Located right at the front of Universal Studios Florida is Minion Land on Illumination Avenue. With plenty of shops, food venues, and attractions, there is lots to see, do, and taste in this area of the theme park. Grab your goggles and get ready for a dose of mischief alongside our favorite banana-loving pals.
What To Do
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
Join Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes, and the Minions as you become a Minion yourself, and receive your official training on Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.
Step through the door of Gru’s house and get swept up in the excitement as you enroll in Minion training. Get shrunk down in size and join Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes, and the Minions on a wild and unforgettable motion-simulator ride through Gru’s laboratory. But keep your wits about you — whenever the Minions are involved, there’s always a chance that things won’t go according to plan.
Minion Mayhem is a truly multi-sensory experience, with so much to look at, listen to, and feel! And, if you’re hungry after and want to hit at that fifth sense, don’t worry. There will be plenty to eat later on this list.
Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast
Are you ready to take your supervillainy to the next level? If so, check out Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast, wherein you have the chance to compete for a spot on the Vicious 6 supervillain team.
At this attraction, you stand on a moving walkway with a handheld E-Liminator X blaster, trying to earn as many points as you can as you blast targets, Minions, and more on screens.
There is no height requirement to experience the attraction, you just need to be able to stand on the walkway by yourself. Although, those under 48 inches in height will need to be accompanied by an adult.
What To Eat
Minion Cafe
Grab a bite to eat over at the Minion Cafe, which has a wide array of food options you can order using the official Universal Orlando app. Whether you try the handheld, the tater tots, or anything in between, you’re bound to have a delicious meal!
The Despica-Bowls offer a wide variety of meal choices, such as Kevin’s Chopa Chopa Salad, Lucy’s Top Secret Salmon, and Carl’s Crispy Cauliflower, the last of which comes highly recommended.
The Handhelds — Uncle Dru’s Belly Fillin’ Pork Sandwich and the Steak & “Cheese Ray” Sandwich — and Mel’s Meatball Mountain are sure to fill you up after a long day of mischief, too.
The kid’s menu (Mini Minions, as it’s called at the Cafe) will surely excite both the young and young-at-heart, offering up things like the Mini Boss’ Mega Melt (a grilled cheese with waffles as the bread and a side of Minion-shaped tots, the Minion Tots) and the Shrunken Moonballs with Flying Sauce (Minion-ified spaghetti and meatballs). Plus, every Mini Minions meal of course comes with a mini banana, which is adorable to say the least.
Two of my favorite desserts in the whole theme park can be found in Minon Café. First off is Otto’s Pet Rock, a banana cake dipped in a chocolate shell, filled with peanut butter mousse and strawberry jelly hits every time. Another must-have, almost-too-cute-to-eat dessert is Bob’s Teddy Bear, a chocolate cream puff filled with chocolate whipped ganache.
The decor at the Minion Cafe is particularly fun. From Minion statues to silly posters, everything in the Minion Cafe is themed. This continues all the way down to even the smallest of details, making you feel like you’re truly dining in the Minions’ world. There are posters and schedules galore, offering you a glimpse into the life of a Minion. The break room, in particular, has a ton to see. There is a foosball table (which you can eat from), office safety posters, and even a vending machine for the Minions hard at work, among other slices of day-to-day Minion life.
You can also take your food into the Minions’ dining room, decked out in decor and drawings based on the Minions’ own interests. There is an outdoor patio option, too, with a fun ambiance befitting Minion Land.
To learn more about the Minion Cafe, and for a full list of all the menu offerings, check out the Discover Universal Podcast’s episode diving into all the details!
Bake My Day
I don’t know about you, but when I think about Minion Land, Bake My Day is the first thing that comes to mind. The big, pink cupcake roof, in particular, adds a bright, playful tone to the entrance of Universal Studios Florida, and is a great homage to how the bakery appears in the films.
Bake My Day, as the name suggests, is a bakery full of delicious desserts that is sure to satisfy your midday craving for a good treat. Whether you’re in the mood for cupcakes, cakepops, s’mores (check out Fluffy’s!), candy apples, swiss rolls, and even macarons and cotton candy, it’s got it all.
Beyond this, Bake My Day gives you the opportunity to truly exist within the world of “Despicable Me,” as fans will know that the bakery is actually a front for Gru’s Anti-Villain League. Turns out, the Bakery is both serving treats to Universal guests, and also keeping watch over Villain-Con.
I found the yellow Minion cupcake, which was vanilla (despite its blue color), extremely delicious. It was best when I would manage to scoop up just the right proportion of cupcake-to-frosting on my fork. Other cupcake options include treats themed to a Purple Minion, unicorn, shark, and bunny.
