A few months ago I stumbled upon some relatively cheap flights to Florida that I felt like I couldn't pass up. We had just been to Disney in November so I had no plans to return six short months later. However, that is just what ended up happening. McKenna is a HUGE Harry Potter fan and has dreamed up visiting Universal Studios to get as close as possible to experiencing all things Harry Potter. I figured if you've read the thousands of pages of the story more than one time you should definitely get to experience it! And so, this is the story of my crash course in all things Harry Potter and our adventures at Universal Studios.
People who don't know about wizardry or Harry Potter are called "Muggles" in the books. I was definitely a Muggle heading into this trip. I have never read HP or watched all of the movies. I know about some of the characters but sadly had to consult our babysitter when secretly ordering the HP shirts for this trip.
One thing I DID know about was the train and the wands. Both were high on the must do list as soon as we got to the park.
The buildings and rides were really quite impressive. The building behind McKenna contains the most "thrilling" ride I've ever been on. Let's just say that by the end I had broken out in a cold sweat and was quite ready to have my feet back on the ground. McKenna did not ride that one, but Cooper did twice. He and I agreed that she would have lost her noodle and possibly all of her breakfast if she tried it.
The kids have always wanted HP wands and so visiting Olivander's Wand Shop was a huge deal. The park makes it really fun by only allowing a certain number of patrons in the shop at one time. Before you are allowed to select your wand you get to meet Olivander, too! I can honestly say that I can't remember a recent time when McKenna was more excited. She radiated pure joy almost the entire day.
Kinley picked a wand too and soon we were all on our way. The kids had each chosen a wand that allowed them to do "magic" throughout the park. It was really quite fun.
We spent the majority of our first day visiting special HP spots. The weather was beautiful and the kids had a blast as they spotted different significant places and people from the books. But by the end of day one we were tired out Muggles ready for the pool and our beds.
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