Okay, let's face it. There was really only one reason I wanted to go to Orlando this summer... The rest of the vacation was awesome, and we all had a really wonderful time, but I must admit, my favorite part of the whole trip was the day we spent at...
HARRY POTTER WORLD!!!!
It was absolutely amazing and everything I hoped it would be! The park had opened in November 2010, and I had been looking forward to going here all year. I felt like I was truly a part of the wizard community and that I might see Harry Potter strolling on the street somewhere. (There were some students...um, actors...walking around in Hogwarts robes!) They have done an amazing job creating this park in the Islands of Adventure (part of Universal Studios), and I can't wait to go back and visit again!
At the entrance to the park. I must admit it was a little weird to see all the snow in June, but still it was amazing!! I literally could not contain my excitement. :-)
The Hogwarts Express!!! And the conductor was so cute...he spoke with a British accent and had this great little watch that showed the arrival time of the train. It was always on time!
Our first stops included the Joke Shop (which included every toy or joke gift that Fred and George Weasley had ever come up with!!) and the Honeyduke's Sweet Shop (again, with everything you have read about in the books!!)
Chocolate frogs (complete with the wizard cards on the box)
and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans!!!!
On the streets of Hogsmeade...
Then, we made a stop at the Boar's Head, complete with an animated boar head behind the bar!
The Butterbeer was AWESOME!!!
And they had a frozen, frosty kind that was absolutely delicious.
Everybody enjoyed the pit stop. :-)
Then, we went into Dervish and Banges, the store that sells every item that you can imagine a wizard might need at Hogwarts. I have wanted to buy a Griffyndor scarf since forever, so I was really excited to find one here!!! You'll see me sporting it this winter...
The Monster Book of Monsters!!! Scary!
This place also sold wands, since it was connected to Olivander's Wand Shop. We are dueling here with Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand. (Travis appreciated how excited I was about being here and was a lot of fun to be with!!)
Here's the outside of Olivander's Wand Shop. Apparently, you could go in there and find your wand (like in the book where the wand chooses Harry), but the line was ridiculously long and they were only letting people in one at a time, so we opted out of this event. (Even when it started raining, people stayed in line!) I didn't really want a wand, so we moved on. :-)
Just outside the city of Hogsmeade, on our way to Hogwarts!
I was impressed at how real this all looked...
HOGWARTS!!!
The winged guards (ie flying pigs) of Hogwarts
There was a really neat 3D ride inside of the Hogwarts building, which I could not go on. But, the walk to the ride was just as entertaining (if not more entertaining) than the ride itself. The walk was REALLY long, but totally worth the trip. It was designed to feel like you were walking through the school, so there were all sorts of cool rooms to go through! One had a wall of moving pictures of the founders of Hogwarts that were all talking about the sensational new Quidditch player, Harry Potter. We passed through Dumbledore's office, listening to sage advice from Dumbledore himself, and also the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where images of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine talked to us too. Every thing that was in all the rooms was something out of the book, including the pensive in Dumbledore's office and the various creatures from the forrest! It was awesome. Awesome!
Outside of Hogwarts again (looking less pregnant in this picture!)
All these random things throughout the park were so cool! The car was outside one of the other roller coaster rides.
"NO Expectant Mothers Allowed!"
So, this sign was posted outside all of the cool rides in the park (a total of three roller coasters), and I knew I wouldn't be able to go on the rides, but it was still a little sad. At least I can use this as an excuse to return in the future!! There were NO lines at all, so we could ride the rides as many times as we wanted! Travis and my mom and dad rode the dragon roller coaster twice for me, so I felt like I got to enjoy it!
We made our last stop at the Three Broomsticks for dinner. More butterbeer was consumed. The food was pretty good too.
So, Harry Potter World was by far my favorite part of this entire trip. I can't wait to go back with Travis and our baby, once he is old enough to appreciate Harry Potter (and has read all the books and seen the movies, of course). Until then, I will just hope that he likes to read and enjoys the magical world as much as I do!
And, if you are interested, here is a link to the website for the park: Harry Potter World It really is an amazing place that every fan should visit if they can!
Now, I am just anxiously awaiting the opening of the final movie in the series, coming out July 15th, 2011. It is going to be amazing! :-)
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