Top Five (non-Disney) Parks - #3 - Islands of Adventure

The park that came in at #3 on our listener-voted Top Five (non-Disney) parks is Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando.

Back in 1999, Universal took the world by storm when it opened this state-of-the-art theme park.

The theming rivaled anything that Disney had to offer and experience was completely immersive.

The star on opening day (and ever since) was The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. This incredible dark ride blurred the lines between what was real and what was virtual. The attraction is over 10-years old and is still considered by many to the the best theme park attraction anywhere.

The fun thing about this park is the variety of islands (or lands) that you can experience. You can meet comic book icons on Marvel Superhero Island, you can dodge dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, you can meet the Cat In The Hat in Seuss Landing.

Of course, everyone knows about the next chapter in Island Of Adventure's story. This spring, we will be treated to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The early word is that the top-secret attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, will once again set the standard for theme park attractions.

This new "island" comes along at just the perfect time too. One of my long standing complaints about Islands of Adventure is that nothing much has been added since the park's opening in 1999. But this new land should more than make up for the drought.

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