Exploring Universal Orlando's Wizarding Worlds

By: Jen SpihlmanMay 18, 2018Are you a Harry Potter superfan? Do you know which house you are in? How about the form your Patronus takes? Do you love Quidditch? Do you want to taste Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice and Gilly water? Do you understand the meaning behind the phrase “Always?” If you answered yes to these questions, then you must head to Universal Orlando and explore The Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter!When you first step into Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, you will get goosebumps! You will feel like you just stepped into the books or movies. Universal Orlando Resort, under the close guidance of JK Rowling, has truly brought the stories to life. I’ll begin with Hogsmeade…As soon as you cross into Hogsmeade, you will see the Hogwarts Express off to your right. Most of the day you’ll be able to get your picture taken in front of it with the conductor! You can then head to the post office and mail a letter back home with a Harry Potter stamp and the Hogsmeade postmark! So cool!You’ll definitely want to check out Honeydukes and all of its wonderful sweet treats, and you’ll find a Butterbeer stop right outside! When you need a quick meal, head to the Three Broomsticks and experience it just like Harry, Ron and Hermione! Don’t forget to walk into the bathroom and see if you can hear Moaning Myrtle!If your stomach can handle it, you have to take a turn or two on the Dragon Challenge. You can ride the Chinese Fireball or the Hungarian Horntail! Each dragon is a completely different ride!!To give yourself a little break, head over to the Flight of the Hippogriff, a family-friendly roller coaster. You’ll even go past Hagrid’s hut!The castle, which houses Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, is the crown jewel of this Harry Potter World. While waiting in line, you get to walk through the castle and experience a little bit of life in Hogwarts. You’ll see the pensieve, the sorting hat, the fat lady and more while you wait to board the ride. This ride is fast and jerky as you fly through the air! You get to see Quidditch, spiders, dementors, and so much more!!Once you are out of the castle, head to the Hogsmeade Station and board the Hogwarts Express to take you to London and Diagon Alley. The Hogwarts Express is so REAL! You will feel like you are really riding it with all of the Hogwarts students. Make sure to watch the window as well as the door to your train car to see everything. And make sure that you ride the Hogwarts Express in both directions. Not only is Kings Crossing fully themed, but the ride is different each way!In Diagon Alley you can explore so many places – Ollivanders (did you know you can buy an interactive wand and perform “magic?”) Borgin and Burkes, Madam Malkin’s, and Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes (so real!) You can grab a meal at the Leaky Cauldron and then finish that up with Butterbeer ice cream at Florean Fortescue’s. So delicious!Gringotts Wizarding Bank, with a HUGE dragon on top that periodically breathes fire, is the home of Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. Your entire wait in line is spent exploring the bank. It is incredibly detailed and the goblins are so lifelike. The ride itself is pretty amazing and you meet Bellatrix and Voldemort!Once you pass through the brick wall and return to London, you can check out the Knight Bus and see if you can find 12 Grimmauld Place!There are so many wonderful places to explore in both Harry Potter Worlds! Fans of the stories will be more than satisfied!!!