wizardly world visit

When we found out that there were no plans to hit Disney World until Monday but that we'd be arriving on Saturday, the hubs and I knew Sunday was wide open.  And with Britton's birthday coming up, we thought that a stop at Harry Potter's Wizardly World of Witchcraft and Wizardry (probably not the official name) would be a great surprise birthday gift!   Britton has never seen the movies because I wanted her to imagine the people and places on her own while we read the books, without the input and interpretation of the movie.  These parks deliver on the book descriptions!

We told her Saturday night, and Britton was up at dawn on Sunday to hit up Universal Studios!  None of us had ever been there before, so we consulted the map and ran to Islands of Adventure.  There are two Harry Potter parts in two different parks, so we went ahead and got park hopper tickets so we could hit up both (which is required if you want to ride Hogwarts Express, and yes, you want to ride Hogwarts Express).

First stop - Hogsmeade!  This is the town where Hogwarts is located, and when we came upon this adorable snow-capped village, I'm pretty sure I squealed and clapped my hands.  

The details were amazing!  Every building corresponded to the books, like the "Owl Post Office" below, which was actually a wand shop.  

Speaking of wands, Britton got the interactive Hermione Granger wand!  We all tried it out and could sometimes get it to work (if a Harry Potter employee was nearby and could lead me through the wand motions).  But when I could get the hang of it, wow - a chance to do magic!

We tried the butter beer and it was good!  It tasted like ginger ale, and had a creamy top.  

We hit up Honeydukes, the candy shop!  We bought some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and a giant lollipop.

The one ride was did - inside Hogwarts!  Check out that castle.

Then we got lunch (fish and chips, of course) at the Three Broomsticks.

Then we boarded the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley!

We stepped off and found the Knight Bus.  I looked around and could not find the actual park.  Where was Harry Potter stuff?  I spotted a brick wall that looked suspicious, then remembered that the way to enter Diagon Alley is through a brick.  

We turned the corner and bam - Diagon Alley!

Looking back at the brick wall where you enter

This is the wizarding area where Harry Potter and friends went to buy their school supplies.  

Of course, we went into every store - they were just as entertaining as the villages.  Here are Crookshanks and Pigwigeon!

On the way back to the train, you enter 9 3/4 through the wall - just like the books!  People watching see you go magically through a brick wall.  Britton was stunned by this photo.

We said good bye to the castle, then headed on our way.  The rain was getting pretty hard and wasn't clearing, so we wandered back through the park to the exit.  A fun adventure to celebrate Britton's birthday!