We’re total romantics (obviously), and we love it down here in sunny Southern California. One of the best parts about being a romantic in Southern California? The awesome amusement parks out here! Date night is so much easier if out here, there’s always a new ride or special event going on at any of the number of theme parks here. One of our favorite parks is Universal Studios Hollywood. It’s located in Universal City just a little north of Los Angeles and is an actual working production studio. It’s definitely not the biggest theme park out here in the wild west, but it is a fun full day of exploring with someone special. Grab your sweetheart and hit up our top five favorite romantic spots at Universal Studios!

The Universal Studios Tour

The Studio Tour is one of the longest-standing rides at Universal Studios Hollywood, and is a staple for a reason. The tour goes through live production lots and gives the riders an inside look into movies like Jaws, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and War of the Worlds. So many big productions have taken place on this lot, so the whole ride takes about an hour. That’s plenty of time to snuggle up with your sweetheart and sneak a kiss during the King Kong 360 part. Biggest plus? If you want to crack open a cold one, you can! Soda, snacks, and even beer is sold in the line and you are allowed to bring on food and snacks to munch on during the ride!

Minion Mayhem Water Park

Minion Mayhem is a newer installation in the park which replaced The Terminator ride. They gutted the old auditorium, revamped the inside to be an all about Despicable Me, and put in a fun water park where the old soda-sponsored waterpark used to be. The park is meant for kids, but if you want to splash around with your sweetheart, splash away! Just watch out for the little ones. If you forgot your swimsuit, don’t worry! The park is on the edge of the park and overlooks all of the San Fernando Valley, creating one of the most beautiful views of the valley. Share a cotton candy and watch the day turn into night over the edge of Universal Studios.

The Simpsons Ride

Do Homer and Marge not scream romance? It may not seem romantic, but the carnival-themed Simpsons area is sure to make you feel like a teenager again, running around hand in hand with your sweetie. There’s vintage scenes from The Simpsons playing the throughout the whole line and fantastic character art to look at. It’s sure to shoot you both down nostalgia lane, which is always perfect to bond over.

Jurassic Park

Yes, it’s a water ride, but the first part is actually really sweet and slow. The ride begins with a patient ride through peaceful dinosaurs you can ooh and aww at with your sweetheart. There are moments where you can get squirted by water, but that’s really just another reason to snuggle closer isn’t it? You get an excuse to hold hands when the T-Rex finally goes after you, plus there’s a photo at the bottom you can keep as a souvenir! Water rides can be romantic too, just try not to wear white on this ride. You will get park water all over, and see-through clothes on a date are no fun.

Little Europe

There’s this little strip between the Animal Show and Minion Mayhem filled with little shops and bakeries themed to be like England, France, and Italy. We geek out over the Sherlock section (complete with a double-decker bus!), but you’ll be able to grab a pastry and drink over at the French restaurant with your sweetie. Hop on a stationary Vespa in the Italian corner and take some action shots, or head over to little Ireland for a more grown-up refreshment (the only full bar inside the park- all other stands are beer only or pina coladas). It’s a fun place to wander around and take pictures and saves you thousands of dollars in airfare to the EU!

What’s your favorite romantic spot at Universal Studios Hollywood? Leave it in the comment below to be nominated for ‘Best BHL Reader!’