Seems like March is the perfect time to visit Florida. The weather was perfect and sunny, and Harry Potter World was glorious (as you can imagine). I’m sorry to geek out here, but I just adore Harry Potter. So many tears have been shed over those books, and all-night marathons of the movies were my favorite in high school.
My friends and I knew we wanted to do something crazy fun for spring break, and it was PERFECT timing because Universal was having a special offer where you get 4 days at the parks for the price of 2. So we were able to take our time and explore every part of the parks and ride every ride about a million times!
Seeing the books and movies come to life at Harry Potter World really makes me wish magic was real! Our motto of the trip was “we’ll never see any of these people again,” so we ran around with our wands like we’re not all in our twenties. It’s fine. We’re cool.
Diagon Alley
Favorite parts:
- The Gringotts ride (and seeing people’s reactions when the snake jumps out at you)
- Eating peanut butter and jelly and people-watching
- Exploring Knockturn Alley, which is surprisingly creepy
- Florean Fortescue’s Earl Grey and Lavender ice cream
- Getting on the Hogwarts Express – it’s magical
- Watching people jump when the dragon on top of Gringotts breathes fire
- Playing “Would You Rather” while waiting in line. (Sample questions: would you rather be best friends with Bellatrix or Umbridge? Would you rather have the Elder Wand or the Invisibility Cloak?)
- Trying on Hogwarts robes in Madam Malkin’s and desperately wanting to buy them. I really can’t explain why – but wearing them is the coolest.
- Riding Sirius’ motorbike outside of Gringotts
Hogsmeade and Hogwarts
Favorite parts:
- BUTTERBEER. I need to try some DIY recipes to recreate it
- The Dragon ride – which we rode in the front about 5 times in a row. It’s terrifying and exhilarating.
- Pulling my phone out at the top of the Hippogriff ride to take a picture of the sun setting behind the castle and getting yelled at
- Eating fish and chips in the Three Broomsticks
- Moaning Myrtle talking to me in the bathroom
- Getting chills seeing the castle after getting off of the Hogwarts Express
- Running around Hogsmeade in the dark right before the park closed when there were hardly any people left
- My friend’s reaction seeing the castle for the first time
- Staring at the castle for a good 5 straight minutes when we had to say goodbye
Have you ever been to Harry Potter World? What was your favorite part?
