Usually considered the more adrenaline-filled of the two Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, Islands of Adventure features two of the most heart-pumping roller coasters in Florida. The Incredible Hulk Coaster and Dragon Challenge, along with their more kid-friendly counterpart Flight of the Hippogriff, are just a few of the exhilarating attractions in the park.
Hulk, Smash!
- Head first to your left after you enter the park for The Incredible Hulk Coaster to beat the morning crowds. You'll enter Dr. Bruce Banner's laboratory only to find that something's gone wrong in his experiment with a gamma-ray accelerator. The Hulk is born and you get slung outside the laboratory, accelerating from zero to 40 mph in two seconds to begin your 2 1/2-minute ride along the green track at a maximum speed of 67 mph. This coaster's minimum height requirement is 54 inches.
Tame the Dragons
- You'll need to ride this one twice to experience all the thrills since Dragon Challenge is actually two different roller coasters running on side-by-side tracks. Part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, this coaster puts you on either the Chinese Fireball or Hungarian Horntail as you compete in the Triwizard Cup, twisting and looping through the sky. The two-minute and 25-second ride offers up a zero-G roll, two corkscrews and two vertical loops. As with the Hulk coaster, you must be at least 54 inches tall to ride it.
A Thrill for the Kiddies
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter also features a child-friendly coaster in Flight of the Hippogriff. Lovable Hagrid instructs you how to ride the creature, featuring the body of a horse and the head of an eagle, before you depart on a series of dives and spirals down the coaster's track around a pumpkin patch and Hagrid's hut. The 36-inch height requirement means most preschoolers will be able to participate.
Other Heart-Pumping Rides
- The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man lets you watch along an indoor simulator ride as the webbed hero nabs villains. You won't actually fall hundreds of feet down a skyscraper in your car, but you'll feel like you did. You'll take a water tour of a dinosaur-filled tropical island in Jurassic Park River Adventure, but things quickly unravel after some carnivores escape their pens leading to your escape of a T-rex attack with a steep 85-foot drop. Expect to be scared and soaked. Head to Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Thrills for another wet thrill. You won't get as soaked on this one, but the five-minute log flume ride inspired by the Rock and Bullwinkle cartoons certainly entertains.
