19 Best Rides For Toddlers At Universal Orlando

Famous for their thrilling coasters, detailed attractions, and family-themed play areas, Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure are two of Florida’s most popular theme parks situated inside the Universal Studios Orlando Resort.

Both theme parks have rides of nearly every kind, from haunted attractions to spinning teacups. They also have rides that specifically cater to young children and toddlers, so it’s fun for the whole family.

If you’re planning to go to either theme park in the upcoming weeks, don’t miss these awesome toddler rides at Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure.  

Universal Studios Florida 

Universal Orlando has fewer rides suitable for toddlers (with a height requirement of 40 inches or less) when compared to the other on-site theme park Islands of Adventure.

However, this park also has a number of fantastic character meet-and-greet opportunities including; Scooby Doo and the Gang, members of The Simpsons, Spongebob Squarepants and the Minions from Despicable Me, to name a few.

Alongside this, you’ll also see a number of additional familiar faces out about during Universal’s Superstar Parade which runs along the Hollywood Boulevard area of the theme park.

Meanwhile, the rides and attractions suitable for toddlers in Universal Studios Florida include;

1. E.T. Adventure  

📏 Height Requirement: 34″ (86 cm)
⏰ Average Wait Time: 23 minutes  

E.T. Adventure is a family-friendly attraction suitable for toddlers with a height of at least 34 inches. It features a gondola-style dark ride reminiscent of Peter Pan’s Flight at Magic Kingdom, with catchy background theme songs and flashy intergalactic effects. 

The ride might seem a bit intimidating at first, but it’s actually quite lighthearted and fun! It’s a slow-moving dark ride without any unexpected jump scares or adrenaline-pumping turns or drops. 

That said, you may want to familiarize your kid with E.T. before going on this ride. E.T.’s strange alien appearance—and that of his friends—can look creepy to some children! 

If your kid doesn’t spook at the sight of E.T. in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, then this is a great ride to take him in!

2. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

📏 Height Requirement: 40” (102 cm)
⏰ Average Wait Time: 40 minutes  

You’ve seen the films, now jump on the ride! Have you ever wanted to become a Minion? Now you can!

Recruited by supervillain Gru, you’ll enjoy an unforgettable trip through his laboratory that doesn’t quite go according to plan.

The whole family will love this motion simulation ride and be laughing about it for years to come. This collaboration between Illumination & Universal is a brand new story and animation so you’ll never have seen it before.

Spot your favourite characters as you dive into the world of Despicable Me. C’est banana!

3. Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster

📏 Height Requirement: 36″ (92 cm)
⏰ Average Wait Time: 13 minutes  

Swooping around trees and nut factories, the Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster is an exciting minute-long rollercoaster ride with enough twists and turns to excite young children. 

It isn’t as fast as Flight of the Hippogriff in Islands of Adventure at only 21 miles per hour, and its mostly low-to-the-ground track makes it less scary than the latter. This ride is a good alternative for young kiddos who want to ride the Hippogriff but find it a tad bit too scary. 

One thing to keep in mind is that this ride only lasts around 40 seconds. The ride’s wait time can be a bit excessive during the weekends, so you might not find it worth the wait if you’re searching for a longer ride.

4. Animal Actors

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: None  

Animal Actors is a show situated between Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone and Springfield, home of The Simpsons.

This show takes place multiple times a day and provides you with a chance to meet and learn more about some of the famous animals that work on set with actors and actresses in movies and TV shows.

The show lasts around 20 minutes and includes a lot of interaction – perfect for toddlers!

5. Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: 16 minutes  

Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl is a flying saucer ride based on The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror specials. 

Upon entering Kang and Kodos’ UFO spaceships, Kodos locks the doors and exclaims that the only way to “escape” the UFO is to help them “attack” Springfield.

Once the ride starts, your kid is given the chance to pilot his very own flying saucer and shoot lasers to zap his favourite Springfield citizens to help Kang and Kodos with their mission. 

It’s a fun interactive ride that’s not only exciting but memorable! The saucers travel at the speed of light (13 miles per hour) and fly thousands of feet in space (10 feet). It’s slow-moving and easy-going, perfect for young riders. 

6. Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon

📏 Height Requirement: 40” (102 cm)
⏰ Average Wait Time: 12 minutes

Before you strap into the ride there are 60 years of memorabilia to look at, plus entertainment in the form of a barbershop quartet performance.

