After (approximately) 170 bylines for 2024, it was time to take a (brief) vacation this week.

Starting last Saturday, my parents and I made the trip to Universal Studios in Orlando. We are far from strangers to Universal as this is easily the 10th or so trip that I’ve made there over my life.

Universal, and the subsequent Islands of Adventure park, are places I pretty much saw myself grow up in, having visited there since I was 3-4 years old.

I vaguely remember taking the ferry from the Hard Rock Hotel and being over the moon to ride “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” over in Seuss world. 

Then, as I got a little bit older, I tackled the simulation ride like Spiderman and some smaller roller coasters like “The Unicorn” and “Woody Woodpecker.”

It was also where I was scared to death after riding “The Mummy” roller coaster when I was 10 years old. Six years later, I would come back and tackle the larger coasters like “Hulk” and “Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.”, all while being the “veteran” on the block during my trip with my high school marching band. There were many times where my group would try to pull a map out during that trip to get from one ride to another. I would say, “Map? Pfftt… I don’t need that. I am the map!”

The truth is, I have nearly rode every ride in that park that has existed in the last 20 or so years. I can tell you about it all, really. But the one thing that amazes me about Universal is that each time I go, there’s always a change.

This time around, the big change was the addition of the Minions Blast ride from the movie franchise “Despicable Me.” In other recent trips it’s been the giant roller coaster known as the Velocicoaster based off the movie “Jurassic Park.”

With each passing trip, comes a new adventure. That excites me.

Of course, it’s always good to see some old favorites, too. I’m a huge fan of Springfield – which is notoriously known for the TV show and the ride, “The Simpsons.” Aesthetically, it’s always been my favorite place in the park and has been a staple of my childhood. But it will soon go away, too, in 2028.

It comes with mixed feelings though, because one thing I learned about this trip is that my body has changed how I handle amusement park rides.

I’m not sure if it’s just increasing age, a weight gain of over 45 pounds since my last visit in late 2021 or something else, but my body doesn’t take amusement park rides as well as it once did. This included my beloved ride, “The Simpsons.” It may honestly be a subtle reminder to get in better shape… but I digress.

I still had an absolute blast. It’s always special getting to head back to Universal so many times, and I’m thankful my parents let me tag along…even now that I’m old enough to pay my own way.

Speaking of paying my own way, I also decided to purchase an annual passholder pass for a year (which was actually cheaper than the three days of tickets I originally wanted). I guess Orlando will be seeing more of me in the next year.

Additionally, it was good for me to (mostly) disconnect from the news world, even if it was just for a few days. It was my first time really getting to do so since I broke in the industry in May of 2023. Even during my family vacation last year, I was filling out job applications and doing some sort of writing.

So with a few days away, I’m excited to come back and write some more great stories. There’s a lot of great stories I wish to tell and I’m excited to get things moving again.

Evan Newton is the news editor of The Covington News. He can be reached at enewton@covnews.com.