The Best Rides For Young Kids At Universal Orlando, According To A Mom Who Just Went

If you grew up in Florida like I did, chances are you had a big middle or high school field trip to Islands of Adventure at some point. But somehow — now a mom in my mid-30s — I haven’t managed to make it back to a Universal theme park since I was 14. When I was invited to cover the one-year anniversary of Epic Universe and to bring my husband and 5-year-old son, I jumped at the chance. There are so many movies and shows he loves, from Minions to Transformers and certainly all things Super Mario Brothers inside these parks to enjoy.

That said, Universal’s parks are meant to feel immersive and thrilling, like you’re in those movies you love so much. So, my husband and I spent a good bit of time watching ride POVs on YouTube and reading up on what to expect from every single ride in order to determine what would be fun and thrilling — not overwhelming and scary — for our little guy. Because parents of kids know that once the overwhelm hits, it can be hard to bounce back. We did our due diligence and also rode some things we weren’t sure about, and all in all, we had our best vacation as a family ever.

So, here are the best rides for young kids at Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe, from a mom and a little boy who rode it all.

Best Rides For Young Kids At Epic Universe

Constellation Carousel: You can’t help but see this carousel in the center of Celestial Park right when you walk into Epic. It’s a big, beautiful, astrology-themed carousel beneath a shaded dome, so if you need a break from the sun, this is a solid option for the whole fam. It plays multiple different songs and moves differently to each, so riders can get a few unique experiences out of this one ride too.

Fyre Drill: This is a super cute ride in slow-moving Viking boats, where riders must take aim at targets with water guns to put out the “fires.” We didn’t feel like getting wet but watched the ride from the bridge, and it did look like a great way to cool off midday — we just had a lot left to do and no change of clothes. That said, there was a people dryer nearby that costs $7 and should speed up your drying time quite a bit!

Hiccup’s Wing Gliders: This is billed as a family coaster, and I think it definitely counts as one... but for kids a little older than mine. It’s all about banking turns and feeling like you’re riding Toothless over the Island of Berk, but you stay right-side up the whole time. I rode it solo and thought it would have been a little too intense for a 5-year-old, purely due to the speed and the portion where it goes backwards. If you have grade school kids, I think this will be a hit with them — I loved it as an adult! You can actually see big sections of the coaster while walking around the Island of Berk, so take a gander first if you’re unsure. (The same age recommendation goes for Dragon Racer’s Rally, which was too high for my little guy to want to get on, but would probably thrill slightly older kids.)

Yoshi’s Adventure: All three rides in Epic’s Super Nintendo World were a hit with my kid, and Yoshi’s Adventure is appropriate for literally all ages. It’s a slow-moving ride in your very own Yoshi, who just meanders down a track. It offers great views of Peach’s castle, and you’re meant to look around the ride for three colorful Yoshi eggs and press the corresponding egg button in your Yoshi when you see it. This adds points to your power-up band!

Speaking of those power-up bands, I highly recommend springing for them if you’re fans of the Mario games. There are power-up blocks to punch and five Nintendo-style game challenges all around Super Nintendo World, and completing them all earns you access to a final boss fight with Bowser Jr. It adds so much extra fun and interactivity with this very immersive part of the park. Buy them ahead of time if you know your kiddos won’t be patient enough to pair them with the app on your phone while surrounded in coin boxes to punch (but you can also just get them in the gift shop there).

Mine Cart Madness: Another family coaster, and this is one my 5-year-old loved. It’s inspired by the classic DK video game’s track jumps, giving the illusion that your mine cart is hopping over sections of broken track. It’s purposefully a little shaky — you’re supposed to be in a runaway mine cart after all — so keep that in mind if your kids don’t love rough rides. That said, we all loved the theming of the ride and the intensity level. I give it 5/5 golden bananas.

Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge: This is the ride we were all most excited for in all of Epic Universe, as parents who grew up playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64 and a kid who is now learning to play. It’s a completely unique concept — your kart moves down a track through real effects and animatronics, but you’re also wearing augmented reality glasses that display enemies you can hit with shells. It’d take a few rides to get the hang of how firing shells really works, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. (This is another ride that adds coins to your power-up band, BTW.)

As Scary Mommy previously reported, Epic also includes an interactive water play area with dancing fountains (Astronomica in Celestial Park), a Viking-themed playground on the Isle of Berk, and two immersive shows: Le Cirque Arcanus in Ministry of Magic and The Untrainable Dragon in Isle of Berk, which had some of the most incredible animatronics I’ve ever seen up close. There are also plenty of character meet and greets, from Mario and Luigi to Hiccup and Toothless. To me, this was a fantastic park to take a kid our age and still get plenty of thrills as a parent (Stardust Racers is for us adrenaline junkies).

