One of the plus-sides to living in Florida is the theme parks that surround us. For instance; Busch Gardens in Tampa, and Universal and Disney World in Orlando. It’s ideal to think that these places would be the most popular hangout for teenagers and kids, however, some think otherwise.

Even though majority of the rides and attractions at theme parks are intended for adolescents, it seems as though they are growing popular among adults as well.

“I’ve noticed that there are a lot more adults in Universal Studios than there were before. But they are mainly young adults enjoying the park, especially in the Harry Potter themed sections,” said junior Sarah Gordon.

In Universal Studios, when you enter any of the Harry Potter themed sections, you might notice a vast amount of young adults. This is likely because many young adults were teenagers when the Harry Potter series was being released back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

“I’m such a huge nerd when it comes to Harry Potter! I live in Boston and when I visited Florida, I spent three days at Universal and two of them were spent tucked away in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” said kindergarten teacher Jesse Gordon.

In addition, the ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ has been very successful and according to Orlando Sentinel, Universal Orlando’s new Harry Potter land sent Comcast Corp.’s third-quarter theme-park revenue soaring 18.7 percent in 2014 compared with the previous year.

“Well I love the rides and movie themes and my favorite is Harry Potter of course! Also I think theme parks are still targeted towards kids or teens,” said sophomore Zoe Donofrio.

Even though these theme parks may be attracting more adults, these places still are a popular hangout among teens. For instance, Busch Gardens is one of the cherished parks to go because of all the diverse animals and beloved rides. Not to mention, how close it is compared to the other theme parks.

“I love the rides and it’s one of the only places all of my friends can agree to go to,” said sophomore Karly Triantifilu.

In the end, age shouldn’t stop you from enjoying all the amazing attractions at these parks.

“I think that the parents probably grew up going to Busch Gardens and want to share that experience with their children, or adults just want to feel young again,” Karly added.

FSA Connection

1. In the article the author suggests what main idea?
2. Select two sentences from the article that support the main idea.
3. In the piece the word “adolescents” means what?
4. Why has Universal’s revenue increased?
5. Summarize the article in one sentence.