17 Rides for Kids Under 40″ Tall at Universal Orlando

Have you seen all the commercials on TV lately for Universal Studios in Orlando? They show all kinds of fun roller coasters and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It’s hard to resist planning a super fun family vacation.

But what do you do when you have a short-y? In my case I have a little daredevil who is dying to go on all the fun rides and just doesn’t understand that he’s too little. Last summer when we went James was 3 months shy of his third birthday. He was 38” tall and dying to do anything and everything.

If you’ve never been to an amusement park, 40-42” is kind of a magic number. That’s the point when kids are tall enough to ride most of the rides. So what do you do at Universal Studios in Orlando with a kiddo like mine under 40” tall? Here are 17 ideas to fill your day:

1. The Cat in The Hat

In this ride kids get to sit in a moving car and ride through the Dr. Seuss story. Both of my kids loved this ride. They recognized the characters. It was cute and fun. And added bonus, it’s air conditioned! My husband and James rode this over and over while my older son and I did a couple of the nearby rides that were 40”+

Requirements: 36” tall (under 48” must be accompanied)

2. Caro-Seuss-el

While from afar this looks like a typical carousel, it’s anything but ordinary. The Caro-Seuss-el has characters from Horton Hatches the Egg; If I Ran the Zoo; One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and more! Plus when you pull the reins or push a lever the characters animate. Eyes blink, ears wiggle. My kids thought that was awesome!

Requirements: None! (under 48” must be accompanied)

3. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Climb in a colorful fish and ride it up, down and around. While you spin, you control how high or low you go. It’s kind of a trick though. You have to listen to the words of the rhyme during the ride. If you don’t want to get wet, do what they say. Otherwise you’ll be squirted by the fountains surrounding the ride. James LOVED this one. He thought it was hilarious to get sprayed.

Requirements: None! (under 48” must be accompanied)

4. Flight of the Hippogriff

For kids wanting to do rides in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, this is it for the little ones. It’s a really neat one though and you get great views of Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade. You even swoop past Hagrid’s hut. It’s a little wilder than the Woody Woodpecker coaster but still pretty tame.

Requirements: 36” tall (under 48” must be accompanied)

5. Pteranodon Flyers

This was a family favorite. I can’t tell you how many times we did this ride. You sit in a two seater swing and glide high above the trees. It’s slow and gentle but you get incredible views of different parts of the park.

Requirements: 36” tall (Anyone over 56” must be accompanied a child)

6. Shrek 4-D

This is really more of a show than a ride. Join Shrek and Donkey to help save the day. You get to wear 3-D glasses so it looks like you are there. Plus the seats move and you can feel water, wind, mist and other special effects that make it feel like you are really there.

Requirements: None!

7. Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster

My boys loved this little roller coaster. We rode it probably a dozen times. For little ones dying to go on a big coaster, this makes them feel like they are there. It’s kid-sized but still had swoops and turns and even some silly circles.

Requirements: 36” tall (under 48” must be accompanied)

8. Camp Jurassic

This is a playground in the Jurassic Park area. It’s pretty shady. And kids can explore secret caves, climb through nets, run across bridges and slide down slides. There are even spray shooters in one section so kids can get wet. It’s really fun but also easy to lose your kids if they are quick. Just be ready to keep up! Plus it’s right across from the Jurassic Park River Adventure so it’s easy for other in your party to sneak over and ride that while the little one is playing.

Requirements: None!

9. If I Ran The Zoo

This is a playground in the Dr. Seuss section. It’s small but there are water features and it’s fun for kids and gives them a chance to run around.

Requirements: None!

10. Jurassic Park Discovery Center

This is an entire education center that focuses on dinosaurs and the prehistoric past. There are fossilized remains of a T-rex and other dinos. Kids can examine dinosaur eggs and watch a baby velociraptor hatch. My kids loved this area and had lots of fun playing here. I loved that it was air conditioned!

Requirements: None!

11. Me Ship, The Olive

This little ship is an awesome place for siblings to play and wait while the rest of the family is getting soaked on Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. My husband and James manned the squirt guns and sprayed my older son and I as we floated past. My husband said James squirted every boat that went by and laughed and laughed when people would scream. This one was a hit.

Requirements: None!

12. E.T. Adventure

This one was one of my favorites. You climb on a flying bicycle and ride through all the scenes in ET. Then once you fly past the moon, you go to E.T.’s planet. It’s indoor so that means air conditioned. And I thought it was really cute. My kids really enjoyed it to. This one also had very little line so we were able to ride it a bunch.

Requirements: 34” tall (under 48” must be accompanied)

13. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

This is a top secret tip. The ride states that kids must be at least 40”, however, they have a row of stationary seats at the front that anyone can sit in. When you get to the front of the line, have one parent go with the little one to sit in front. Your remaining party can ride the ride like usual. The little one will still get glasses to watch and they’ll love every minute of Gru’s super-villain laboratory.

Requirements: None for stationary seats!

14. Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl

This is a spinning ride and the cars go up and down. It’s fairly gentle and not too stomach-churning. However if you get dizzy easily (like me!) maybe have the other parent accompany the child.

Requirements: None!

15. Hogwarts Express

This is the Harry Potter train that transports you between the two parks. It’s a replica of the one in the movies and the TV screen inside each individual car makes it look like you are going through the country side. Definitely ride it each way because the experience is different on each journey. James had never even seen Harry Potter and loved this one.

Requirements: None! (must have park-to-park admission)

16. Curious George Goes To Town

This is a huge water play area. My boys played here for probably an hour. It’s great and they get soaked. They had so much fun playing with all the pumps, valves and hoses. Then in the back of the water area is a room with thousands of soft foam balls. Whether you throw them or launch them, it’s super fun.

Requirements: None!

17. Fievel’s Playland

This is another water play area. There are things to climb and explore but the real highlight was the 200ft long water slide. You ride on a board toboggan style and kids can go alone or ride with a parent. My boys did this over and over and over.

Requirements: None!

Even if you have a child that’s under 40” tall, there is still lots for them to do at Universal Studios. And I just touched on the rides and play areas. The parks also have a wide variety of shows including Animal Actors on Location, A Day in the Park with Barney and a Dr. Seuss show too.

And if you do have lots of bigs that want to ride the rides, make sure you know about Universal Orlando’s Child Swap program! This is a special room where you can go with a child that is too short. When you get to the front of the line, you sit out with the too short child, while the rest of your party rides the ride. Once finished, one (or sometimes two) of the riders can skip to the very front of the line with you and ride it again while the others who have finished wait with the little one. We used this on a number of rides and it was great!

Have you taken a kid under 40” to Universal Studios? What were some of your favorite attractions?