The best things to do at Hollywood Studios are Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, exploring Galaxy’s Edge and ending the night with Fantasmic!
If I only had one day, I would not try to treat every Hollywood Studios attraction equally. The park has a relatively small number of rides, but several of them attract enough demand to consume a large part of the day if you approach them in the wrong order.
This is the shortlist I would use for a first visit or any trip where I want to leave feeling like I experienced the important parts of the park without turning the entire day into a checklist.
What Not to Miss at Hollywood Studios
| Must-do | Why I would prioritize it |
|---|---|
| Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance | The park’s most elaborate attraction |
| Slinky Dog Dash | Popular family coaster with consistently high demand |
| Tower of Terror | One of Disney World’s best thrill attractions |
| Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets | Fast indoor coaster with a completely new Muppets story |
| Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge | Worth exploring beyond simply riding Rise |
| Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway | Strong no-height-requirement family ride |
| One current stage show | Hollywood Studios still does live entertainment particularly well |
| Toy Story Mania! | One of the best attractions the entire family can ride together |
| A memorable meal or snack | Food can be part of the park experience rather than just a break |
| Fantasmic! | The nighttime experience I would build the end of the day around |
1. Make Rise of the Resistance One of Your Priorities
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the first attraction I would put on a Hollywood Studios must-do list.
It is much more than a conventional dark ride. Disney describes it as a massive attraction using multiple ride systems, and the experience moves through several environments as you become part of a conflict between the Resistance and the First Order.
The attraction currently has a 40-inch height requirement.
Rise is also the Hollywood Studios attraction currently sold separately through Lightning Lane Single Pass, rather than Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
If I did not want to pay for Single Pass, I would consider riding it early or monitoring standby waits rather than simply joining the line whenever it happens to be longest.
You can check Disney’s official Rise of the Resistance page for current operating information.
2. Ride Slinky Dog Dash
Slinky Dog Dash would be my next high-priority ride for most groups.
It is a family coaster rather than an extreme thrill ride, with a 38-inch height requirement, which gives it broad appeal. That popularity is also why the standby line can become substantial.
If I am buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Slinky Dog Dash is normally my first choice from the higher-demand group.
If I cannot reserve it, it becomes a strong rope-drop candidate.
My Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane strategy explains how I would combine Slinky with the other current selections.
3. Don’t Skip Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the attractions that still makes Hollywood Studios feel different from the other Walt Disney World parks.
The ride has a 40-inch height requirement and combines elaborate hotel theming with a randomized drop sequence.
If everyone in my group enjoys thrill rides, I would put this ahead of several newer attractions. It is also currently part of the second Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Multi Pass group, making it one of the advance selections I would consider protecting.
4. Ride the New Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets
If you have not visited Hollywood Studios recently, this is one of the biggest changes to know about.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opened May 26, 2026. The former Aerosmith story is gone, and the attraction now sends you across Hollywood trying to reach an Electric Mayhem concert.
The coaster still has a 48-inch height requirement and remains one of the most intense rides at Walt Disney World.
It is currently in the same initial Lightning Lane Multi Pass group as Slinky Dog Dash, Runaway Railway and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, so you cannot initially reserve both Slinky and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster as your two upper-group selections.
That makes this exactly the type of ride I would consider doing at rope drop if Slinky is already reserved.
5. Spend Time Exploring Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
I would not reduce Galaxy’s Edge to two ride queues.
Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run are the obvious attractions, but one of the reasons the land works is the amount of detail between them.
I would leave time to walk through Black Spire Outpost, explore the marketplace, watch the characters moving through the land and see the Millennium Falcon without immediately rushing toward another attraction.
Star Wars fans can also build a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop, build a droid at Droid Depot or book Oga’s Cantina, although those experiences require additional money and, in some cases, advance reservations.
This is one part of Hollywood Studios where slowing down for 30 minutes can be more memorable than squeezing in one additional standby attraction.
6. Ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is one of my strongest recommendations for groups with mixed ages because it has no height requirement.
