As you make your way through Universal’s Islands of Adventure, you’ll come upon a mysterious — and somewhat foreboding — presence of ancient ruins adorned with skulls. This island is home to one of the iconic legends, King Kong, in a thrilling ride that explores the secrets of Skull Island and brings you face to face with the treacherous creatures.

Any Floridian will tell you it’s just good sense to prepare yourself for rain when planning a day at a theme park. We here in the Sunshine State are all too familiar with those afternoon showers that come along during the later spring and summer months.

There haven’t been many interviews over the course of my career that I needed to acquire steel-toed shoes, a hard hat, and safety goggles for. Then again there also haven’t been many that I walked the construction site of a brand-new, 1,556 meters, 70 mph roller coaster inspired by a global blockbuster phenomenon from my youth.

In February of 2001, the Dickerson family packed up their car and traveled the 16 hours it takes to get from New Jersey to Orlando. They had planned their two-week vacation in part to avoid a snowstorm heading toward where they lived.