There are theme park rides you squeeze into a vacation, and then there are the jaw-dropping, adrenaline-pounding, wait-in-line-forever attractions you plan the entire vacation around. You know the type: the ride that convinces you to book a flight, shell out for a hotel and willingly stand next to hundreds of strangers before you’ve even had your first coffee.
But with theme parks constantly unveiling bigger, faster and more immersive attractions, which ones are actually worth traveling for? We went straight to the fanatics for the answers.
After asking eight theme park and travel experts to name the attraction they’d plan a trip around right now, the answers initially seemed all over the map, quite literally. Editor-in-Chief of Performing Culture Journal Kirill Oleshkevich gave Japan’s Ghibli Park a shoutout, specifically Valley of Witches and Mononoke Village. We also heard plenty of hype for a brand-new Dollywood adventure, a Muppet-fied Disney classic and a family coaster that hasn’t even opened yet.
But one destination kept coming up: Universal Epic Universe.
Five of the eight experts independently pointed to Universal Orlando’s newest theme park or one of its attractions as worthy of building an entire vacation around. And within Epic Universe, one particularly monstrous ride emerged as a favorite.
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Universal Epic Universe
“Epic Universe is an easy one for me because you’re not planning a trip around one ride—you’re planning a trip around an entirely new theme park,” says theme park content creator Bethany Vinton (@bethanyvinton).
And that’s a pretty compelling argument.
Vinton singles out several attractions, including Stardust Racers and Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, but one ride in particular gets her vote: Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.
“Monsters Unchained is one of those dark rides that really shows what Universal can do when they let the monsters play in the dark,” she says.
Orlando vlogger Sabina Padilla (@SabinasMixtape) agrees that Epic Universe is worth the trip, but good luck getting her to pick just one attraction. Her top three span three completely different worlds within the park: Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.
Her No. 1, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, is the one she says could justify the airfare all by itself.
“You don’t have to be a Harry Potter fan to love this ride, but if you are, your mind will be blown,” Padilla says. “The next level ride technology is what sets it apart from anything I’ve ever been on.”
And for anyone who spent their childhood waiting on a Hogwarts acceptance letter that inexplicably never arrived? “If you grew up on Harry Potter, this is the one that makes the trip worth it on its own.”
But Padilla’s second pick brings us right back to Monsters Unchained.
“Universal outdid themselves creating this intense, gothic ride,” she says. “The Classic Monsters make appearances throughout and are gloriously brought to life.”
She adds: “It’s genuinely a beautiful ride, on top of being unsettling in the best way.”
She’s hardly alone.
Jake Doll, founder of the newsletter Nerdfave, makes Monsters Unchained his No. 1 pick at Epic Universe, even with some seriously stiff competition elsewhere in the park.
“While some people may rope-drop and sprint to Super Mario World, which is amazing, or the Harry Potter universe, which feels just like a magical Paris… Monsters Unchained is such an incredible experience for a few reasons,” Doll says.
Among them? Universal’s life-size animatronics, the Victoria Frankenstein pre-show and the elaborate Darkmoor Castle setting, which starts working its spooky magic before you even board.
“Once the ride starts, you’re immediately taken through a house of horrors and an intense battle between good and evil,” Doll says. “You’ll come VERY close to these monsters and feel the breath, heat and water of the environment.”
In other words, personal space is not really Frankenstein’s thing.
@universalorlando Dr. Victoria will see you now! Listen to what our guests had to say about Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. 🦇 #DarkUniverse #EpicUniverse #ThemePark #UniversalOrlandoResort #MonstersUnchained
♬ original sound – Universal Orlando Resort
Travel expert Vummy Kihaule, who has more than 10 years of experience creating tailor-made trips, goes even broader with her recommendation.
“Universal’s brand new Epic Universe theme park in Orlando,” Kihaule says of the attraction she’s recommending to travelers right now. “It opened in May 2025, and it’s the first major theme park in the US in over 25 years. So, yes, it is worth traveling to experience it.”
