I don’t know about you all, but I got my Hogwarts letter a few years later than I was expecting. When the invitation to Pottermore finally arrived, I was about ready to run around shrieking with excitement. Until I remembered that 23-year-olds don’t do such things. And then I did it anyways.

This past weekend Matt and I finally made our pilgrimmage to the sacred land of Hogsmeade, conveniently located right smack dab in the middle of Universal Studios Orlando.

IT. WAS. AWESOME.

From the slanted, uneven rooftops of Hogsmeade to the mouthwatering, envy-inducing Butterbeer, everything was spot on. I was so in awe that I didn’t know where to begin, knowing only that I wanted to document everything with my trusty mkii so as to never forget this amazing excursion into the folds of JK Rowling’s mind. 

We started in Zonko’s, which sold everything frm U-No-Poo (The constipation sensation that’s gripping the nation!) to Pygmy Puffs to Fanged Frisbees.

Then we walked through into Honeydukes, a shop I was REALLY looking forward to visiting! One of my favorite parts about the books was how believable JK Rowling made everything. I think it was her level of detail- all the candies, medicinal remedies, sports, etc. that she dreamed up gave the world of Harry Potter this level of detail that just HAD to be real. And the best part about Hogsmeade in Orlando was that they put the same amount of detail and thought into each and every corner of the park.

After Honeydukes we headed over to wait in line at Ollivanders. When we were making plans for our budget for souvenirs, I told Matt “I don’t think I’m going to want a wand, it’s just a stupid tourist thing.” But by the time we entered Ollivanders I was absolutely dying for one. Sooo we left with a wand. 🙂

It was about lunch time at that point so we crossed the street and entered the Three Broomsticks, where my mouth literally fell open at how perfect it was. The high ceilings, winding, rickety staircases and entire wall of assorted antler displays- just awesome.

I posted a photo of the “public conveniences” to remind me to tell you all that in the ladies lavatory? Moaning Myrtle is lamenting for all to hear. It was such a hilarious touch!

Once we were fed and watered, we headed up to… Howarts Castle!! This was the part I’d heard so many people rave about. “Oh, you have to do the ride inside the castle! It’s so awesome!” Yes, the ride was amazing. But the tour through the castle on the way leading up to the ride was just as good, probably better.

We met the four founders of Hogwarts, via their paintings hanging on the walls.

We saw Dumbledore’s study, the pensieve, and even an appearance by the man himself!

We stopped in Dervish and Banges and found some more fun details!

The Butterbeer? There is no equal. Hooo my gosh, it was so good! We had TWO cups throughout the day, both the regular and the frozen version. My friends, Harry Potter was worth if for no other reason than the Butterbeer.

Me and my new wand. Yeah, you wish you had my charm-casting skills.

 

Happy Thursday!