This post may contain spoilers from Harry Potter., if you haven’t read the books or seen the movies You’ve been warned.
In January I traveled to Florida for a visit and while there my sister came down from New York to visit as well! We took a day just for some “sister time” and headed to Universal Studios to see the Diagon Alley addition to their Harry Potter world! Several years ago (in 2010!) I visited the first part of the Harry Potter world which is Hogsmeade Village and Hogwarts. This time we decided to forgo the two park pass, and just visit the new addition in Universal. We spent much of our day wondering around Diagon Alley, eating lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and enjoying all the details of the Harry Potter universe!
It really is amazing how much thought is in the details of the theme park and if you’re a fan of the books and/or movies you will notice some of the fun details all around! So, here they are-
More than 9 3/4 Things to See in Harry Potter World
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| Don’t fall off the top step when you apparate in! |
We start off in London at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, the house that belonged to Harry’s godfather Sirius Black (and now to Harry!). If you look up and wait, you can see Kreacher peeking out of the window upstairs!
The conductor on the Knight Bus made my day. He was witty and engaged all of the tourist and I just had to take a picture with him! Now, a little sidenote about my outfit! I didn’t pack so well for this trip, because the weather in January in Florida is kind of weird and this day was one that started off chilly and then warmed up but not quite enough to want to take your sweater off. Since I didn’t bring a jacket I compromised by wearing a scarf with my sweater and I was sometimes hot and sometimes cold.
Next we headed through the secret passageway into Diagon Alley. Now, I didn’t share a photo of that because then you muggles would be able to find it, and that would destroy the magic of the thing. But, as a hint, it’s through the brick wall just like in the books! Diagon Alley is filled with many magical shops and at the top of the street in Gringotts bank!
You can also head down Knockturn Alley and visit “Borgin and Burkes” for all your dark arts needs and Slytherin apparel. See if you can find Slytherin’s locket!
Of course no visit into the world of HP would be complete without trying some butterbeer! I think there are mixed reviews on this, and it’s very sweet so if you don’t like sweet drinks I would recommend getting one to share. But I like it! I had one with my lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, but couldn’t finish it all at once. They also have an frozen version, which I have not (yet!) tried.
Also, don’t get tricked into buying the Gillywater, as the cashier at the Leaky Cauldron told me: “it’s just a bottle of water.” They sell Gillywater outside in a kiosk as well, and you can buy potion flavors to add to it, which I think would be fun for kids! (it’s about $8 if I’m remembering correctly, though)
You can also hop into Quality Quidditch Supplies to buy a racing broom or fan items to support your favorite quidditch team!
Right next door you can check out Fred (RIP) and George’s joke shop, Weasley’s Wizard Weezes for all your practical joke needs. Don’t forget to look up to see Umbridge balancing with two full cauldrons!
If the butterbeer wasn’t sweet enough for you, head into Florean Fortescue’s ice cream parlor! Florean’s serves up a great variety of ice cream flavors including Earl Grey and Lavender, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Chocolate Chilie and Apple Crumble, just to mention a few! We sat for awhile on the steps and watched Diagon Alley go by!
Of course you should take advantage of the photo opp to sit in Hagrid’s (/Sirius’) motor bike!
The dragon on top of Gringott’s looks dormant, but every so often he will rawr and breath fire!
Head into Gringott’s bank to go on the ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. The queue is themed to look like the bank and the details are amazing from the chandelier to the goblins counting coins and jewels! The goblins provide you with “safety goggles” (3D glasses) to wear on the ride as you ride the Gringotts cart through the adventure. The ride is pretty fun and you get to see inside Gringotts vaults and escape from evil back to Diagon Alley.
You can visit Ollivander’s Wand shop for an interactive show and wand store. You can also do that in Hogesmead so either way you’re covered. But! In Diagon Alley you can also buy a wand from Gregorovitch, the wandmaker who not only made Krum’s wand but also once owned the famous “Elder Wand.” I should also mention that you can buy special wands that allow you to interact with different displays throughout Diagon Alley! It’s a pretty cool and fun idea, although the wands are $50+ so we decided not to try it this time.
There are so many things to see, and I didn’t share all of my photos here because I know you might want to discover the magic for yourself! So, I’ll leave you with my photos of the bathroom signs for witches and wizards! Just don’t go into the wrong one!
Have you visited the Harry Potter world at Universal Studios? What did you think of it? Don’t forget to click below to visit Hogwarts!
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