About a month ago because of my excitement for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opening on April 7, I shared ideas on cute things you can make for a Harry Potter party and rambled on and on about my lifelong dream of going to this magical place. Well, little did I know I would be going there less than a month later! Before the park even opens to the public! And it was SPECTACULAR!!! It exceeded the already HIGH expectations I had for it by far. I wanted to share a little bit about my experience with you guys today and get you pumped for your own vacation to go there! (Because by the time we’re done I hope I have convinced you to hop in the car and go—in a month that is ;) )

The second most fun part about this is that it was actually on my anniversary—so it was even more fun if that is even possible! My husband was able to get discounted tickets for Universal Studios in Hollywood through his work so we entered the park at 3:00 and got to stay until 11:00. The regular park closed at 7:00, so only the people who came with hospital workers got to stay after hours and preview Harry Potter World after 7:00. I was thinking that this would seriously cut the crowd down, but there were still a ton of people the whole night. That’s ok. It was super fun!

So…on to the good part—the Wizarding World of Harry Potter deets. I will first start out by saying that if you have any Harry Potter clothing or wands, or anything—people of ALL ages were decked out in Harry Potter gear. I was just thinking that it would only be kids that would be dressed up, but I would say at least 60% of all the people there had some sort of costume on. It made the atmosphere even cooler. So if you are going to go, make sure to dress up if you want. Trust me, you will NOT feel silly. In fact, you might even feel like you missed out on part of the experience if you don’t. I myself was wishing I had whipped myself up a Gryffindor robe and scarf.

So you enter the park (try not to die of excitement like I did) and there is the giant Hogwarts Express train to your side and when you look ahead you are basically seeing all of Hogsmeade with adorable crooked shops and cobblestone streets that are so quaint and adorable. And of course if you look upward, you will see the majestically breathtaking Hogwarts castle. It was so magnificent. This is where the coolest ride I have ever been on in my entire life resides.

Hogsmeade

You could spend all day just meandering around all the little shops in Hogsmeade. They of course had Honeyduke’s where the “shelves are lined with all manner of colorful sweets, including Acid Pops, exploding bonbons, Peppermint Toads, Fudge Flies, Fizzing Whizzbees, and Chocolate Frogs, which contain a wizard trading card in each box.” But I might add—be prepared to drop some serious cash in here—it is quite pricey! I dropped my jaw when my sister said she spent $75 in here—but it makes sense when you learn that chocolate frogs are $10 a piece and a pound of Fizzing Whizzbees will cost you $13. It is really fun just to wander around this adorable sweets shop and see all the candies from the books even if you have no intentions of paying an arm and a leg for a little milk chocolate.

There is also the Three Broomsticks where you can eat a meal, similar to the food at the feasts they eat in the book, grab a butterbeer ($13 including the collectible (plastic) frosty mug—but oh so delicious!). You could also drop in Ollivanders and pick yourself up a wand, whether it be a unique one of your own, or you can choose one that each of the characters in the movie have. You can head to the Owl Post where you can actually send out a letter that will be stamped that it is from Hogsmeade and check out the cute owls they have that you can purchase. There is also a Dervish and Banges, Zonko’s, and a couple shops where you can buy clothing and robes. I absolutely LOVED spending time in the shops.

A tip I would say if you are bringing a stroller with an infant is to try and bring a wrap or a baby carrier you can wear on your chest so that you can ditch the stroller when exploring Hogsmeade. These are cozy, tiny little shops that are not very stroller-friendly, especially when you add in a ton of people to navigate around. Also, the adorable cobble-stone paved sidewalks are kind of hard to push your stroller around as well, if you can avoid it.

Hogwarts Castle

Inside the Hogwarts Castle is the main ride that people will wait for a very long time to go to, and let me tell you, it is worth the wait! Even if you don’t want to go on the ride, it is well worth it to go in the line to be able to tour the castle. They have Dumbledore’s office, a greenhouse area, areas with ghastly tall ceilings with pictures that talk to you and themselves…

Ron, Harry, and Hermione in a Defense against the Dark Arts Class, among many other cool things along the hallways during your wait.

It is so unbelievable well done and cool. And then of course—the ride itself is incredible. It is a mixture of a virtual ride where you are doing things like playing Quidditch and dodge the Whomping Willow, and also regular roller coaster parts where the life is almost sucked out of you by Dementors (Scary! Yikes!). It was super cool!

All in all, the park was so unbelievable! They went above and beyond with the small details that really make the books and movies come alive and make you feel like you are a part of it all. For example, at one point that night a small row of about 5 Beauxbatons pranced around the park. That was so cool! It made it feel so real.

I HIGHLY highly recommend you try and make it out to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter if you are a Harry Potter fan, like I think a ton of us are, whether it be in Florida or California. It is absolutely incredible and will knock your socks right off (those dementors will get you every time). Come and grab yourself a butterbeer—you know you want one!! Let me know if you have any other questions about the park and I’ll try my best to answer them :)