10 THINGS TO DO IN HARRY POTTER WORLD | THE KLACKNERS

2.26.2015

10 THINGS TO DO IN HARRY POTTER WORLD

Going to Harry Potter World this past December was a dream come true. I finished reading the books about a week before our Christmas vacation, so all the characters and my favorite moments were still fresh on my mind. I was all wide eyed with wonder when we stepped into Diagon Alley for the first time. I truly felt like I had been transported to a different world and half-expected Harry, Ron, and Hermione to run down the alley and give me a big hug (because we are besties, obvi.) One thing you should know: if you are wanting to visit both Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, you will need a park-to-park ticket. Diagon Alley is in the Universal Studios side and Hogwarts/Hogsmeade is in Islands of Adventure. Now on to my favorite restaurants, sites, and rides in Harry Potter World!





1 | ESCAPE FROM GRINGOTTS
The Gringotts ride is AMAZING and so much fun! You bump into your favorite and sometimes not-so-favorite characters along the way, find a dragon, try not to die, and escape from Gringotts! At one point during the ride while "curses" were being cast at us, I looked at Bruce and yelled "I don't like it!" like a small child. I then immediately died laughing at myself. :) This was by far my favorite ride in Harry Potter World! FOUND IN: Diagon Alley





2 | DRINK BUTTER BEER
Guys, butter beer is one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. I recommend the frozen version and sharing with friends. The four of us would buy one at a time and share it! That way it wasn't too much richness all at once. We ended up getting four or five through the entire day and loved every sip. I really want to try a homemade version, so if any of you have tried and true butter beer recipes, send 'em my way! Some might ask me "You still love butter beer after all those drinks?" My response is forever "Always." FOUND IN: Diagon Alley & Hogsmeade



3 | VISIT OLIVANDER'S WAND SHOP
Walk through Olivander's with a group of other young wizards and watch as a wand chooses the wizard. One of your group will walk away with a free wand from Olivander's! FOUND IN: Diagon Alley (shorter wait time) & Hogsmeade



4 | WEASLEY WIZARD WHEEZES
Drop by and pick up some of Fred's & George's magical jokes, tricks, and toys. I love those prankster twins and their fun shop. Side note: which twin do you think it is in the window? I vote Fred. FOUND IN: Diagon Alley




5 | FIRE BREATHING DRAGON
Every few minutes, the magnificent dragon perched on top of Gringotts Bank breathes fire into the alley. The dragon caught me by surprise the first couple of times, and I may or may not have screamed a little. ;) The fire is definitely more impressive at night, so make sure you stick around for that! FOUND IN: Diagon Alley



6 | RIDE THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS
If you purchased a park-to-park ticket, you can visit King's Cross Station, walk through Platform 9 3/4, and jump aboard the Hogwarts Express to travel from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade and vice versa. You and five other people can ride in your own train car and watch out the window as you leave London, ride through the English countryside, and arrive at Hogwarts! It's magical. FOUND IN: King's Cross Station




7 | HOGWARTS RIDE
This is a simulated ride that I can't tell you a whole lot about since my eyes were closed the whole time and I was trying not to throw up. ;) I had a really fantastic case of vertigo that day. Ha! The line for this ride is fun, though! You walk through the greenhouse and various parts of Hogwarts Castle before boarding the ride. Even if you don't go on the ride, it's worth going through the line with your friends! FOUND IN: Hogsmeade/Hogwarts

8 | DRAGON CHALLENGE
This is the one big roller coaster in Harry Potter world complete with thrilling speeds and lots of loops. I had my eyes closed throughout this entire ride as well. Vertigo is not my friend. ;) FOUND IN: Hogsmeade/Hogwarts



9 | BUY CANDY AT HONEYDUKE'S
Basically we ate our weight in candy from Honeyduke's. I was literally a kid in a candy shop. Sour strips, peach rings, chocolate frogs galore. Someone had to cut me off! FOUND IN: Hogsmeade




10 | EAT FISH AND CHIPS
You can't go to England without enjoying a healthy amount of fish and chips! Stop by Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade or The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley for some delicious British eats!