The shop also sells fun “Minions” and “Despicable Me” merchandise, including Fluffy! Some of my favorite items include the Minion-cupcake-themed stuffed animals, and, believe it or not, plate sets. Additionally, the atmosphere in this bakery is playful and fun, only added to by the Minions decor around the shop (and even on the ceiling!).
Freeze Ray Pops
Cool off from the Florida sun with some refreshing popsicles at the Freeze Ray Pops stand. These frozen treats will cool your taste buds, and warm your heart, too, with their adorable designs.
You can get popsicles in the styles of the Minions, Gru, and Vector, or non-decorated fruit popsicles, at the bright, multi-colored stand, giving you a nice cool down before you continue to explore Minion Land.
I personally tried two pops, the Vector Orange Creamsicle and the strawberry, non-themed pop. I worked my way through the latter while waiting in line for Villain-Con Minion Blast, and it was exactly the burst of cold I needed before getting ready for Villain-Con!
Pop-A-Nana
Do you like popcorn? Do you like bananas? Well, if you answered yes to either of those questions (or, ideally, both), I have good news for you: banana-flavored popcorn from Minion Land’s Pop-A-Nana stand.
Trying this snack is on my Minion-Land-to-do list, but, from what I hear, it tastes like a warm, fresh batch of popcorn with a fun Minions twist. I can’t wait to try it for myself, so if you’ve had it, let me know what you think in the comments below!
What To See
The Entrance to Minion Land
While a sign may not sound as exciting as a ride or meet and greet, the one at the entrance to Minion Land is well worth taking a moment to check out.
In true Minions fashion, the land’s namesake are causing mischief everywhere — even the land’s entrance sign! Climbing to the top of the sign, and hanging from all around it, there are Minions doing anything they can imagine (as Minions do).
Look closely and you may even spot one Minion that doesn’t quite look like the others, still wreaking havoc nonetheless, of course.
Illumination Theater
The facade of the Illumination Theater, located between Transformers The Ride 3-D and Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast, is where you can actually meet and interact with the Minions themselves, or other Illumination favorites from the “Despicable Me” and “Sing” franchises.
There, you can say hello to the Minions, Gru, Margo, Edith, and Agnes from the “Despicable Me” universe, and Rosita, Gunter, and Johnny from “Sing.” What’s especially fun about this meet-and-greet spot is that you can go more than once! If the first time you go, you see the Minions, then you’ll have to make sure to come back again for Gru and the girls, and then one more time for the “Sing” characters.
Outside the meet and greet, there is usually a sign telling you which group of characters will be coming out next, so keep an eye on that so you know when to return!
Where To Shop
Super Silly Stuff
Super Silly Stuff is the gift shop you exit through after riding Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, and it is a shop that certainly fits with its adjourning ride. Seemingly covered in all the “Despicable Me” and “Minions” merchandise your banana-loving heart could imagine, the store is truly a place for the most super of Minions fans.
When I say that this shop has a Minions version of most anything you could buy in a theme park, I mean anything — T-shirts, dresses, candy, popcorn buckets, sippers, plushes, toys, you name it.
Not only can you shop for all the best Minion merchandise here, but if you stick around, you can catch a Minion dance party! You can also try to catch Gru or any of the girls at Super Silly Stuff’s meet-and-greet area, for a despicably good time.
Evil Stuff
After scoring your way through Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast, you’re led right into its gift shop, Evil Stuff — the best place for all your evildoing needs.
While there is a variety of “Despicable Me” and standard yellow Minions merchandise sold here, the real spectacle, in my opinion, is the more villainous merch offered.
Purple Minions? Check. Displayed with phrases like “Mornings are evil” or “Have a bad day” on everything from T-shirts to magnets, Purple Minions have whole shelves dedicated to them.
Vicious 6? Also check. Choose your favorite member, and deck yourself out in clothes and souvenirs inspired by and featuring them. Or, rep your love of the group as a whole, with team merch. My personal favorite of these are the socks featuring the full roster in front of a psychedelic, rainbow background.
However, the best part of the whole store is the Villain-Con-inspired merchandise. Continuing the story from Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast, the merch gives you a chance to flaunt your attendance at the event that’s “so much fun, it’s a crime.” From magnets to stickers, pendants to lanyards, the selections here feel as though they were pulled from the convention floor of Villain-Con.
Where To Stay
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel
Want to keep the Minions vibe going, even after your Universal parks day is over? Go all-in by booking a “Despicable Me”-themed room for the kids at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. The two-bedroom suite sleeps up to five people, and will make you feel like you never left Minion Land at all!
Have you had a chance to check out Minion Land on Illumination Avenue? If so, what was your favorite part? If not, what are you most excited to see? Let us know on social media, or in the comments below!
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