It’s not every day that you hear “free” and “theme parks” in the same sentence, but a fun (and free!) activity has popped up at Universal Orlando Resort. Through Jan. 2, 2022, guests can participate in a special Holiday Tree Hunt to purchase an exclusive ornament. We love any type of scavenger-hunt-related activity, so we just had to try it out!

What is the Holiday Tree Hunt?

The Holiday Tree Hunt is an opportunity for guests to check out themed trees all around Universal Orlando Resort. Think of it as the Universal version of the famous themed trees at Disney Springs. Maps are available at 14 gift shops in CityWalk, Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios Florida.

You have to go into each one and get a stamp from a cashier to prove that you’ve visited. Once you visit all 14 gift shops, you can redeem your free ornament at the Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe in Islands of Adventure and the Park Plaza Holiday Shop in Universal Studios Florida.

Plan of Attack

We know this is supposed to be a fun activity, but we had to go in with some sort of strategy. We started at the Universal Studios Store in CityWalk to grab our map and first stamp. From there, we headed into Islands of Adventure, hitting up the Island of Adventure Trading Company shop in Port of Entry. We then went counterclockwise around the park, picking up our last stamp in the Mulberry Street Store in Seuss Landing.

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When we left Islands of Adventure, we made a pit stop into Toothsome’s Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen to collect our second of the CityWalk stamps before making our way into Universal Studios Florida.

The furthest stop in Universal Studios Florida on the Holiday Tree Hunt is at Men In Black: Alien Attack. The rest of the trees are pretty concentrated in the front of the park with a stop in Revenge of the Mummy.

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What’s the Prize?

Note: The first year we did this was in 2019 and the ornament was free.

Once you’ve collected all 14 stamps, you’ll get the choice of one of two Minion ornaments; basically, you have the choice between a one-eyed Minion (aka Stuart) and a Minion with two eyes (aka Dave). We didn’t have a Minions ornament on our tree, which was pretty shocking considering how much we love the Minions, so we were so excited to get one!

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The Verdict? 

We loved every aspect of the Holiday Tree Hunt. It was a fun way to get around the parks. Each store had a beautifully-themed tree and it was a great way to get in the holiday spirit. When we completed this, we were on a mission and power walked around and were done in about 90 minutes, so this can definitely last you the whole day if you’re taking a more leisurely approach.