We created a lot of inside jokes during our Christmas vacation and tried to keep track of some of our favorite quotes from each of us throughout every day. The #1 quote from Harry Potter World came from Bruce man: "Guys, if I go to the bathroom and never come back, just know that I am at the Ministry of Magic and will never be sad again." :)

Let your inner nerd out and let's talk Harry Potter! Are you a fan? Have you read the books and watched the movies? Who is your favorite character? Have you ever been to Harry Potter World? What would you add to my list?
Chelsea said...

We have universal passes, and Harry Potter World just never gets old!

Robyn Black said...

'Some might ask me "You still love butter beer after all those drinks?" My response is forever "Always."' - bahaha. i see what you did there.


ahh i am so jealous! i'm a huge potter fan but haven't been to the parks yet! we were planning on going this year but then bought a car instead! being an adult stinks! :)

Elizabeth Mayberry said...

Laura's favorite picture is missing. She will be disappointed.

Laura Bachman said...

HA! So this is why you provided the little disclaimer in #Snapechat this morning. I'll forgive ya. ONLY cause you threw in my favorite #Snapequote. Always.

Laura Bachman said...

Ps. "Should we tell Megs that you blacked out last time you rode it?" "Naw." Dragon Challenge 4 ever.

Hope Engaged said...

Ohhhh!! So fun! I LOVE Harry Potter, and can't wait to experience this!!! I'm just a little confused as why they split the park in two…was it just to make $$ and have ppl buy 2 tickets? haha! Thanks for sharing!

heldcaptivated said...

This is amazing! I have always wanted to come here and your pictures make it look just like I imagined it!!! It looks like you guys had a blast :)

Stacia said...

I loved the Hogwarts ride. I haven't gone since they expanded everything and really NEED to. haha. Did you know that the King's Cross Station in London actually added a Platform 9 3/4 with a shopping cart sticking out of the column for people to take pictures with?! It's on my bucket list!

Kelly Pruim said...

I've been dying to go to Harry Potter world since it came into existence and this just makes me ache for it even more! It looks incredible!

Jenna Griffin said...

I got totally motion sick on the hogwarts ride, too! This is such a fun post and now I realllllly want to go again!

Elizabeth Jones said...

Well thank goodness I'm not the only one that seriously believes Harry, Ron, and Hermione are my BFFs as well. :) and I've been DYING to find a recreation of that butterbeer for like 2 years. We totally need to start researching that!

Alice said...

Loved this post! I really hope to be able to visit it one day!

Meg McIlvaine said...

I hope you get too! It was seriously an amazing trip.

Meg McIlvaine said...

Haha! I'll share them with you ;)


Oh, I know. I need to have a butterbeer experiment day where I try like 10 different recipes. Ha!

Meg McIlvaine said...

Yeah, it was kind of the worst. HAHA. I felt like death. But other than that, the trip was great! ;)

Meg McIlvaine said...

Ahh! I hope you get to go! You will love it.

Meg McIlvaine said...

Yes! If I ever make it to London, I'm totes going to King's Cross to find Platform 9 3/4. They have it at Kings Cross in HP World too :)

Meg McIlvaine said...

You should for reals go. You will LOVE IT.

Meg McIlvaine said...

You should totally go! Save up and make a week of it! :)

Meg McIlvaine said...

Right?? I think it is totally a way for the park to make more money. Silly Universal ;)


You will have so much fun whenever you go!

Meg McIlvaine said...

Hahahahaha. Worst. Friends. Ever. ;)

Meg McIlvaine said...

Hahah yes. Man, I'm so glad you caught my #Snapequote ;)

Meg McIlvaine said...

It's okay. I explained it to her ;)

Meg McIlvaine said...

It was!! I can't wait to go again!

Meg McIlvaine said...

Hahahahah. YES. I love nerdy friends who get my jokes.


OH man, adulthood. One day, Robyn. One day you'll make it down there!

Meg McIlvaine said...

OMG that is AMAZING.