Can You Have Tattoos And Work At Universal Studios City Walk

Universal CityWalk Orlando sits right in the heart of Universal Orlando Resort's primary campus, serving every bit the welcome bespeak for solar day visitors, the gathering spot for all hotel guests, and, of course, the front doorstep of both theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. That means information technology'due south literally impossible for tourists to avoid the dining, shopping, and entertainment complex – but that doesn't mean that everyone will walk away with the best cess of its wares or how to all-time take advantage of its offerings.

Or, sometimes, how non to take advantage of them – similar any other theme-park element, deciding how to contain CityWalk into your touring plans can present a scrap of trial-and-error. Luckily, I'm hither to help with that process and provide some time-honed recommendations.

The Biggest CityWalk Must-Exercise: Eating!

Over the past 7 years, when Universal engaged in a site-wide remake of CityWalk, the "dining" portion of the dining, shopping, and entertainment area has really been emphasized (to the detriment of the other parts of that equation, I think, only nosotros'll get there soon plenty). This ways that there is a plethora of splendid options to cull from when lunch or dinner time comes around, ranging from some unique, home-grown experiences to some noteworthy national chains.

I tin can't recommend three venues in particular plenty: The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen, The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar, and, on the quick-bite end of the gastronomical spectrum, Voodoo Doughnut. These picks are, of course, highly subjective, and your culinary mileage may vary, but I think they check all the theme-park boxes: a wide enough menu, engaging theming, (regional) exclusiveness, and – the Universal Orlando specialty – quirkiness (especially when information technology comes to the titillating Voodoo). They're besides the establishments I personally arrive a point to take all offset-timers to, every bit they requite a practiced indication of Universal dining and besides make quite the impression on both the theming and food fronts.

Whether y'all opt for these or a more than familiar restaurant, such as Hard Stone Café Orlando or Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Marketplace, planning your evenings around an epic meal at CityWalk will rarely, if ever, steer y'all wrong.

CityWalk Does Offering Shopping, but…

Let's do the adept news first: the new Universal Studios Shop, what is now the flagship retail experience at the resort, is large and bold and makes quite the aesthetic statement. It'southward a keen way to kill a bit of fourth dimension, either on your fashion to or from the parks, and y'all just may find a wonderful little something that you otherwise would've passed right over (may I suggest you take a expect at the 2 Harry Potter-dedicated rooms, which feature such exclusive items as a sleek new kitchenware line?)

Even better, the home of the old Universal Studios Shop, which is more than or less right beyond the manner from the new digs, has gotten reworked into the Universal Legacy Shop, which is both a collection of merchandise and a treasure trove of retro items, including props, the preshow video of the long-extinct Dorsum to the Future: The Ride, and, a existent boon for history nerds similar me, a giant timeline of Universal Orlando Resort'due south lifespan, covering the past forty or so years. You won't regret visiting hither – and, odds are, you're going to spend more than (both in terms of time and coin) than you thought.

The bad news to all this is that, after these ii headlining venues, that'south pretty much it for CityWalk'southward retail scene – all that'south left is Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company and Tranquility Flight Surf Shop. This is considering Universal shuttered four locations to make way for the new Studios Store, and it'south left the quantity department defective (though not, plainly, the quality one).

All of which is to say that shopping at the commune is still a must-practise, but merely don't expect it to exist an hours-long spree (unless you lot actually desire to peruse every historical antiquity in the Universal Legacy Shop, that is, and I certainly wouldn't judge you if you did).

CityWalk's Entertainment: Fun but Unfortunately Limited

CityWalk'due south entertainment lineup, unfortunately, bares a pretty striking resemblance to its mercantile roster – and later Blueish Human Group'due south closure earlier this year, its numbers are even more limited.

Permit's concentrate on the biggest feel beginning: Hollywood Drive-In Golf, which offers two crazy courses that are themed to B-flicks from the '50s chosen The Haunting of Ghostly Greens and Invaders from Planet Putt. Although I, personally, have never had the pleasure of playing either ane, I've heard nada merely rave reviews for Drive-In Golf since it first opened nine years ago, making information technology a pretty solid choice for a fun afternoon or evening off (preferably later on scarfing down some burgushi at Cowfish or knocking back a few drinks at Pat O'Brien'southward).

The other ii options on this front are more of the theme-park-staple variety, which means they're not necessarily centre-catching just notwithstanding perform valuable entertainment services. Universal Cinemark is the resort's resident cinema, replete with 4K digital projection and RealD 3D surround-audio systems (and the THX-certified Extreme Digital Theater, to boot, which comes with a massive movie screen that extends from one wall to the other and from the flooring to the ceiling). And then at that place's Hard Rock Live, a 3,000-seat live-performance venue that covers everything from musical acts to stand up-upwards comedians.

(One could also put CityWalk'southward Rising Star on this list, and I'd see your point about including it, all technical quibbles aside – it's a karaoke bar that fifty-fifty features, during sure times of the calendar week, a full ring to back upwardly the inebriated crooning of whoever's dauntless enough to get up on the stage in front end of the oversupply. It's a fun time, for certain, even if you're just spectating.)

The CityWalk Conclusion

Now that nosotros've run everything downward, let's take a step dorsum and endeavour to assess Universal CityWalk Orlando's identify in your vacation itinerary.

As we've seen, there are some groovy experiences to be had at the complex, particularly if yous're craving that lovely concoction we call food. But the best style to approach the area and its various offerings is as what I phone call a multiplier – something that adds extra value to your recreational comings and goings, whether before heading off for a fun-filled twenty-four hours of rides or returning from one of the Universal Orlando hotels, with their array of amenities and special events.

Should this preclude y'all from specifically making the trek out to CityWalk just to hit up a eating house or bask a circular of putt putt there? Absolutely non – but neither should you lot be possessed of the conventionalities that the district could fill a full day's worth of experiences or activities all by itself. I've been in the position twice at present of having to entertain an private who didn't accept a ticket to Universal Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure and who wasn't able (because of luggage constraints) to brand an afternoon of pool hopping at the resorts, and CityWalk became our default destination. Did it happily make a few hours wing by? Yep, admittedly. Could it practise more than that, similar how, say, Disney Springs is able to? Alas, no.

All of which means that you lot tin safely schedule your Universal Orlando Resort vacation around your park and hotel time, and feel confident in your ability to slide your mini-CityWalk jaunts around those.

Do you have a favorite restaurant or shop at Universal CityWalk? Permit us know in the comments.