Have fun on interactive desks and see Hashtag the Panda. Then it’s a race across New York City as you strap into the “flying theatre” and speed across Manhattan.

You’ll face Jimmy Fallon and well-known characters from NBC’s “The Tonight Show” as you glide over buildings and even take a dunk in the East River.

Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is a motion simulation with 3D and 4-D technology. You’ll feel like you are absolutely there and will be laughing all the way.

7. Fievel’s Playland 

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: None

Fievel’s Playland is more of a play area than a ride, but it has tons of activities that kids under the age of five can enjoy. 

In this play area, they can crawl through giant tin cans, climb up a spider web, cross rope bridges, splash in a water-filled cowboy hat, and take on a 200-foot water slide—all with supervision, of course! 

Fievel’s Playland doesn’t have a minimum height requirement and wait time, so you and your child can enter the playground straight away. Just make sure to visit before Jan. 16, 2023, as Universal Studios is planning to revamp the whole area during this date. 

8. Curious George Goes To Town

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: None

Curious George Goes To Town is a Curious George-themed play area with cartoonish buildings, colourful cars and trains, and a water play area with a hose, lever, and pump. 

This play area lets your toddler ride slow-moving vehicles and splash around with other excited children.

It also features a huge Ball Factory, where he can throw, launch, and blast hundreds of soft foam balls to his heart’s content. 

If you’re planning to take your toddler to the wet area, don’t forget to bring spare clothes. With so many kids splashing around, getting wet is inevitable!

9. Hogwarts Express

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: 34 minutes

The Hogwarts Express is one of the best attractions at Universal and is suitable for all ages.

This train ride takes you between the two Universal parks, visiting both lands of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This means you will need a Park-to-Park ticket.

You’ll find the King’s Cross Station in the London area of Universal Studios Florida where you can find the magical Platform 9 ¾™ through a solid brick wall.

Potter fans will love this, and Diagon Alley which you’ll find adjoined to Kings Cross Station and filled with shops, restaurants, and additional rides (perfect for older kids) all crafted with exceptional attention to detail.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Over in Islands of Adventure, you’ll still find a wide variety of rides and attractions suitable for toddlers including;

1. The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride

📏 Height Requirement: 36″ (92 cm)
⏰ Average Wait Time: 22 minutes

The Seuss Trolley Train Ride is a six-minute elevated train ride through and around the buildings of Seuss Landing. It’s reminiscent of Tomorrowland’s Magic Kingdom’s Peoplemover, except shorter. 

During the ride, a voice reads a Dr. Seuss story over the speakers as it passes through a series of adorable animatronic characters—the same characters that are mentioned in the story.

The Seuss Trolley Train Ride is slow but memorable. The ride around Seuss Landing is relaxing and offers great views of most of the park. 

2. Flight Of the Hippogriff 

📏 Height Requirement: 36″ (92 cm)
⏰ Average Wait Time: 30 minutes

Flight of the Hippogriff is a roller-coaster ride located inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In this ride, your kid gets to board a Hippogriff, which is a magical creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a horse. 

It dives and spirals around a pumpkin patch, then swoops past Hagrid’s hut at exciting speeds, making it feel as though you’re riding an actual Hippogriff!

The ride is approximately two minutes long and travels at a max speed of 25.5 miles per hour. This makes it fast enough to be exhilarating but not fast enough to take a child’s breath away. 

3. Skull Island: Reign of Kong 

📏 Height Requirement: 36″ (92 cm)
⏰ Average Wait Time: 40 minutes

If your child is a thrill-seeker, he’ll have a blast at Skull Island: Reign of Kong. But be warned: this ride can get scary! 

You’ll be met with a lot of (fake) violence and action involving huge dinosaurs and King Kong. You’ll also encounter a surprising number of skeletons and loud ritualistic chanting, making the ride even more unnerving to young children. 

In this ride, you and your child board a safari truck with 3D glasses and ride around skull island in search of King Kong. It starts off as a pleasant, unassuming ride, but it escalates so fast that you’re not given a second to prepare!

A few minutes into the ride, you’ll witness King Kong fighting off huge creatures and dinosaurs. You’re then whizzed from one screen to the next, where you’re attacked by a swarm of Terapusmordax.

You manage to escape, but not before one of them takes your guide, Kate!

If your kid is brave enough, I urge you not to miss this ride—it’s incredibly fun for both young and old.

