I admit I’m not much of a theme park person, but since I live with two Harry Potter obsessed kids, a stop at Wizard World of Harry Potter at Island of Adventure was on the top of our list during our Florida vacation. From the second I saw Hogwarts Castle and walked around the streets of Hogsmead, I was hooked. I’m not sure who had more fun because I was pulling them in all directions. Here are 10 activities that you must do while you’re there:
DRINK BUTTER BEER: Before I go any further…I’m not promoting underage drinking pals…butter beer is a frozen piece of heaven that does not have alcohol in it (but boy…that would be good too!). It tastes like a root beer float combined with butterscotch and caramel. We actually tried to make our own once, but it turned into a Pinterest fail. It’s a great treat at the end of a hot Florida day.
GO INSIDE OLLIVANDER’S WAND SHOP: I would suggest going inside to have a quick look around and maybe watch someone’s wand ceremony, but I would not wait in line to get your wand here. There are several other places to buy one without a line or you could order it online. If you don’t mind being in a confined place with lots of kids begging for a wand, it’s fun to watch the wand selections since they make a big production about it.
GET YOUR SWEET ON AT HONEYDUKES SWEET SHOP: My girls love the scene in the movies where Harry and his friends buy treats off the cart on the Hogwart Express because of all the different kinds of candy they sell. They saved their allowance to buy chocolate frogs and jelly slugs. There were some very tasty treats in there!
RIDE ON HARRY POTTER & THE FORBIDDEN JOURNEY: I hate lines, but they prevent you from getting too antsy by using moving holograms to tell you a story as you wait.
CHALLENGE YOUR FAMILY TO A DRAGON CHALLENGE: This ride made me nervous just looking at it…and I’m not really afraid of rides. You need to be 54 inches to ride it and it’s not for someone without a sense of adventure.
SLOW IT DOWN ON THE FLIGHT OF THE HIPPOGRIF: This ride is perfect for all members of the family since it’s a low-key roller coaster made for everyone.
DO THE INTERACTIVE WAND EXPERIENCES: Don’t let your kids tell you they HAVE to have a wand…although I admit we did have fun using ours. My oldest daughter bought one when we went to Universal two years ago and my youngest daughter just borrows hers. It’s a great lesson in sharing!
GET YOUR MAGIC ON AT DERVISH & BANGES: This is the perfect spot for your young wizards to find all their needs like Quidditch supplies, Golden Snitches, and uniforms for your house. Of course, prices are going to be marked up here but it’s a fun place to buy a souvenir.
HEAD TO THE OWL POST: Here you can mail letters complete with a special Hogsmead postmark which is a great souvenir and something kids will look forward to receiving when they get home. Many people bring their own postage if they don’t want to spend the extra money on specialty HP stamps. We went in for a different reason…to get our wand fixed. My daughter left her $50 wand outside in the yard throughout our snowy winter and it was not a shock that it didn’t work. We brought the wand to the Owl Post and they fixed it in ten minutes at NO CHARGE!
EAT AT THREE BROOMSTICKS: The cozy, snow-capped inn is the place where Harry Potter had his first taste of Butter Beer. This rustic tavern is a great place for lunch or dinner but be prepared for a long wait.
