It’s been about a year and a half since the opening of Epic Universe, and somehow the theme park keeps getting cooler. Not covered under the Annual Pass, a tour of Universal’s newest Florida offering still feels special to newcomers and frequent Universal Orlando visitors. I’ve been lucky enough to attend it twice so far, and while every major Epic Universe attraction offers something different for guests, the Easter egg hunt makes it even more fun.
Of course, there are the Super Nintendo World Pikmin in Celestial Park, which can be seen if you look close enough, and there’s also Leafy Pikmin fantastic beast Breaking the lock of a shop window in the Ministry of Magic. But what you probably don’t know – and I certainly didn’t know about it – is that the ground in front of the Hi-Thrills Stardust Racers roller coaster has luminescent properties in some places that are already built into the pavement. If you’re wondering what exactly this means, check out the Instagram clip below:
What really makes this Easter egg magical is that when you use a UV torch to illuminate the ground, you’re not locked into any one specific drawing or message. Instead, you have the freedom to actually light up a greeting like “Hi” or “Welcome,” or you can create a shooting star or heart. Although it looks like workers are painting on the ground, it’s really all about the torch falling on the right spots and bringing those areas to glowing life.
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In a world where it feels like theme parks are losing some of the magic in favor of expansions or budget changes, it’s nice to see something like this, where it feels like the sole purpose is to put a smile on a guest’s face with a small gesture that feels like a magical touch. It’s hidden underground, which means you can easily walk across it or even on it, and you’ll have no idea what’s lurking just ahead.
Additionally, if you walk through the Dark Universe portal and enter Darkmoor, you can find the address 428 (in honor of Carl Laemmle Jr.’s 4/28/1908 birthday, son of the man who started Universal Pictures and the monster movies they are known for) engraved on bricks. Furthermore, later Walking through the Metro Floo network in the battle queue for the Ministry, you can spend hours trying to understand how the mirrored rim creates the illusion that the Ministry with its stormy roof stretches on forever. Still, what makes Shiny Land even cooler is the fact that you can always do something different with it.
So, if you’re visiting Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort for the first time or on a return visit, keep an eye out for staff “painting” on the ground. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover another Easter egg that highlights a little of the magic of theme parks.