4. The Cat in the Hat 

📏 Height Requirement: 36″ (92 cm)
⏰ Average Wait Time: 9 minutes  

Located in Islands of Adventure’s Seuss Landing, The Cat in the Hat is a slow-moving motion-simulated dark ride that transports you and your little one to one of Dr. Seuss’ most beloved stories. 

On the ride, you’ll encounter 18 different sets of animatronic characters, including the Goldfish, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and the Cat himself. 

The Cat in the Hat ride is six minutes long, so your child can fully immerse himself as the ride goes through the events of the book. 

The Cat and the Fish speak at various points throughout the ride, with the Cat causing havoc in the “room” while the Fish tries to do some damage control before the “mom” returns. 

It’s a fun, exciting ride that’ll keep your child on the edge of his seat!

5. Caro-Seuss-el

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: 7 minutes  

The Caro-Seuss-el adds a fun twist to the classic carousel ride. Instead of traditional horses, the Caro-Seuss-el features fun characters from Dr. Suess’ storybooks. On top of that, it lets children control the creatures by pushing the level on their necks or pulling the reins. 

If your child is under 4 feet tall (48 inches) supervision is necessary. You can stand next to your child or sit on the ride close to him. For those who are afraid of saddling up, bench seats are available.

6. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: 13 minutes  

One Fish, Two Fish is another Dr. Suess ride inspired by the book of the same name. In this ride, you get to climb inside one of Dr. Suess’ flying fish and soar up towards the sky, reaching heights of up to 12 feet before slowly descending. 

At first glance, One Fish, Two Fish seems like any other up-and-down ride. But this one is actually different. It’s equipped with easy-to-use navigation controls that lets your kid manoeuvre the fish as high or as low as he wants.

The ride is surrounded by fountains that squirt water in time to a musical song, so if you don’t pay attention, you’re in for a surprise! 

If you’re planning to ride One Fish, Two Fish, make sure you bring a change of clothes. You certainly wouldn’t want to walk around the amusement park soaking wet! 

7. Dr. Seuss’ If I Ran a Zoo

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: None

Inspired by Dr. Seuss’ 1950 storybook of the same name, Dr. Seuss’ If I Ran a Zoo is a colourful playground filled with dozens of Seussian animals and contraptions. 

In this attraction, your toddler can crawl through tunnels, ride atop strange creatures, slide down tunnels, and explore caves.

There’s even a wet play area that lets little ones unleash their adventurous side, hopping on stepping stones and trapping beasts. Just make sure to bring a change of clothes—or better yet, a full bathing costume! 

Dr. Seuss’ If I Ran a Zoo doesn’t have a height restriction, but parental guidance is necessary. Since it’s a playground-style ride, you won’t have to stand in line unless the area is extremely full. 

8. Storm Force Accelatron

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: 6 minutes  

Storm Force Accelatron is a Marvel-themed teacup ride that allows you to control how fast you spin. It’s a fun and easy ride, with just enough thrill to make it exciting. 

It’s the only ride outside of Seuss Landing that doesn’t have a height restriction, so you can bring your toddler for a ride with you by his side. 

The ride moves at a speed of 10 miles per hour, so don’t spin the teacup too fast if you don’t want to feel nauseated!

9. Pteranodon Flyers

📏 Height Requirement: Minimum 36” (92 cm) Maximum 56” (143 cm)
⏰ Average Wait Time: 32 minutes  

Pteranodon Flyers is a gondola-style ride designed specifically for children. Gliding hundreds of feet off the ground, this ride gives you a bird’s eye view of nearly the entire park. 

The ride flies at a moderate speed, dashing above dozens of treetops. It’s smooth and exciting, with no sudden or scary movements. 

If your little one is afraid of heights, you might want to search for another ride. With how high the Pteranodon flies, it can definitely seem scary for some children!

10. Camp Jurassic

📏 Height Requirement: None
⏰ Average Wait Time: None  

Camp Jurassic is a play area situated within the Jurassic World area of Islands of Adventure.

This attraction is often overlooked in favour of the other playgrounds inside the theme park, however, we personally find that it’s often the perfect place to take a break and immerse ourselves in an adventure among the dinosaurs.

However, Camp Jurassic does have some accessibility limitations. Both children and adults will need to be able to climb stairs to reach the majority of the area and sadly there are no ramps or elevators for those with strollers or wheelchairs.