Universal Studios Florida: San Francisco/Amity

Lomard Landings at Universal Studios FloridaOrlando, Florida: Only at Universal Studios Florida is it possible to walk from coast to coast in less then five minutes. Travel from Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco to the sleepy tourist town on the water of Amity without the jetlag of a four hour flight. These two distinctly different towns are merged into one of the six themed lands of Universal Studios Florida.

Part of the original plan of Universal Studios, San Francisco/Amity is home to two of the parks original attractions; Jaws and Earthquake.

When Universal Studios opened, the original design incorporated some of the popular attractions from its Hollywood theme park. With that in mind, developers decided to take the Jaws portion of the Hollywood backlot tour and transform it into a full ride in the Florida park. Here riders board a tour boat operated by Captain Jack’s tours and embark on a tour of Amity Island. On the way, the boat encounters a rouge great white shark. Captain Jack does everything he can to keep his boat full of tourists from becoming shark bait.

The other original attraction, Earthquake was closed and refurbished in 2008. The result was a new attraction, Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride…Starring You!. The ride begins with a pre-show that audience members act out scenes from the movie. Then you are ushered into a subway station to board a subway train. From there an earthquake hits and you and the other riders try to survive the violent earthquake. Afterwards, the footage from the pre-show and the footage from the terminal are combined to make an action movie trailer. The ride incorporates the original Earthquake subway scene from the original ride with the special effects and interactions of the new ride to create the new experience.

Also located in San Francisco is Beetlejuice’s Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue. Added in 1992 to replace An American Tail, it is a live stage show based on the Universal classic monsters. Join Beetlejuice, Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman and Bride of Frankenstein in an 18 minute musical extravaganza.

The final attraction in the region is another live show. Fear Factor Live opened in Spring of 2005 and allows park visitors to take on the challenges similar to those that appeared on the hit NBC TV show Fear Factor. Contestants are picked from park guests prior to the show beginning. They compete in three contests to determine the winner. The contests are the Endurance Hang, Eel Tank Relay and the Stuntman’s Challenge. Fear Factor Live has been operating on a seasonal schedule since 2009.

San Francisco/Amity offers the following dining options:
  • Lombard’s Seafood Grille: full service restaurant featuring seafood, chowder, pasta and more.
  • Midway Grill: Nathan’s hot dogs, chili and fries.
  • Richter’s Burger Company: burgers, chicken sandwiches and salads.

San Francisco/Amity is home to the following shops:

  • Oakley: sunglasses.
  • Quint’s Surf Shack: beach apparel and goods.
  • San Francisco Candy Factory: fresh made candy, cookies and more.

In addition to the rides, shops and dining the region is bustling with street vendors and a midway filled with carnival games.

For photo of the park, visit my San Francisco/Amity photo gallery.

Updated September 26, 2010

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