What Are the Must-Do’s at Hollywood Studios?

Every park at Walt Disney World is extraordinarily popular.

Still, one has towered above the rest in recent years.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios added numerous E-ticket attractions and incredible themed lands, reinvigorating it into one of the best parks in the world.

You’ll face analysis paralysis due to the sheer volume of attention-grabbing attractions.

So, what are the must-dos at Hollywood Studios?

Dance with Daisy Duck

One of the oddest facts about Disney theme parks was that Walt Disney never created a Mickey Mouse ride.

That’s so strange since Walt famously said that it all began with a mouse.

While Mickey and Minnie have appeared in countless shows over the years, they never had a ride until March 2020.

And since there were other things happening in March 2020, their first ride has remained underrated since the start.

That’s tragic because Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is legitimately one of the best rides at Disney World AND Disneyland.

My favorite part occurs when your ride cart carries you into a ballroom.

Your dance instructor, Daisy Duck, teaches you how to waltz… and then conga.

Drive the Millenium Falcon

You can do many amazing things at Disney theme parks.

Even so, for multiple generations of fans, the ultimate experience involves visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

You can walk up to a life-sized model of the Millennium Falcon.

Then, you can enter the building and pretend as if you’re entering the ship itself.

Eventually, you’ll receive the honor of sitting in the cockpit.

You’ll have your choice of three different roles, but let’s be real.

The joy stems from flying the Millennium Falcon.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll fly it so poorly that you’ll desperately hope it’s insured, but banging into walls is part of the fun, right?

Besides, you have those snooty engineers in the back to fix all the damage.

Escape the Twilight Zone

As you walk through Hollywood Studios, you can’t help but notice a hypnotic building in the distance.

You’re staring at the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

Please don’t let its inviting holiday displays delude you into thinking it’s a cozy space.

In Futurama terms, you’re seeing what’s behind The Scary Door, and I’m here to tell you it’s bad.

There’s an elevator shaft capable of exiting the elevator, something NONE of us ever wants.

This elevator differs from others in the United States because Disney has removed its braking features.

Yes, I’m serious.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror tries to scare you to death.

It’s still a must-do… but only for the brave.

Dine with Your Pushy Family Members

Many Disney restaurants include unique conceits.

Even allowing for that, 50’s Prime Time Café may take the cake.

Disney trains its Cast Members to act like your pushy relatives.

They’ll act like your aunts and uncles who want you to clean the table, wash the dishes, and eat everything on your plate.

This experience isn’t for everyone in that some Cast Members legitimately CAN take it too far.

Sometimes, you need an acerbic dining experience, though.

This restaurant is somewhat anti-Disney with its theming, which makes it stand out.

Learn about Walt Disney

As a Disney historian, I love to visit Walt Disney Presents…

Still, my heart breaks every time. That’s because it’s typically sparsely attended.

On the bright side, this gives me plenty of time to study every piece of Disney history, diorama, model, and so forth.

Even so, I wish more people appreciated Walt Disney Presents… for what it is – a museum at Hollywood Studios.

Walt Disney Presents… should be a required destination for tourists.

Learn from Indiana Jones

At this point, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! is arguably the oldest experience at Hollywood Studios, having opened roughly three months after the park itself.

Given the recent box office of Indiana Jones, you may wonder whether this show is worth your time.

I’m here to tell you that it is because it is by nature timeless.

Each performance demonstrates how stunt work enhances the action in all your favorite movies and television shows.

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! recently celebrated its 35^th anniversary, yet it remains one of the most engrossing shows at the park.

Rise to Resist

I don’t need to tell you that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a must-do at Hollywood Studios.

Honestly, you’re going to do that no matter what I say, and it may be the entire reason for your Disney vacation.

You’re probably on the fence about Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

Sure, you know it’s one of Disney’s best rides, but the lines are long.

Also, you may not want to pay for a Lightning Lane Single Pass.

I’m here to tell you that you should build your entire park visit around Rise of the Resistance, and I’m saying that as someone who isn’t a Star Wars fan.

It’s a mesmerizing 20-minute immersive experience that blurs the line about when the attraction queue ends and the experience begins.

Sing With Anna and Elsa

I’m only picking two show-based attractions at Hollywood Studios, partially because one I like isn’t currently open.

Disney just closed the other.

Still, most Hollywood Studios guests instinctively understand what the best show is.

For the First Time in Forever: a Frozen Sing-Along Celebration features Anna, Elsa, and your other favorites from Arendelle.

It’s Disney’s most technologically advanced show, and yes, Elsa sings “Let It Go.”

What more could you possibly need?

Tour the Stars

Disney basically created the motion simulator attraction, and Imagineers did so because they were such huge fans of George Lucas and Star Wars.

Lucas, who grew up a Disneyland fan, always wanted a ride based on Star Wars.

While the first Star Tours was amazing, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue! elevated the experience.

Now, there’s a randomizer in place, giving you a chance to experience interactions with several generations of Star Wars characters.

Even better, Disney frequently updates the ride, most recently with the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda.

Since Galaxy’s Edge opened, the other Star Wars attractions have stolen Star Tours’ thunder, yet it’s legitimately better than ever right now.

Visit a Drive-In

Everyone has a favorite Disney restaurant, and this one is mine.

My wife and I subscribe to Friendly TV’s streaming service just so we can watch Svengoolie episodes.

Disney has never designed anything that direct dials me as a fan as much as Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater.

Styled like a drive-in theater, it’s a tribute to B-movies and silly space race-era cartoons.

Plus, there are a few loving tributes to the early days of Disney television and a silly robot named Garko.

I’ll be dining here the week that you read this, and I’ve literally been counting down the days for months now.

This restaurant is my happy place.

Watch an Aerosmith Concert

Here’s something strange but true.

The members of the band Aerosmith appear to like you, a total stranger, more than they enjoy each other’s company.

Somehow, Aerosmith has spent the last 40 years vacillating between touring together and suing one another, yet they came together for this roller coaster.

When you enter the studio area of this attraction queue, the band invites you to one of their concerts – and they even provide you with limo service for some reason.

If they did this for everyone, I think they’d go broke and likely cause a traffic jam as well. Don’t worry about it too much.

You can just push your head back against the headrest and enjoy a lightning-fast trip down the highway as you rock out to Aerosmith tunes.

Whip Your Friends at Ring Toss

I’m not saying I’m hyper-competitive, but if I’m sitting in the same Toy Story Mania! ride cart as you, I’m going to try to wreck you.

I want my score to make your score look like it’s your first time on the ride, and you lost your glasses.

Toy Story Mania! is quietly one of Disney’s most ingenious creations ever.

You ride around a fixed area and stare at digital screens, each mimicking a carnival game, such as ring-toss or balloon darts.

So, this is the final hidden must-do at Hollywood Studios.

You must claim victory and vanquish your foes in the most humiliating manner possible.

If they’re still mad the next morning, take them to the Best Friends Breakfast at ‘Ohana.

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