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This is a list of former attractions at Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida.

Rides and Attractions

Dragon Challenge

Dragon Challenge opened with the park in 1999 under the name Dueling Dragons at the Merlinwood section. Two inverted roller coasters named Fire and Ice would run together and meet up in three near-miss elements. After the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter opened in 2010 the ride was renamed and rethemed to Dragon Challenge; with the Fire and Ice dragons being changed to Chinese Fireball and Hungarian Horntail respectively. After an incident in 2011, the Universal announced the coasters would no longer duel.[1] Metal detectors were added to the entrance in 2015.[2] The ride closed on September 4, 2017, and demolition began less than a week later. It was replaced by Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure in June 2019.

Island Skipper Tours

Island Skipper Tours opened with the park in 1999. Boats hosted by employee "skippers" traveled across the central lagoon of the park, and were accessible from both the Port of Entry and Dinosaur Lagoon areas. This ride was removed in 2001 due to upkeep cost.

Pandemonium Cartoon Circus

Pandemonium Cartoon Circus was a live show that opened with the park in 1999. It featured the various cartoon and comic strip characters of Toon Lagoon including Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, Natasha, Woody Woodpecker, Beetle Bailey, Zero, Broom-Hilda, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto, Blondie, Dagwood, Dudley-Do Right, Nell Fenwick, Snidley Whiplash, Betty Boop and Bimbo. It closed on February 29, 2000 and was replaced by Xtreme Xventure.

Mat Hoffman's Freakin Crazy Stunt Show

Mat Hoffman's Freakin Crazy Stunt Show was a BMX themed stunt show in Toon Lagoon. The show, which starred Mat Hoffman, operated from 2002 through to 2004. It was discontinued due to various issues and the reactions of the inappropriate word in the title "freakin" to the general public and was later replaced with Mat Hoffman's Aggro Circus from 2010 to 2011.

Mat Hoffman's Aggro Circus

Mat Hoffman's Aggro Circus was a live seasonal BMX stunt show at the Toon Lagoon Amphitheater that generally operated during peak seasons, such as Spring break and summer time. Hosted by Mat Hoffman, the show featured numerous BMX bike and skateboarding stunt tricks under a circus theme.[3]

Triceratops Encounter

Triceratops Encounter was an attraction located in the Jurassic Park area where guests would confront an animatronic triceratops as they were allowed to pet the dinosaur. The attraction included three buildings which housed three animatronic Triceratops named Topper, Cera, and Chris. The animatronics would regularly break down. It originally closed at Universal Orlando in 2003, only to be reopened again in 2010 under a new name, Triceratops Discovery Trail.[4] The attraction closed at Universal Orlando again soon thereafter. It opened at Universal Orlando once again in 2011 under its original name. It wasn't long before the attraction permanently closed at Universal Studios Florida in 2012. A small part of the attraction would be used for the Raptor Encounter, a meet and greet where guest confront a velociraptor. In 2019, the Triceratops Encounter was removed to make way for the VelociCoaster, which opened in 2021, and the Raptor Encounter moved by the Jurassic Park River Adventure.[5][6]

The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad

The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad was a live-action stunt show located in the Arabian marketplace section of The Lost Continent. The show performed for the last time on September 15, 2018, and as of June 2022, Universal has yet to announce its plans for a potential replacement.[7]

Revised attractions

Poseidon's Fury

The Lost Continent's special effects show, originally had a different storyline. In this first version, an old tour guide known as The Keeper wove a tale about the great lost city of Atlantis and an epic battle between Zeus and Poseidon. The Keeper led guests to the Temple of Poseidon, where the evil god appeared and welcomed guests to their new permanent home. The Keeper revealed himself to be Zeus in disguise and, after an effects-laden battle, defeated Poseidon before transporting guests back to the chamber in which the show had started. Based on guest polling data, Universal decided to revise the attraction story. Now, guests meet Taylor, a nerdy archaeologist, who guides them through the attraction, albeit slightly differently. Upon reaching the lost city, the party is captured by Darkenon, a new evil god-like being. Fortunately, Poseidon, a benevolent god in this version, comes to the guests' rescue thanks to Taylor's assistance and defeats Darkenon. While Poseidon's Fury's plot has changed, its arsenal of special effects has remained intact. The battles use water projection screens, fire and water effects, and high-speed set-changing technology.[8]

Toon Lagoon Amphitheater

Over in Toon Lagoon, the island's amphitheater has hosted numerous presentations. Originally, it featured a live show, named Pandemonium Cartoon Circus, with the various cartoon and comic strip characters of Toon Lagoon. In summer of 2000, it debuted a BMX stunt show called Xtreme Xventure. It was replaced in 2002 by another BMX stunt show, Mat Hoffman's Freakin Crazy Stunt Show. It was the home studio of NBC's iVillage Live television show until June 29, 2007. In March 2010, a show titled Mat Hoffman's Aggro Circus featured BMX bike tricks started.

Merlinwood

The Lost Continent once had a third section, known as Merlinwood, which held the Flying Unicorn and Dueling Dragons roller coasters. It also featured the Enchanted Oak Tavern, a restaurant located inside a giant tree-stump with a face of Merlin on it. This area has been demolished for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, with its attractions incorporated into the Harry Potter universe as Flight of the Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge.

The Incredible Hulk

In August 2015, Universal Orlando announced that The Incredible Hulk roller coaster would undergo major refurbishment that would involve the addition of new trains, a new storyline and a completely new ride experience. The ride had operated since opening day and closed on September 8, 2015 for its refurbishment. The refurbishment later saw the ride get completely retracked, the ride receiving a new onboard soundtrack composed by Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy and the ride's storyline being changed alongside an updated queue line. The ride reopened with these changes on August 4, 2016.

Altered concepts

Sylvester McMonkey McBean's Very Unusual Driving Machines

Sylvester McMonkey McBean's Very Unusual Driving Machines was an attraction due to open with Islands of Adventure on May 28, 1999. It was to be a twin-tracked monorail above Seuss Landing where guests would board individual cars which featured rider controlled speeds.[9] However, it was pushed back due to contractual disputes and safety issues. As such, two temporary vehicles were created to run along the track. Although Universal very tentatively tried to set the ride's opening date for summer of 2000 or 2001, the bankruptcy of the ride's original manufacturer, Severn Lamb,[10] postponed its opening indefinitely in the early 2000s. In 2006, the ride and track were re-built and re-designed as The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!.

Events

A Celebration of Harry Potter

A Celebration of Harry Potter was an annual three-day weekend event held on the last weekend of January at both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure theme parks at the Universal Orlando Resort. The event was a celebration of the fandom of the Harry Potter books authored by J. K. Rowling and the Wizarding World franchise (including the Harry Potter film series and Fantastic Beasts film series), in a collaboration between Universal Parks & Resorts, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Scholastic.

Former services

• Enchanted Oak Tavern (1999-2008) – A restaurant that was located in the Merlinwood section of The Lost Continent area, this tavern was demolished for the construction of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.[11]

References

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