chance, who I can’t wait to see return. In addition, case files: Unearthed and Welcome to Scary served as cliff notes of original mythology that have accumulated over the past 30 years. So funny! All the house artists were in top-performance mode on this visit and hit their marks that inhabited the fears we love to face.

Can’t wait for next year!

Holiday viewing

Can’t help but choose the chaos here by letting Christmas sneak behind Halloween like this, but the best time to visit Universal Orlando in my personal opinion is for any of their major holiday events. I still hope to visit during Mardi Gras for their concert and festival experience, but have been able to attend both Halloween this year and Christmas events in 2019. So I’m excited to report that both Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure will host their annual events such as Grinchmas at Universal’s Islands of Adventure as well as Universal’s Holiday Parade with Macy’s at Universal Studios Florida. It’s a pint-sized version of the iconic Thanksgiving parade featuring performances from Minions from Illumination’s Despicable Me and Santa Claus.

The most immersive thing is definitely Christmas time in the wizarding world, which transports you into exactly what you could imagine Harry Potter holiday would be like in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley – complete with live artists and hot butterbeer! The perfect drink to share while enjoying “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle,” which projects the holiday spirit of the films to John Williams’ iconic score. And every year there is always great merch to decorate or gift for the holiday to movie lovers in your life. Not just within Harry Potter but also for Jurassic franchise fan in your life or Universal classics cinephile. The best merch is always open in the Tribute Store all year round and with doping HHN monster gear at the moment. For the Amblin banner, the ET Ride gift shop has a small statue recreation of ET hiding among the toys and Back to the Future pieces. So row! And there is a photo-up with ET !! The ET tour is also the best tour and should be open during HHN. Just say ‘give us more A Ride smell !! I miss it so much already.

To book your trip and stay to catch the rest of Halloween horror nights or plan your winter vacation Universal Orlando website.