If you noticed I wasn't on the air last weekend it's because I took a couple days off for a trip to Orlando, FL.  I spent two days at Universal Studios theme parks and a day at SeaWorld. Here are some of the highlights if you're planning a trip.

Day 1: Universal Studios
I haven't been at the park since I was little girl so I was curious how it would stack up to my childhood memories. I wasn't disappointed. The only rides that are the same are Jaws and E.T. which are still a lot of fun. Some of the rides they have now that stood out include Men In Black: alien attack where you get to shoot at aliens, The Simpsons Ride, and the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rock it. This is a roller coaster where each person gets to pick the song they listen to while on the ride. I chose Beastie Boys. They also videotape you and at the end you can purchase a music video of your ride. For food, we ate at Lombard's Seafood Grille which is a little pricey but worth it and it's a nice way to get out of the sun/heat and relax.


Riding the waves in Universal

Day 2: Islands of Adventures
This is where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is at and draws out die hard fans. It really feels like you're stepping into Harry's world. Hogwarts castle is where you'll find a ride where you can fly with Harry. I think this ride is the best one between both parks. Also leading up to the ride you go on a tour of the castle where pictures on the walls come to life and there's interaction with Potter characters. The set up reminded me a lot of my favorite Disney ride, the Haunted Mansion. Around this area of the park there are many vendors selling wands and butter beer. The butter beer is awesome! It tastes like a combination of root beer, cream soda and whip cream. I also really enjoyed the Spiderman ride. It combines 3-D and an interactive ride where you're fighting the villains. For food, we went to the popular Mythos Restaurant. The inside has waterfalls and looks like a cave. To eat there we had to make a reservation, but I would highly recommend it. It's been ranked several times as the best theme park restaurant.

Day 3: SeaWorld
Every time I go to Orlando I always go to the Disney theme parks so this time we wanted to try something different. I thought SeaWorld would be great since I love animals and miss the days when there was one in Cleveland. This was another great day. We saw the Shamu show which featured six killer whales and the dolphin/whale show. It amazes me how trainers are able to get the animals to do tricks when I can't even get my dog to obey commands. The penguin exhibit was a highlight here as well as the sharks. I watch Discovery Channel's Shark Week all the time and there were still sharks there I've never seen before. To get even more time with the sharks we ate at the Shark Underwater Grille which again you must have reservations for. It's really popular because the restaurant has the shark tank all around you so you can watch them while you eat. Also take a look at the bar that's one big fish tank.

May is a great time of year to visit. Lines at that parks were usually short, no more than a 15 to 20 minute wait for rides, except for the Harry Potter attractions. We also saved a lot of money by going during one of their slower seasons.