The rides at Universal Studios Hollywood make you feel like you’ve entered a blockbuster movie or TV series—think Jurassic World or The Simpsons—but the theme park’s SUPER NINTENDO WORLD takes you into the world of Super Mario where guests can meet Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad.
Once you pass through the icon green pipe at the entrance to the immersive land, you feel pretty transported into the Mushroom Kingdom. You’ll walk through Peach’s Castle, Bowser’s Castle, and Mount Beanpole, the whole area dotted with toadstools, Piranha Plants, and other characters from the world of Super Mario. If you're not familiar with a Goomba or a Koopa Troopa ... worry not. The mix of hands-on interactive activities and high-tech special effects—including augmented reality and projection mapping technology featured on the Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge ride—will help create a new sense of adventure.
Consider Buying a Power-Up Band
To maximize your visit to SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, consider purchasing a keepsake Power-Up Band, a snap-on wristband that interacts with the area’s ride and most of the other interactive activities throughout the land. You certainly don’t need a band to enjoy the main ride, but if you want to collect digital coins and keys from the ride and the other interactive stations around the zone, you’ll want the band.
You can purchase bands at 1-UP Factory, located inside SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, the Universal Studio Store near the park entrance, or the SUPER NINTENDO WORLD STORE at Universal CityWalk. Then, sync your band with the free Universal Studios Hollywood Mobile App to track your points on your phone, so you can compare scores with your companions or check your status on that day’s leaderboard.
Steer Your Kart and Collect Digital Coins
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, located within Bowser's Castle, is an indoor ride where you push buttons from your go-kart seat to “throw” shells at Koopas, Bullet Bills, and other obstacles as you steer through different courses to collect points and compete for the Golden Cup. The ride's queue is as thrilling as the ride itself with lots of visuals and theming to entertain you while you wait. Guests queue up within Bowser’s Castle, which is lined with his trophies, his throne, and plenty of Easter egg–inspired memorabilia. Once you board the ride, you're outfitted with augmented-reality goggles that add another dimension to your view—you can suddenly see both your video game–style targets and your changing score. If you have a Power-Up Band, be sure to tap it on the steering wheel’s “M” to collect your points.
Collect “Keys” at Interactive Games
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD is a groundbreaking attraction that takes you on a mission to recover the golden mushroom that Bowser Jr. has stolen.
Beyond the Mario Kart ride, the Power-Up Band also lets you collect digital coins and keys throughout the rest of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. Stop at the locations marked with “pow” blocks (you punch the bottom of the blocks to collect points) to complete the Key Challenges—interactive games such as spinning a crank or hitting the snooze buttons on giant light-up alarm clocks—and collect digital keys.
Once you’ve collected at least three keys, head to the Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown, located next to Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. In this impressive high-tech room, your shadow projects onto a motion-tracking wall so that you can jump, throw, and punch at fireballs and falling bombs to rack up more coins.
Where to Eat and Shop
The Toadstool Cafe restaurant located within SUPER NINTENDO WORLD offers its own take on the Mushroom Kingdom and is certainly more than just a place to enjoy a satisfying meal. The menu at Toadstool Cafe offers a range of creative crowd-pleasers, such as the Mario Burger (with bacon, mushroom, and cheese) (the bun is decorated with an edible-ink moustache), Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots, or a Piranha Plant Caprese salad plated to look like a Piranha Plant. Drinks and desserts are vividly colorful, such as the Super Star Lemon Squash—with honey lemon soda and tropical boba—and the rainbow-layered Mount Beanpole Cake.
Gaze out the restaurant windows (which are actually video screens showing more Mushroom Kingdom characters) and take note of how, when the restaurant lights dim and thunder can be heard, it’s clear that Bowser must be passing by. Pick up some merch next door at the 1-Up Factory store, including a wide variety of t-shirts, Mario and Luigi hoodies, and Yoshi and Bowser plushies. Keep an eye out, meanwhile, for meet-and-greets with strolling characters including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad.
Before You Go
For more immersive experiences, visit Universal Studios Hollywood's other signature attractions such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jurassic World: The Ride, and the behind-the-scenes World-Famous Studio Tour. To plan your day at the park, check out our tips on visiting Universal Studios Hollywood and how to skip the lines at California theme parks.
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