Earlier this year, Universal Orlando Resort confirmed that the recently closed Legacy Store on CityWalk would be transformed into a truly Epic new store featuring a sneak peek into the immersive new lands that guests will be able to experience at Epic Universe, the newest park joining the Universal Orlando Resort family that’s slated to open summer of 2025. While most fans of the theme park giant are well aware of this hotly-anticipated addition to the already stellar lineup of theme parks on Universal property, many may not know what to expect from the preview center – or the fact that this isn’t the first time that Universal Orlando Resort has premiered something like the Epic Universe preview center in the past.
The Epic Universe Preview Center is one of this summer’s most anticipated new additions to the Universal Orlando Resort attractions. Though technically not a ride, show, or character meet, the preview center is a landmark of theme park history, giving guests their first official look at the grounds of Epic Universe and what each land’s theming, landscaping, and overall architecture will look like in its idealized finished product. Perhaps most exciting about this new addition is how closely the Epic Universe Preview Center seems to be following in the footsteps of its big sister, the Islands of Adventure Preview Center.
The Islands of Adventure Preview Center was Universal Orlando Resort’s teaser before the opening of the now-iconic second park, and ran from 1997-1999 when the park – along with Universal CityWalk, officially opened. Though housed in a much different location than this new preview center, the Islands of Adventure Preview Center operated with much the same purpose as its Epic Universe successor, showcasing each of the original lands of Islands of Adventure and giving guests a highly-themed and immersive look into what was under construction just next door.
Offering guests a chance to immerse themselves in the ideas that Universal’s creative team was bringing to life at Islands of Adventure, guests were able to interact with each land’s room, view models and concept art for rides that would be featured upon opening, and have their passports stamped in each room to showcase their dedication to adventure.
With the Islands of Adventure Preview Center having been a huge marketing success and a beloved attraction by those lucky enough to have seen it in the two short years it was open, it’s undeniable that the Islands of Adventure Preview Center instilled a feeling of wonder and excitement for guests anticipating the grand opening of the ambitious and highly-themed park.
Now, with the Epic Universe Preview Center slated to open to the public sometime in June, guests can experience the magic of such anticipation all over again, with a new lineup of exciting lands that will be welcomed to Orlando in 2025.
Guests can take a look at the finer details that go into the design of each new land: Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe, The Isle of Berk, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, as well as the centerpiece of the park, Celestial Park.
And much like the Universal Arches or the Pharoh’s Lighthouse at Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe will have its very own iconic entrance marker, a preview of which can also be seen in the model miniature, sporting the iconic portal theme that connects each land within the park.
Each section of the park miniature model is intricately detailed, giving guests their first look at the layout of Universal Orlando Resort’s most ambitious park to date. This 750-acre theme park will be Universal’s largest yet with an impressive traversal time and will be not just the largest of the Orlando theme parks, but the largest theme park in the world, coming in at nearly 200 acres larger than its closest competitor, Disney’s Animal Kingdom. With that much room to work with, there’s no doubt that Universal Orlando Resort will be delivering much more than magic in the streets of its newest project.
Five new lands will be featured at the Epic Universe Preview Center, represented not just by the model miniature, but through exciting new AR interactivity, as well as showcasing each land’s portal, the entrance that guests will walk through to access each new themed land from the center of Epic Universe, Celestial Park, as life-sized concept set pieces that give guests an intricate look into the artistic intention of each land.
These portals, featured as key art pieces within the Epic Universe Preview Center, offer not only excellent photo opportunities for guests looking to take the coolest selfies of all time, but offer guests a look into the artistic footprint of each new land represented, allowing them to peer through each portal and view an interpretation of the land they’re meant to be transported to, whether that be a land of monsters and madmen within Dark Universe, or a land where dragons fly the skies in the Isle of Berk.
Despite the fact that the portals within Epic Universe are an artist’s rendition of what will eventually be translated into a physical set by Universal’s talented creative team, it’s easy to imagine that the artistic interpretations, concept art, and model miniatures will be nearly indistinguishable from the real thing when the park finally opens in 2025. With the amount of work that Universal Orlando Resort has been putting into its themed experiences since 1991, and with the amount of talent that has been poured into the Orlando property recently, the end result is sure to be nothing short of breathtaking.
Also Included in the model miniature of Epic Universe is a look at the park’s flagship hotel that overlooks the new park: The Helios Grand Hotel, which will sit at the very back of Celestial Park and include a designated entrance for hotel guests to access Celestial Park and being their adventure.
Guests can also preview exclusive and fan-favorite merchandise for purchase, a taste of each land that gives guests some cherished gear to explore Epic Universe with the day they finally open the gates to Celestial Park.
With new items and old favorites on the shelves of the Epic Universe Preview Center, guests can grab their gear early, which means even the most die-hard fans of Universal Orlando Resort will be able to show off their excitement in the months running up to the opening of this stellar new park.
Though the Epic Universe Preview Center is not currently open to guests, Universal Orlando Resort’s social media team has confirmed over Twitter/X that it will be opened to all guests at a later date and that those interested should keep an eye on the parks and their social media accounts for more information regarding the grand opening of the preview center on CityWalk. In the meantime, Theme Park Shark is excited to bring you this first look at what waits inside, with more pictures and videos of our correspondents’ adventure waiting to be discovered on our YouTube channel and other social media.
Check out Theme Park Shark’s [Twitter] and [YouTube] for an extended look at the Epic Universe Preview Center, and keep an eye out for Theme Park Shark’s further coverage of the official opening for this epic experience.
