ORLANDO, Fla. — As we await the new year, it’s time to take a look back at what 2022 brought to Florida attractions.

The year was marked by highs and lows, successes and failures, triumphs and tragedies.

As the theme park industry continued its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, area theme parks opened new rides and closed a few old ones, too.  Fan-favorite shows returned after a long hiatus. And construction on upcoming attractions really started to take shape.

Suffice it to say, a lot happened. Attractions Insider covered it all and then some.

Here are the top 10 most-read attractions stories of 2022:

10. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind questions answered

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, one of the most-anticipated new rides at Disney World, opened in May. We answered the questions you had about the indoor roller coaster, including if the rotating vehicles would cause motion sickness.

9. ICON Park demands operator shut down second ride

After the death of Tyre Sampson on the Orlando FreeFall, ICON Park officials demanded that ride operator SlingShot Group suspend operations of its other ride at the complex, the Orlando Slingshot.

8. Disney World to drop indoor mask rule for vaccinated guests

Disney World updated its face mask policy in mid-February, no longer requiring fully vaccinated visitors to wear masks while indoors and at attractions. It was the second time since the start of the pandemic that Disney had dropped the mask rule.

7. A final farewell to Universal Studios’ Shrek 4-D

In early January, Universal Orlando permanently closed Shrek 4-D. The long-running attraction was a fan-favorite based on the outpouring on social media following the news of the closure. We took a look back and gave the attraction featuring the famous green ogre a final farewell.

6. Busch Gardens checked drop tower ride after Orlando incident

After the tragic accident on the Orlando FreeFall, other parks with drop tower rides took extra precautions. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay doubled-checked Falcon’s Fury “out of an abundance of caution” the following day.

5. Disney World removes longstanding Tower of Terror billboard

In July, Disney World removed the large Tower of Terror billboard that greeted visitors for decades. The sign, which was installed back in the 1990s to promote Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction, was located in the median of World Drive.

4. SeaWorld, Busch Gardens offering veterans free park tickets

SeaWorld Orlando and its sibling park Busch Gardens Tampa Bay offered U.S. military veterans a special limited-time deal on theme park admission: free tickets. Both parks have a Waves of Honor program that grants active duty service members complimentary admission throughout the year.

3. Busch Gardens removes beams from Iron Gwazi after guest hits hand

During Iron Gwazi previews, before the roller coaster opened to the public, Busch Gardens modified it after a visitor reported hitting their hand on a beam while riding. The park said it removed two beam from the attraction “out of an abundance of caution.” As for the visitor, they declined medical treatment.

2. TRON: Construction progresses on Disney World attraction

TRON Lightcycle Run was first announced for Magic Kingdom at D23 Expo in 2017. In the years since, fans have been eagerly awaiting its debut. Earlier this year, construction began to make substantial progress.

1. Disney World introduces new Florida resident weekday ticket

To kick off 2022, Disney World announced a new ticket deal for Florida residents. The limited-time Disney Weekday Magic Ticket came in multiple options: a two-day ticket for $149, a three-day ticket for $179 or a four-day ticket for $199.