Her advice? Don’t try to conquer the entire universe in a day.
“Most first-timers try to cram as many experiences as possible into one day. Don’t do this!” he says. “Epic Universe is a park that you will want to give a minimum of two days, and possibly three if you have children with you.”
The team behind @family.fun.trips came to a similar conclusion after visiting Florida’s theme parks in September 2025.
“The new Universal Epic Universe is worth the trip on its own,” they tell Parade. “An entirely new theme park being built from the ground up doesn’t happen very often.”
They also singled out the Harry Potter and Dark Universe attractions as “truly exceptional.”
Four votes pointing toward the same universe? We’d call that pretty epic.
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VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure
Epic Universe may have dominated the answers, but don’t count out Universal’s other Orlando parks just yet.
Comedians Devin Siebold and James Yon of @themeparkcomedians would plan their trip around Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure.
“VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure is in a league of its own,” they say. “No other coaster leaves you wondering what just happened like VelociCoaster.”
And apparently knowing what’s coming doesn’t help.
“You think you’re ready for the speed and inversions but this ‘clever girl’ will impress every time.”
Their runner-up is Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, thanks in part to the rotating soundtrack.
“A different song each ride to change the mood and the constant ‘which way am I facing’ truly make it incredibly unique,” they say. “It’s impossible to ride it and not be smiling the entire time.”
Consider our vacation itinerary officially in orbit.
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NightFlight Expedition at Dollywood
If there’s one person we’d happily plan a trip around, it’s Dolly Parton. Add Dollywood’s brand-new NightFlight Expedition to the equation and Vinton is already packing.
“NightFlight is brand new, and you better believe I already have an entire trip planned around riding it,” she says.
The indoor immersive adventure coaster combines multiple ride experiences and has a 39-inch minimum height requirement, something Vinton thinks makes it particularly appealing for families.
“It has enough thrill to make it exciting, but it still has that family aspect to it,” she says. “And the lower height requirement is huge because it means this isn’t just a cool new ride for adults or big coaster people.”
Her ultimate verdict?
“It’s new, it’s different, it fits the park perfectly, and it’s something the whole family can get excited about.”
Dolly and a roller coaster the family can ride together? Say less.
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Miner’s Mountain Express at Silver Dollar City
Finally, one expert is already looking ahead to 2027.
Dani Meyering, an Orlando native with 20 years of tourism-industry experience, has her sights set on Miner’s Mountain Express, the new family coaster coming to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, next spring.
The attraction follows the natural contours of the Ozark Mountains above Marvel Cave and is designed with a 39-inch minimum height requirement, allowing kids, parents and grandparents to experience it together.
For Meyering, that’s a major part of the appeal.
She also likes that travelers can turn the coaster into a larger Ozarks getaway rather than simply flying in, riding and flying home. Her advice is to wait until Silver Dollar City announces a precise opening date before booking and allow at least two park days.
And if the dates line up with the park’s new Country Music & Comfort Cooking Festival? Even better. Roller coasters, live country music and biscuits and gravy sounds like a pretty solid vacation trifecta to us.
Related: America’s No. 1 Theme Park Just Unveiled a New Record-Breaking Roller Coaster
So, Which Theme Park Is Most Worth the Trip?
Our experts certainly didn’t agree on everything. Some want screaming coasters. Others prefer immersive dark rides or attractions the whole family can experience together.
But Epic Universe was the name we heard most often, with five of our eight experts independently pointing to the park or one of its attractions as worth traveling for.
And Monsters Unchained received particularly high praise.
Still, perhaps Vinton sums up the real reason Epic Universe kept coming up best:
“You’re not flying in, riding one thing and leaving,” she says. “There is an entire park to explore, and the rides all feel different enough that there really is something for everyone.”
Looks like we’re going to need a bigger carry-on.
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