Universal Studios Escape has come alive at night with CityWalk, an entertainment complex that has been opening in increments this year.
The complex is filled with hip, big-name clubs and restaurants, similar to Downtown Disney West Side. But the layout is more compact -- like Disney's Pleasure Island or Church Street Station.
CityWalk stretches along a small lake with a plaza and an outdoor stage and offers views into Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
It's the first thing visitors encounter after they park in Universal's two massive parking garages and walk toward the theme parks.
CityWalk offers clubs that span a wide range of musical tastes: from such evergreens as Jimmy Buffet, Motown and Bob Marley to rock 'n' roll, dance music, duelling pianos and Latin rhythms.
Venues include CityJazz, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, NASCAR Cafe, Pat O'Brien's, Bob Marley - A Tribute to Freedom, the Groove, Hard Rock Live and the world's largest Hard Rock Cafe.
The Groove, a dance club, looks like a turn-of-the-century theatre that was converted into a nightclub. There's a wooden dance floor, a wall of video monitors and small lounges tucked here and there.
CityJazz is decorated in a mix of natural wood with a purple and green decor. A montage of jazz stars fills one wall. Glass cases show jazz memorabilia.
Bob Marley - A Tribute to Freedom was patterned after Marley's home in Kingston, Jamaica, which was converted into a museum after the reggae star died in 1981
As for the Latin Quarter, the 20,000-square-foot, $10 million restaurant features "Nuevo Latino" cuisine. The Spanish colonial architecture of the building "ages" as you enter, going from Mayan to Aztec to Incan.
There is no admission charge for CityWalk, although individual clubs may have cover charges. Visitors can buy a Key to the Clubs, providing admission to all venues, for $7.95 plus tax. The Universal parking garages charge $7 for cars and $8 for RVs and campers before 6 p.m. Parking is free after 6 p.m.
General operating hours are 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., although each venue has its own hours.
With eight differently theme night clubs and two more on the way, Pleasure Island has more than enough entertainment to satisfy any taste. Jazz lovers can hang out at the Pleasure Island Jazz Company and listen to live vocal and instrumental musicians.
True party animals congregate at the Island's two main hardcore dance clubs, 8Trax and Mannequins. Day-glo '70's decor and a huge disco ball set the stage for the retro-dance extravaganza that is 8Trax. The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, K.C. and the Sunshine Band and other disco favourites blare from the club nightly. Mannequins offers a newer party atmosphere. House, dance, urban street music, techno and other harder electronic music is on tap in a warehouse/rave atmosphere. Mannequins features three levels of partying areas, with a huge rotating dance floor on the bottom. On Thursdays, Mannequins offers "DV8 night," where they play nothing but '80's retro progressive - Depeche Mode, Devo, etc.
Live bands at the Rock and Roll Beach Club charge up a party atmosphere with every decade of rock 'n' roll hits from '50 and '60's to present day. Both local and national comedians, as well as improv groups such as the Island's own "Who, What and Warehouse Players" can be enjoyed at the Comedy Warehouse, while the Adventurers Club features four rooms of live stage shows, each funnier than the last
Wildhorse Saloon: Based on the popular Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, PI's Wildhorse will feature a barbecue restaurant and a country dance club. Taking over the space vacated by the Fireworks Factory (on the east end of Pleasure Island), Wildhorse officially opened in May 1998 with a huge party featuring the group Alabama.
The club resembles Nashville's Wildhorse, with a huge concert stage; sleek, wood dance floor; nightly live entertainment; and a schedule of special event concerts that includes the glitterati of Music City. Guests can enter the Wildhorse from two different vantage points, inside Pleasure Island and from the outside of the complex near Fulton's Crab House. A $5 cover charge is included in Pleasure Island admission, but can be paid separately if guests only want to go to the Wildhorse.
The 200-seat restaurant fills out the second floor. It features burgers, salads and sandwiches and a variety of barbecue dishes. Entrance to the Wildhorse restaurant is free during lunch hours (before 7 p.m.), but guests must pay the $5 cover charge during dinnertime. Guests who come for dinner a $2.50 voucher, good toward any dinner entree.
BET Soundstage Club: Built on the grounds of the old Neon Armadillo, BET changes the vibe of the whole Pleasure Island complex. BET's first foray into the Soundstage concept was their flagship restaurant in Maryland, near BET's headquarters in Washington D.C. The Soundstage Club at Pleasure Island presents the next phase of the concept's evolution.
The 5,000-square-foot club has a floor-to-ceiling glass exterior, multiple levels of dance space and a wrap-around balcony overlooking the main dance floor. State-of-the-art lighting and sound systems surround visitors with pulsating strobes and beats. Guests become stars as a rotating video camera sends every move to 40 video screens.
The Club spotlights live hip-hop, R&B, reggae and jazz music, along with the hottest spin doctors playing today's urban dance hits. The BET Network also broadcasts live from the Soundstage at various times during the year.
Amenities: Pleasure Island is free and open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 7 p.m. for dining and shopping. At 7 p.m., guests pay a cover charge for the whole complex, and the night clubs open for business. Downtown Disney offers free parking and valet for $6 after 7 p.m. The PI complex is restricted to those 18 and older unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Patrons must be 21 to get into Mannequins.
Guests can check a weekly schedule of concerts to see what's happening at each of the clubs and on the stages.
Pleasure Island's main restaurant is the Levy Bros. Portobello Yacht Club, which features Italian and other Mediterranean style dishes in an elegant atmosphere. Guests can get appetizers and food samples while your listening to the shows at clubs like the Pleasure Island Jazz Company and the Comedy Warehouse. Light treats and tasty sweets can be grabbed on the run at D-Zertz cappucino bar and Missing Link cafe, located near the Adventurer's Club.
