Orlando is fun for grown-ups, too!

A guide to the rides, restaurants and sights of Universal Studios in Florida

BY ALAN SOLOMON | The Chicago Tribune

April 27, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. - The official name is Universal Orlando Resort. That's marketing for you.

Here's what it is: two amusement parks ( Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure) with overlapping themes and missions - which park has Barney and which park has Dr. Seuss? - and, of course, separate daily admission fees of $69 for adults ($75 buys the right to dash between both parks for the day). Plus a restaurant-shopping-movie-nightclub sector, and three hotels thematically integrated into the rest of the property mainly by ticket package.

No Disney-esque princesses here unless you count Olive Oyl, though Ms. Oyl's best years were with Paramount, not Universal. She's a presence in Islands of Adventure's Toon Lagoon. The other park has a Lucille Ball tribute of sorts - a wing of the main gift shop - but she didn't work at Universal either.

Neither did Spider-Man, who's also here.

But let's not quibble. Besides, as a nonrodent cartoon symbol, it's hard to beat Woody Woodpecker.

And the Hulk, incredibly big here, is a legit homeboy.

For folks of the adult persuasion who choose wisely, there is fun to be had at this Florida Universal.

There also aren't quite as many tots being pushed around the grounds in strollers as at the Disney parks, which suggests that even with Barney and the Cat in the Hat, maybe Universal's primary target audience is beyond the preschool crowd.

Pop a brew and let's go.

Citywalk in step with adults

A concentration of a few shops, a lot of restaurants (many of the sponsored "theme" variety), plus nightclubs and show venues, plus a 20-screen multiplex cinema - that's CityWalk.

Downtown Disney has Cirque du Soleil. CityWalk has Blue Man Group. Disney has Puck. CityWalk has Emeril's. Disney has House of Blues. CityWalk has a Hard Rock. Both have cigar stores.

"They're pretty much the same, as far as what they offer," concedes a CityWalk greeter who won't be named because it would probably get him fired. "The older crowd tends to come to Universal. The younger ones go to Disney." If you're here for a conference at one of the Universal Florida hotels, want to get out of the hotel and leave the rental car in the lot, it's nice to know CityWalk is here, reachable on foot or by water taxi.

And unlike Disney's comparable California Grill, Universal's Emeril's - the night I dined there - was virtually kid-free. (There's a second Emeril's restaurant in the Royal Pacific Resort.) More mainly grown-up food options: Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Pat O'Brien's (an outpost of the New Orleans watering hole) and a place named for reggae hero Bob Marley.

Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island bars are mostly dance clubs. CityWalk has dance clubs and several restaurants that, around 9 p.m., turn into adults-only music bars with a cover.

One of them, CityJazz, features comedy some nights and music the rest. And there are plenty of kiosks on the grounds where you can get a cold beer or an icy margarita and just hang out beneath a large Woody Woodpecker.

Oh, one last point: If you want to see where actual Universal movies or TV shows are produced - where the magic happens, Universal-style - well, Universal City is in California.

Just up the interstate from Anaheim.

Here's nostalgia for you: Universal Studios Florida.

It's almost all about nostalgia here, which should make this place a natural for adults - and puzzling for most kids. Not necessarily a bad thing.