We’re getting closer and closer to the opening of Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort!

This BRAND-NEW theme park will officially be opening on May 22nd and will be home to five different themed lands including SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. We’ve been keeping an eye out for any potential news ahead of the park’s opening, and now we’ve gotten to step inside SUPER NINTENDO WORLD at Epic Universe for the first time!

Having made its debut at Universal Studios Japan followed by Universal Hollywood, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD is coming to Orlando, too! We just got to step into this land for the first time — along with a look at Donkey Kong Country, too and we’re bringing you everything you need to know.

Like the other lands at Epic Universe, you’ll enter through the “portal” — in this case, the iconic green pipe from Super Mario World! SUPER NINTENDO WORLD is actually divided into two areas — Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country. Universal promises “vibrant scenery and exciting kinetic energy surround them as they are greeted by the familiar sights and sounds that they’ve experienced on their Nintendo game consoles – from the towering Mt. Beanpole and majestic Peach’s Castle to swaying Piranha Plants, pacing Goombas, spinning coins, Blocks and more.”

Super Mario Land will present adventures alongside Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and other characters; Donkey Kong Country is where you can encounter thrills featuring Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and other members of the Kong family.

Not only that, but Super Mario Land will be home to two attractions, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge and Yoshi’s Adventure. While we didn’t get a chance to ride Yoshi’s Adventure today, we did get to take a spin on Bowser’s Challenge!

Bowser’s Challenge is essentially the exact same ride we got to experience over at Universal Studios Hollywood last year, and we loved it just as much. We think this ride is incredibly immersive and so much fun for people of all ages, but those who love Mario Kart will have the time of their lives.

And again, while we didn’t get to ride it today, here’s where you’ll enter to check out Yoshi’s Adventure on your visit.

This attraction is fantastic for younger ones, and you’ll want to keep an eye out for special easter eggs along your ride! It’s also a great way to see more of the land from a higher vantage point, which is beautiful.

Before we headed over to Donkey Kong Country, we also got a chance to pop into one of the main shopping locations here, which is Mario Motors! We love all the colors and the design of this location, especially all the nods and details that fans of the universe will recognize and love.

Just take a look at some of the apparel you’ll be able to grab here in just over a month!

Then we headed over to Donkey Kong Country, which has one attraction — Mine-Cart Madness.

We love the way this entire land looks, and it really feels like our favorite Donkey Kong games have been brought to life. The track for this ride brings you around the land a little bit, and the technology makes you feel like you’re truly jumping the track!

While this ride is friendly for families, keep in mind that it will be a bit more intense than Yoshi’s Adventure thanks to those jumping parts, so it might catch some riders off guard! You must be a minimum height of 40” to ride this attraction.

You can also check out The Bubbly Barrel in Donkey Kong Country, which is home to some sweet treats and refreshing drinks.

As we were leaving the land, we got a chance to walk by the 1Up Factory, which is another merchandise location here in the land.

It’s also one of the places you can grab a Power-Up Band to enhance your experience in the land, if you so choose — be sure to grab one if you’re interested in seeing just how immersive this land can get!

We’re getting a chance to check out the WHOLE park today, so stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for more theme park news!

EVERYTHING We Know About SUPER NINTENDO WORLD at Epic Universe

Are you excited about the opening of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and Donkey Kong Country? Tell us in the comments.

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Universal Orlando to attend their media preview of Epic Universe. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