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    Vacation » Disney » Disney World » Islands of Adventure | The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

    Islands of Adventure | The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

    Posted: 07/05/2011 | Last updated: 08/22/2015 by Erin 6 Comments
    Post may contain affiliate links via Amazon Associates or other programs. (Disclosure)

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    (This post has a soundtrack, ain't that nifty?   Click right here and let that play in the background while reading for ultimate immersion!)

    Psst.. come close and I'll tell you a little secret.

    A little closer..

    Closer..

    Gah! Not that close!  Did you have onions for lunch?  Back off a little, man!

    Ok, that's better.  Now then, my secret:

    When we were deciding where to go for our vacation this year, there was one thing that tipped the scales in the direction of another Orlando trip.   The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Islands of Adventure.

    You see, I am a Harry Potter NUT.  I've read the entire series twice, and plan on a third time as soon as I can buy them all in e-book format from Pottermore.  I enjoy the movies and all, but I love the books with every fiber of my being.  The combination of J.K Rowling's writing and the rich world that she has created can suck me in like you wouldn't believe.  When I'm reading, the rest of the world doesn't exist.  Ask Matt.  He's nearly called the paramedics when I was unresponsive to outside stimulus.

    When I first learned that they were building this attraction, I knew another trip to FL was in our near future.  On the day we visited Islands of Adventure, we barely gave the rest of the park a glance as we bolted straight for PotterUniverse!

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    The teetering chimneys of Hogsmeade Village are the first thing you see as you cross the bridge into the attraction.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    When you swivel your little head around to the left, you see good ole Hogwarts, the only school that any child would attend without complaint.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    My heart did a little flutter as we got closer to the castle and I heard music from the movie scores playing from hidden speakers.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    The Grand Staircase was pretty awesome.  And yes, the portraits do move and speak!

    It was crazy dark inside of the castle (which is basically the line for the motion simulator ride at the end) but I was able to snag a few photos.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Dumbledore's office.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    The notice board and sorting hat!

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Fortuna Major!  Flibbertigibbet! Mimbulus Mimbletonia!  Darnit, woman, I'm a Gryffindor!  Let me in!

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    After leaving the castle: the required long-arm self-portrait.

    Hogsmeade Village is actually a combo of the shops in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley (but I forgive them).  Most of the shops are just facades, but there are several that you can go inside.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    I thought it was a nice touch to have every single book in the window of Tomes and Scrolls written by Gilderoy Lockhart.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    I had to pretend really hard that we were in the snow-covered paradise of Hogsmeade and not a 400-degree summer in central Florida.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    The inside of Ollivanders was, in a word, awesome.  Straight out of the books.  Don't miss Ollivander's Wand Experience, where Mr. Ollivander himself chooses someone to receive his/her first wand.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Any Harry Potter fan recognizes this creature!  If only textbooks like this existed in the real world.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Looking back toward the rooftops of Hogsmeade.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Honeydukes is one of the "real" shops (of COURSE it is!  People would riot otherwise!)

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Every Flavour Beans!

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    C'mon, you knew they were gonna sell butterbeer.  It's the quintessential drink of the wizarding world, and letting my business woman side peek through here, one of the smartest decisions they made regarding this attraction.  We stood in line for a solid 15 minutes to give it a try, and there were 3 different places selling it.. all with massive lines.  Can you imagine how much dough they are raking in from butterbeer sales alone?

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    And a bonus.. it was super yummy.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Matt agreed!

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Zonko's Joke Shop was another "real" shop, and was full of many recognizable pranks and gags from the books.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    U-No-Poo got a serious giggle from the both of us.  Matt tries to pretend like he doesn't care about Harry Potter, but he gives himself away when he says things like, "Oh, I bet Fred & George were totally the ones who invented that!"

    Gotta love him.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    The Three Broomsticks is an air-conditioned place to sit down for a meal.  We had other dinner plans, so we just peeked inside.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Hog's Head is where you can get an adult beverage and tons of atmosphere.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Another facade (I love how the doors all said things like "Closed" or "Out to Lunch")

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    Howdy!

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    This grainy black and white version of Hogsmeade can almost convince you that it's snowy and wintry.

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Islands of Adventure - Orlando, FL
    And of course.. the Hogwarts Express.

    Have you read the books?  Seen the movies?  Been to the park?  Tell me all about it!!

    Related posts:

    1. Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure is pretty awesome
    2. Islands of Adventure - Colors, Colors Everywhere
    3. Pumpkin Pasties from Harry Potter
    4. Animal Kingdom: More Fuzzy Wuzzies!
    « Aviophobia - Part 2
    Storm Damage - Counting Our Blessings »

    About Erin

    Erin is a mom of two human babies and two fur-covered babies. She loves comfy clothes, eats too much peanut butter, and watches excessive amounts of Netflix. Make her day and toss her a like on Facebook or follow her on Instagram. Post may contain affiliate links including those via the Amazon Associates program

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. potencja

      September 02, 2017 at 8:05 am

      The brand of Moda in pelle provides extremely stylish, durable
      and comfortable shoes. Bourne's President, Thomas Mc - Claskie, always uses his creative imagery to make trendy shoes for men. 1990's - Bra
      became a highlight on women's wardrobe.

      Reply
    2. Rachelle

      July 24, 2013 at 3:25 am

      Great pictures!!! I LOVE the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Am making my second trip in Nov this year! YAY...And I LOVE the Harry books - I may have read each one 15-20 times, i'm not really sure at this point - they are the books I read when I run out of other books, when i'm sad and need comfort, when I want to escape, I reckon I read them at least 2-3 times a year and even with that I don't believe i'll ever get sick of reading them! 

      Reply
    3. meg jones wall

      July 06, 2011 at 3:16 pm

      i just LOVE harry potter, and these pictures are fantastic! i haven't gotten to go to the wizarding world yet, but i definitely have to get myself there sometime soon. thanks for sharing these!

      Reply
      • Erin

        July 07, 2011 at 9:20 pm

        Thanks, Meg! You should totally go. It was fun to pretend that world is actually real for an afternoon. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Susan

      July 06, 2011 at 11:07 am

      Like yourself, Bob LOVES Harry Potter, after your beautiful post we are definitly going to have to make a trip!

      Reply
    5. Remington

      July 05, 2011 at 4:51 pm

      Best place on earth. Period. 

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Erin! I love food and I bet you do, too! I cook for my family and share the recipes that we love. We also like to camp, so there will be a fair bit about that around here, too.

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