The attraction takes you into the visual style of the modern Mickey Mouse animated shorts and uses a trackless ride system to move through a series of cartoon environments.
It also fills an important role in Hollywood Studios. Many of the park’s biggest rides have height requirements or more intense experiences, while Runaway Railway gives nearly everyone in the group a significant attraction they can ride together.
If you’re deciding which rides deserve the most time, my best rides at Hollywood Studios ranking compares the major attractions separately.
7. See One of Hollywood Studios’ Current Stage Shows
I would not spend a Hollywood Studios day doing nothing but rides.
The park currently has several stage shows, including:
- Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After
- The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
- Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
I do not think you need to see all of them in one day.
Instead, I would choose the one or two that appeal most to your group and schedule them during the middle of the day, when standby lines are often less attractive.
Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After is one of the newer options and features Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent arguing their cases before the Magic Mirror. The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is another newer production built around Ariel’s story.
Check Disney’s official Hollywood Studios entertainment schedule for the actual showtimes on your park day.
8. Keep Toy Story Mania on the List, Especially With Kids
Toy Story Mania! is not as intimidating as the park’s coasters or as elaborate as Rise of the Resistance, but it remains one of the easiest attractions to recommend to almost any group.
There is no height requirement, the interactive game gives the ride repeat value and it works particularly well if you’re already spending time in Toy Story Land.
It is also currently in the second Lightning Lane Multi Pass group, which means I often pair it with Slinky Dog Dash when planning advance selections.
For height requirements and every current ride in one place, use my complete Hollywood Studios ride list.
9. Make at Least One Meal Part of the Experience
I would not spend two hours of a one-day Hollywood Studios visit eating, but I also wouldn’t treat every meal as fuel from the nearest counter.
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater is memorable because you sit in car-shaped booths inside a darkened drive-in theater while old science-fiction clips play on the screen.
If I want something quicker, Docking Bay 7 works particularly well when I’m already exploring Galaxy’s Edge, while Woody’s Lunch Box is convenient during a Toy Story Land block.
For a short park day, I would lean toward quick service rather than build the schedule around a long restaurant reservation. My best quick-service restaurants at Hollywood Studios guide is the better place to compare those options.
If dining is a bigger priority, use my best Hollywood Studios restaurants guide instead.
10. End the Day With Fantasmic!
Fantasmic! is the Hollywood Studios nighttime experience I would try hardest not to miss on a first visit.
The current show lasts about 30 minutes and combines live performers, Disney characters, water effects, projections, stunts and pyrotechnics around Mickey’s dream and his confrontation with Disney Villains.
Disney currently advises guests that they may arrive at the amphitheater well before showtime, and the show can be affected by weather.
I would check the My Disney Experience app during the day for the current performance time rather than rely on a fixed schedule from an older article.
For a first visit, Fantasmic! gives the day an actual ending instead of simply riding until the park closes and walking out exhausted.
If You Only Have Half a Day at Hollywood Studios
If my time were limited, I would narrow the list even further.
My priorities would be:
- Rise of the Resistance
- Slinky Dog Dash or Tower of Terror
- Explore Galaxy’s Edge
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway or Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Fantasmic! if the timing works
I would rather do five things I genuinely care about than spend the entire visit rushing between lower-priority attractions simply to say I completed more of the park.
How I Would Fit the Must-Dos Into One Day
The biggest mistake I would avoid is treating this list as the order you should physically walk through the park.
Your actual order should depend on Early Theme Park Entry, Lightning Lane availability, ride downtime and the day’s showtimes.
I would use the morning for the hardest rides, move toward shows and food when standby waits peak, then use the evening for anything I missed before finishing with Fantasmic!.
My Hollywood Studios one-day itinerary turns these priorities into an actual touring plan, while the Hollywood Studios rope drop guide covers the first hour.
I would also check my Hollywood Studios ride closures before the trip. If one headliner is unavailable, the priorities and waits at the remaining rides can change considerably.
For everything beyond this shortlist, including tickets, transportation and broader planning, continue with my main Disney’s Hollywood Studios guide.
