Author: Brian Glenn

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has announced that Christmas Town, the park’s award-winning holiday event, will be returning this year in modified form to provide guests with a safe experience this Holiday season. The event kicks off with a preview weekend with light displays and select entertainment elements on November 14 and 15; and Christmas Town will run daily with its full lineup from November 20, 2020, through January 3, 2021. Busch Gardens’ creative team has consulted with medical experts to offer a modified event with required reservations and limited capacity. The event features open-air entertainment and experiences as well as…

In this special episode, we discuss the past 10 years of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando; counting down our Top 10 Haunted Houses & Scare Zones, as well as other memorable moments of the last decade. Direct Download and iTunes You may download this episode directly here. You may also subscribe to the Inside Universal Podcast on iTunes. In addition, you can also follow us on Spotify to listen to podcast episodes on their app.

Off the heels of Knott’s successful new “Taste” experiences, Knott’s Berry Farm has announced a new Holidays food and retail event with Knott’s Taste of Merry Farm. Knott’s will celebrate the Holidays with “enchanted décor, thousands of twinkling lights, miles of festive garland, and a variety of picturesque holiday settings”. With over 60 unique food and drink items offered on the tasting card, guests can choose from popular flavors of the season like Fully Loaded Turkey Dinner Tater Tots and Comet’s Cinnamon Bun with a Maple Glaze and Candied Pecans, plus options for all dietary preferences. Guests can take care…

We’re still over a year away, but the Halloween Horror Nights hype train for 2021 is underway as Universal Orlando gave us a behind-the-scenes look at one of the houses that will be featured next year, Puppet Theater: Captive Audience. Puppet Theater: Captive Audience will bring the demented side of puppetry and theater into the spotlight. The house takes place in a turn-of-the-century San Francisco theater, where an earthquake traps an Eastern European puppet troupe and ballet company inside – where they go mad and start turning victims into puppets. Award-winning Executive Producer Greg Nicotero joins Mike Aiello, Universal Orlando’s…

The all-new Glacier Bar is officially open at SeaWorld Orlando. The new bar, which is located next to Wild Arctic, features craft beers, premium cocktails, frozen drinks, and exclusive SeaWorld Coca-Cola Freestyle flavors. In addition to a wide selection of beer and cocktail options, the bar will offer several unique food and beverages items from an all-new chef and mixologist created exclusive Glacier Bar menu including: Handcrafted specialty flatbread pizzas including Truffle Veggie and BBQ Chicken, all-new Bacon and Cheddar Beef Sliders, and more fun culinary surprises made fresh to order and safely delivered straight to your seat Homemade Ice…

The California Department of Public Health has released their theme park reopening guidelines, sharing steps and procedures that California theme parks must meet before they are allowed to reopen. Under the current plan, Universal Studios Hollywood may not reopen until the county reaches Tier 4 (Yellow – Minimal) risk level of COVID spread. Once that tier is reached, the parks can open up to 25% capacity. Currently, Los Angeles County – which is the home of Universal Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain – is at Purple Tier. Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm, both located in Orange County, are…

Universal Beijing shared the first looks and details behind all the amazing lands, hotels, and experiences coming to the Resort; set to open in May 2021. Universal Beijing Resort is a widely anticipated theme park destination that will feature the Universal Studios Beijing theme park, the Universal CityWalk Beijing retail, dining and entertainment complex, and two hotels. The hotels include the Universal Studios Grand Hotel, the first-ever Universal-themed resort hotel, and the first NUO-branded resort hotel from Beijing Tourism Group. The Universal Studios Beijing theme park will feature seven highly themed and immersive lands that include several all-new attractions along…

Universal has announced that Universal CityWalk is teaming with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to serve as an official voting location for the upcoming General Election. Any Los Angeles County voter can securely cast their ballot in-person beginning Saturday, October 24 through Tuesday, November 3, 2020.  Free self-parking will be available to all visitors during this voting period. The Vote Center at Universal CityWalk will also serve as a Vote by Mail Dropbox for all voters who prefer to return their voted mail-in ballot in-person. Voting will take place in an area of the Jurassic Parking structure. All visitors…

Mario Cafe & Store opened at Universal Studios Japan today for the first time, allowing guests the chance to check out all the new food & drink items and merchandise. “Mario Cafe & Store” is a restaurant and retail store where guests can enjoy food and goods inspired by the world of Super Nintendo. Mario and Luigi were on hand to celebrate the opening. Inside, much of the decor features familiar iconography from the popular video games; with colorful Mushroom tables, bricks, and Mario & Luigi’s hats. All the food & drink are inspired by the world of Super Mario Bros,…

Karl Strauss Brewing Company appears to have closed at CityWalk Hollywood. While no official announcement has been made, all signs point to its closure; including its removal from the CityWalk directory, the phone number being disconnected, the removal of the outside menus from the entrance, and tables and equipment that have been removed inside the restaurant. We reached out to the restaurant for comment but have not received a response. The restaurant had been closed since March when CityWalk originally shut down due to the pandemic. In 1989, Karl Strauss Brewing Company was the first craft brewery to open in…