Universal Studios Hollywood Reopens Beloved Ride
Park goers headed to Universal Studios Hollywood to enjoy a day of fun will once again be able to embark on a journey through Springfield. Following a brief closure, the famed theme park has reopened its ever-popular The Simpsons Ride. According to InsideTheMagic.com, the ride officially reopened on Wednesday, March 30.
Located in the Springfield area of Universal Studios Hollywood, The Simpsons Ride invites guests to crash through Krustyland, Krusty the Clown's low-budget theme park, alongside the characters at the center of the long running animated comedy – Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Described as an "over-the-top non-stop adventure," the ride is a virtual reality roller coaster ride that makes "the action feels so real... you're sure to let out a 'woo hoo' or two." The indoor simulation also features cameos from other The Simpsons characters as riders soar across Springfield and beyond.
Although the ride has remained a popular attraction since its opening in 2008 – the ride was initially announced in 2007 as a replacement for Back to the Future: The Ride at both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood – it was temporarily shut down beginning Tuesday, Feb. 15. Over the course of the next several weeks, crews began work on a refurbishing the ride with fresh paint as well as maintenance to the attraction and its vehicles. As the refurbishment project began, guests headed to Universal Studios Hollywood could see scaffolding and grass walls put up. Those have since been taken down, as seen in a video recently shared to TikTok that announced, "Simpson is back up and running again!"
Refurbishment on The Simpsons Ride coincided with several other refurbishment projects, which have resulted in a number of attractions temporarily closing. One of the biggest refurbishment projects took place at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Florida, where the popular attraction Poseidon's Fury reopened in late March following a nearly two-year closure. The attraction was initially closed in August 2020 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Other attractions closed after the park reopened included Fast & Furious: Supercharged, Fast & Furious: Supercharged, and Storm Force Accelatron, as well as Fear Factor Live and A Day in the Park with Barney, both of which never reopened.
Universal Studios Hollywood is a go-to spot for theme park lovers. The park WaterWorld, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, , Kung Fu Panda Adventure, Universal's Animal Actors, Harry Potter, and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Studio Tour, Jurassic World – The Ride, Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride, Transformers: The Ride-3D, and more.