Best Rides For Young Kids At Universal Studios

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem: I had no idea what to expect with this ride. It’s a simulation in which you’re turned into a minion (“not for real, of course,” I had to assure my son), and the seats move all around to create the illusion that you’re on a roller coaster through Gru’s villain lair. We ended up opting for stationary seats just to make sure my son didn’t flip out, and he enjoyed it quite a bit that way, even without the motion.

Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast: This is essentially a people mover! You stand on a circle armed with a blaster and take aim at all the targets as you move through rooms with massive 3D simulation screens. It’s fun for all ages, and my kid wanted to go back in again and again.

Men in Black Alien Attack: I hadn’t been on this ride and wasn’t sure if it’d be scary, but we went for it, and I’m so glad we did. My son loved aiming his blaster at all the aliens in the windows and trying to rack up points. If you watched Men in Black on repeat, it’s like getting to step into their training simulation for real — very gratifying for this millennial, honestly. There are some quick spins as your vehicle moves through the “training,” but we knew this going in and told our son so he wasn’t taken by surprise.

E.T. Adventure: I think not taking your kids on this ride counts as child neglect, right? Seriously, this is a classic ride for a reason. To me it’s Universal’s It’s A Small World, a calming, nostalgic, whimsical break among all the other thrill rides the park has to offer. You’re riding through the forest at night on a flying bike, and it just doesn’t really get better. Plus, they sell candles of that infamous E.T. smell in the gift shop (we bought three).

Kang and Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl: This ride is a classic Dumbo-esque one — riders control their up and down movement while spinning in a circle. Easy, delightful for little ones, and a no-brainer stop on your walk between Universal’s different IPs.

Hogwarts Express (King’s Cross Station): If you have admission to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, this ride takes you from one park’s Harry Potter-themed area to the other’s. Inside, you’re treated to a simulated look out the “window” at the passing scenery, and you see your favorite characters moving past your train car door. Plus, this is a nice dose of sweet, sweet air conditioning and a comfy set.

Best Rides For Young Kids At Islands Of Adventure

Storm Force Accelatron: While I went on the Hulk coaster, my husband took our little guy on Storm Force Accelatron. It’s a spinning ride a la the infamous teacups at Disney, just with a supervillain bent rather than the Wonderland theme.

Flight of the Hippogriff: This coaster is intended for kids; my son rode it twice and would gladly have gone again. It’s the perfect speed to be exciting but not scary, spirals but doesn’t get crazy with the G-forces, and offers some of the best views of Hogwarts IMO.

All the Seuss Landing rides: The Dr. Seuss portion of the park was designed for kids, of course, which means it’s the spot to head for little thrill seekers.

• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish is another Dumbo-like ride, except you move up and down to dodge little jets of water.
• The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!: Two tracks take you around Seuss Landing for a bird’s eye view, while telling you one of two stories, either about the Sneetches or an alphabet of the famous author’s other characters.
• The Cat in the Hat: This is a little cart ride on a track through the story of the classic book. The old-school animatronics feel really nostalgic, and the ride is indoors and dark, so it’s a great cool-down attraction on a hot Florida day.
• Caro-Seuss-el: It’s a carousel, but there are no normal horses here. Instead, climb aboard one of Dr. Seuss’s wildest creatures. Where else can your kid sit astride a scraggle-foot mulligatawny?

There’s also an entire play area inspired by If I Ran the Zoo, a perfect place for kids to run out their zoomies before waiting in a longer attraction line.

One thing about Universal’s parks: Some of its biggest and best rides are simulation-style. Think all three major wizarding rides (Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry), The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, and Skull Island: Reign of Kong.

We hopped on the Spider-Man ride first thing after watching videos of it with our son to prepare him for the fact that none of what happens inside is real; Doctor Octopus is not really electrocuting our car, and we are not really falling off a building into Spider-Man’s web. Still, he isn’t quite old enough to separate fiction and reality in a ride engineered to feel real, so he was pretty afraid the whole time. We steered clear of any simulation rides after that, but if your kid is a year or two older and likes that sort of thing, then your family’s list of ride options opens up immensely.

All in all, we had our most fun family vacay to date at Universal, and I know their parks will only get more fun to visit the older and more adrenaline-seeking our son gets. That said, there was more than enough for us to do as a family and get all our thrills, fun, and movie-magic moments.