Islands of Adventure

Universal's Islands of Adventure (formally called Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and often shortened to Islands of Adventure) is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened on May 28, 1999, along with CityWalk, as part of an expansion that converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort. The resort's slogan Vacation Like You Mean It was introduced in 2013.

Islands of Adventure is modeled after a journey of exploration, where guests embark on an adventure to visit a variety of themed islands. Initially, the park featured six islands. A seventh, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, was added in 2010, themed to the popular Harry Potter franchise. It was Universal's largest investment since the resort's founding in 1990. The expansion led to a significant increase in attendance, and in 2013, Islands of Adventure ranked seventh domestically and eleventh internationally after hosting approximately 8.1 million guests. The eighth island, Skull Island, opened on July 13, 2016.

Licensed properties
Like Universal Studios Florida next door, Islands of Adventure has not limited itself to Universal's own library, because it licensed other characters from rival studios, many of whom did not own theme parks of their own, as attractions and lands. Some of these include:
 * Dr. Seuss properties (Dr. Seuss Enterprises)
 * Harry Potter book and film franchises (J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment)
 * Popeye (King Features Syndicate and E.C. Segar)
 * Pre-2009 Marvel Comics (Marvel Entertainment)

History
Before Islands of Adventure was built, the site was originally planned as a shopping mall calle Galleria Orlando. Plans were first drawn up for the mall in 1985, but it was ultimately canceled in 1990.

Preview Center
During the construction of the park, Universal opened a Preview Center (known as the Islands of Adventure Preview Center) at adjacent Universal Studios Florida. Opening two years before the new theme park, the Preview Center was designed to give guests a sneak peek at some of the themes and attractions for Islands of Adventure. The attraction was located in the Paradise Theater building located in the New York section of Universal Studios Florida, next to the Kongfrontation attraction. In the attraction, guests would walk through various rooms themed to the various "Islands" in the new park. The final room stated when the Islands of Adventure park would open, and showed guests Universal's future plans for Universal Orlando. The Preview Center was closed shortly after the opening of Islands of Adventure.