For a Harry Potter fan of any degree, a visit to Universal Studio’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter is absolutely necessary. Merely walking around the park constitutes a total immersion into J.K. Rowling’s imagination, making it worth every cent of the ticket stub. It’s evident that Universal spared no expense in the creation of this park because of the attention to detail, down to the very last charm. Here are 11 things you should do when you inevitably succumb to the delightful pleasures of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida.
1. Try a butterbeer.
Butterbeer is no longer a fictitious drink you read about as Harry, Ron, and Hermione sweep around Hogsmeade on their breaks. No, now you can actually taste butterbeer, a butterscotch-flavored drink that is full of sugar and is super great. Thanks to Universal Studios, you’ll never get tired of butterbeer with the option of getting either iced or frozen butterbeer (or both.) It will act as your staple while you’re at the park, and you will literally get a butterbeer belly. This works as a great refresher from the Orlando heat and as another item checked off of the Harry Potter bucket list.
2. Eat at Three Broomsticks
Once again your dreams are fulfilled as you sit down to dine at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. You have the chance to eat authentic English cuisine as you enjoy the decor of the restaurant. Guests have a great variety of food options, ranging from fish and chips to ribs. There’s something for everyone in the family and, of course, more butterbeer.
3. Get candy from Honeyduke's
One of the most memorable scenes from the first movie of the Harry Potter series is Ron Weasley’s face when Harry Potter pulls out a load of coins to buy all of the candy off of the cart on the Hogwarts Express. The trading card in the chocolate frog even turns out to be a huge clue in the three first years’ battle against Voldemort. With one stop at Honeyduke’s in Hogsmeade, you can buy candy to your heart’s content. While the sweets are a little pricey, it’s totally worth the surreal experience when you open up your chocolate frog to discover a Godric Gryffindor trading card inside. If your wallet allows it, pick up a package of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. You won’t be disappointed.
4. Go on all of the attractions
The rides at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter beyond impressed me. There are so many different options for every member of the family, and the workers are always on top of the wait times so that you never wait more than it’s worth. The line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey takes you on a tour throughout Hogwarts, starting at the outdoor Herbology classroom, taking you past Dumbledore’s office and the Gryffindor common room entrance to the start of the ride. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts in Diagon Alley exudes such an accurate representation of the Gringotts bank scenes from the films, with not detail out of place. Another pro to these lines is that they are riddled with air conditioning, so you’re never waiting out in the sun. They really thought about every aspect of a customer’s experience.
5. Stop in at Ollivander's Wand Shop
The line at Ollivander’s Wand Shop is always out the door, as everyone wants to be a part of the special choosing ceremony. One park goer is selected to undergo the choosing ceremony, just like Harry Potter’s experience in the book. A new feature of the park is the interactive wand. By purchasing one of these wands, a guest receives a map with spots where they can activate a special feature in places such as shop windows throughout the park. It’s a cool addition to the super fan's experience, and it’s always entertaining watching someone try to activate the sensors (don’t they know that it’s swish and flick?)
6. Shop at Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment
Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment is chock full of any Harry Potter merchandise that you can imagine. With exclusive mugs, phone cases and everything in between, this store is a necessary stop in your visit to the park. It mostly acts as a general store for the whole park, so there is a good chance that the object of your desires is there. If you go here and don’t want to buy the whole store, I don’t know what to say.
7. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes
Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes is the best joke shop around in Diagon Alley. It has all of the products from the movies, such as Love Potion and Puking Pastilles. Whether you want to buy Harry Potter-themed for your friends or just look around to see the movie set turn into reality, you must spend some time in this shop.
8. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour
Walking all over a theme park can make you really tired, especially in the Florida heat, so cool off at Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour. As with everything else in Diagon Alley, this isn’t your normal ice cream shop. Yes, you can be vanilla and stick with vanilla, or you can become a part of the magical atmosphere and go out on a limb with earl grey and lavender or orange marmalade. Of course, you are always welcome to get butterbeer flavor as well.
9. Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions
If you want to become one with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you can purchase your own robes at Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. You can pick robes based off of your house (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or Hufflepuff) and you can wear them around the park to add to your experience. They are fairly expensive, so they’d probably have to make a killer Halloween costume for the next couple of years as well.
10. King's Cross Station
King’s Cross Station takes you to Platform 9 ¾ , where you can ride the Hogwarts Express to the other part of the Harry Potter section of Universal. The train is an interesting experience, combining familiar figures from the movies along with memorable dialogue from the movies as well. You get to have your own car, staying true to the train in the movie, creating an even more individualized experience for your party. Be sure to ride the train both ways, as you will get a different story depending on whether you’re traveling from London to Hogwarts or vice versa.
11. Harry Potter Fans
I’m not saying that people only go to Universal to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but a good majority of the people who go there are sporting around Hogwarts merch. A piece of advice: Really take in your surroundings. Believe me, just seeing the way that other people get excited about being in Diagon Alley or at Hogsmeade will be enough to make your whole day. Sit down on a bench somewhere and observe the costumes and the custom-made vacation shirts. It will make you really happy.
It’s remarkable that the architects didn’t even need a vial of felix felicis to construct a park so accurate and close to the books and movies. So if you’re on the fence about a trip to Universal, just go for it. You won’t regret it.
Any tips or tricks to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal? Leave a comment below!
