A Beginner's Guide to Hollywood Studios

For years, Hollywood Studios kind of felt like the park you could skip, if you needed to skip one. In recent years, they’ve totally upped their game with Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge. Now, it might be one of the busiest. This is a MUST SEE if you’re a Star Wars fan. It also has a lot of fun-themed restaurants and the famous Tower of Terror ride.

I’ve combined a few areas into one category below, just for the sake of keeping it simple since there are fewer attractions in these areas. As always, every area has cool shops and restaurants to explore.

Cash and one of his best friends on the Alien Swirling Saucers ride

Toy Story Land

Slinky Dog Dash: A really popular kid friendly roller coaster that’s actually really fun for adults too.

Toy Story Mania!: A slow moving ride that feels kind of like you’re in a carnival. It’s interactive, so you get to shoot targets and score points.

Alien Swirling Saucers: The least popular of the three, but still pretty fun. A spinning saucers ride.

Galaxy’s Edge

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run: Motion simulator ride on the Millennium Falcon, where each passenger has their own interactive role (pilot, gunner, ect.) Be sure to take your Dramamine beforehand.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: Disney’s biggest, most ambitious attraction, with multiple ride systems and experiences. I’m just going to say this: I’m one of the 5 people in the world that is not a Star Wars fan, and even I thought it was incredible.

There are a lot of other experiences, characters, and really cool merchandise to explore in Disney’s most popular “world.” Undercover Tourist has a great recap, so if your family are big Star Wars fans, I’d read this article so you don’t miss anything.

Posing at the 50’s Prime Time Cafe

Grand Ave, Echo Lake, and Commissary lane

These areas have some really fantastic themed restaurants. We definitely have not tried them all, but we can vouch for the 50’s Prime Time Cafe (excellent theming, the food was just okay) and the Sci-Fi Drive-In (great burgers!), where you get to sit in cars and watch clips of old Sci-Fi movies on a big screen.

There are about a dozen others still on our “to-try” list.

There are also many shows if you want to rest your feet a bit.

Enjoy this photo of Cash with the greatest Santa EVER, who we met on Hollywood Blvd.

Sunset and Hollywood Blvd.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster: Roller coaster, complete with loops and corkscrews. Super intense launch.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: Steer clear if you don’t like drops, because this is all drops!