Hi all! I know it has been a while since I have done a blog. I did want to take the time to write about the exciting festivities Universal Orlando has been offering for this season! With Covid-19 many things of course have been canceled, but Universal Orlando (UO) didn't let that stop them! I want to tell you all about the fun things they are still doing for everyone during this season which is coming to an end soon.
So sadly of course they had to cancel a fan favorite of Halloween Horror Nights due to safety. What they did do is create two modify HHN houses that Guests can do during the day and yes all included with your theme park admission! They created a social distance haunted house where all the scare actors are behind plexiglass but don't worry they can still scare you! The first house is Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives which my husband made me do. If you know me you would know I'm a Christmas/Grinchmas girl and I am terrified of haunted houses. I thought maybe it wouldn't be as scary since they are behind glass. WRONG! I was still terrified and I cried and almost fell numerous times. There was a Team member following us for either two reasons, they got a kick out of me being terrified or making sure I was okay. Oh, I also blacked out so I do not remember anything but the first scene. Yes, I am a baby and I am proud of it! I will stick to watching my kids while others enjoy HHN next year or any haunted houses. The other house which I refused to do after was Revenge of the Tooth Fairy. My husband and mom did this one and they did like this. They said for others who enjoy haunted houses it's pretty mild but for me, it was still extreme! Also oddly enough both of these houses have less than a 15-minute wait usually, so if you enjoy houses then have fun! You can also watch the walk-through videos which you can see here.
Now onto the things I enjoyed this Halloween season there and were is toddler approved fun! Staying on the Universal side, they did something called the Scarecrow Stalk. This a fun and complementary activity to do! So what you will do is at any of the scarecrow locations you pick up your guide which will let you know what stores to visit, 13 of course in total. Each store has a uniquely themed scarecrow and you'll go to the register where they will stamp your guide. Once you finish your stalk, you can bring it to one of the two different locations to redeem for some candy! My kids adored this and loved looking for the scarecrows throughout the park. Yes, adults can do it as well and we saw many adults doing it solo! I would've still done it even without my kids there! Also Universal was very smart with the placement of these scarecrows in gift shops because they get you in there where you will then look at all the merch and want many things. Also, there is one in the candy shop, which was highly dangerous and we obliviously ended up buying some goodies there too! I highly recommend this fun activity! Again it's free and you can do it at your leisure.
Also at Universal, they have the Tribute Store, which as you guessed is a store dedicated to HHN but no scare actors. Lots of merch, goodies, and props. It is super cool and my toddlers enjoyed going in there but it can be a little scary for younger kids just a fair warning due to the props. There are 4 amazingly themed rooms in the store with all unique merchandise, and one had specialty themed food. My favorite area was the Beetlejuice area! I have always loved Beetlejuice so seeing the amazingly themed area was super cool! It's cool to see especially for people like me who will never do HHN.
Now venturing over to Islands of Adventure where they are offering complimentary trick or treating for Guests 12 and under! Now this one was my kids' favorite since it involved candy. I recommend grabbing the trick or treating bags at the Trading Company since that is the first store you'll see entering IOA. With this one, you do not get a guide but have to look for the pumpkin stickers at shops. There is a total of 10 shops where you can trick or treat, every area but Harry Potter has a spot. Once you find the location, your children go up to the register and of course say trick or treat. The team member will have gloves on and use tongs to put it in the bags. It's a very safe and fun way for kids to trick or treat this year. We wanted to go on Halloween night, but since it's a Saturday plus Halloween we know it's going to be way too busy. I wish they offered a reservation system for weekends there honestly, it's a mess but that is a whole different story. Both times we have done this was during a weekday and we had no issues. The first time Jace slept the entire way but we went back and had a blast! My only thing was the candy isn't too suitable for the younger kids. There was a lot of hard candy, however it's great for the parents then haha!
So if you are in the area this week and looking for Halloween festivities I would completely recommend this! Weekdays are usually the best right now as weekends are hitting capacity quickly and Halloween will be no different. They are opened until 10 pm though so you can always try in the evening as well! We may try and see ourselves! All of these events will continue to Nov. 1st and then starting Nov. 14th the holidays start!!! My time of year is here and stay tuned to learn more about those!
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