Harry Potter Christmas 2019: Universal’s Wizarding World Celebration

September 18, 2019 by Kelly Dedeaux

In only its second year Orlando’s Wizarding World will celebrate the season with Harry Potter Christmas 2019 festivities in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is decorated to the hilt in an extra thematic element during the holiday, so check out all you need to know about Harry Potter Christmas 2019: Universal’s Wizarding World Celebration!

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It’s such an exciting thing to see during the holidays, and if you have never been there before, there really is a lot to do. The two Wizarding Worlds are in separate parks and connected by the Hogwarts Express. So, bring your park hopper pass, so you can fully explore the Wizarding World and join the festivities.

Window Shopping

The first thing you must do to capture the holiday spirit is see how the windows are dressed and how Christmas decor has adorned every corner of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The festive surroundings make visiting this whole immersive land so much more fun. There is a lot of fun shopping in the Wizarding World to begin with, but at Christmas time you can find some festive additions, such as ornaments and even the perfect Christmas gift.

Return of Hot Butterbeer

Last year was the first time The Wizarding World did anything for the holidays. When it did, the massive success was due in part to a new type of popular beverage, the hot Butterbeer. This tasty non alcoholic drink is perfect for the cold winter months and it is going to be back for Harry Potter Christmas 2019. In addition to the warm beverage, be on the lookout for all new food offerings on the menus as well.

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Snowfall in Hogsmeade

Last year there was regular snowfall in Hogsmeade throughout the evening. This is a really fun moment to capture as you pass through the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at night. The snow adds one more really fun element of illusion to the magical area and seeing the magnificent fantastic structures bathed in a flurry of white is a really special way for Harry Potter lovers to enjoy the holiday spirit.

The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle

One very big part of celebrating Harry Potter Christmas 2019 at Universal Orlando’s Wizarding Worlds is the projection show on Hogwarts in Hogsmeade. You have to stay late for this transformative event. The show is very beautiful and moving as gorgeous Christmas decorations adorn the walls, roof and spires of the castle.

Acapella Frog Choir & More

Besides the food and the ambiance, which includes snow and a lit castle, the biggest offering entertainment wise will be the live singing that is equally immersive in this land. The Acapela Frog Choir makes an entrance. If you are uninitiated, this is exactly how it sounds. This show takes place in Hogsmeade. If you head over to Diagon Alley, you will find other entertainment in the form of a Jazz band named Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees. This is a special show that happens in Universal Studios, just for the occasion. Also in Diagon Alley buskers will be singing traditional holiday tunes in the street.

Our First Orlando Informer Meetup

May 8, 2019 by Kelly Dedeaux

We love travelling, especially to theme parks for a truly exciting experience – but it can be difficult to manage not only cost-wise, but fitting in all that time away. Hearing about the meet up that Orlando Informer does a couple of times each year, I thought it could be the great weekend get-away, and it didn’t disappoint! Here’s all the things I loved the most about Our First Orlando Informer Meetup.

First of all, a bit about the Orlando Informer Meetup – it happens 2-3 times each year, and so far it’s usually 1 evening (ours was Saturday, April 27th). You can get into the parks as early as 5pm, then stay clear until 1:30am – meaning several hours after everyone else has to leave! You seriously feel like a VIP walking in, then getting on rides while others that aren’t a part of the event are turned away after their closing time.

Your admission ticket is these fun, light-up bracelets they give you at check-in. Once you pull the red tab, you can turn on the light-up feature so staff can easily see if you’re suppose to be there. And don’t worry, they have a table on each side of the park with Orlando Informer staff ready to help with any issues, such as if your bracelet isn’t working properly. We had that problem, and they replaced it without any hassle. Love the service!

Little-to-No Wait Times

People said that, because most of the crowds have to leave when the park ‘closes’, there’s hardly any wait times after that for rides – but I didn’t realize just how short they would be! Most of them were basically however long it took to walk through the line to the start of the ride, and those that did have some wait was like 5-10 minutes. Crazy!

Because of this, we were able to fit in so much in the 8.5 hours we were there, meaning it was a killer deal. The Orlando Informer Meetup cost about $182 after tax per person, and was totally worth it just for this part alone – but there’s EVEN MORE!

Lots of Free Food

I heard this was new for our event, but when we checked in each of us received a voucher that was good for 1 quick-service meal with drink, plus a snack and another drink to use in the parks anytime before they closed to the public. So not only do you kick-off your park time with some free food, but then once the public leaves and the actual event starts, they have TONS of places serving free food to try! This was really neat, since we were able to sample things from different restaurants and snack stands that normally we’d have to pay for (and since travel budgets can be tight, we rarely get to try much).

Yes, FREE BUTTERBEER (and pumpkin juice – my favorite), ice cream, and various foods like chicken strips, burgers, fried rice, veggies, rolls, popcorn, donuts – seriously, so many! Just check out our ‘food map’ we received at check in…

Easy Weekend Trip

Since one of the things that make trips difficult to manage is fitting in time away from work – but since this event is really only 1 night (though their upcoming one in December is TWO nights!), you can fit it into a weekend and not even miss any work! We flew in early Saturday morning, enjoyed some time around CityWalk (lunch at my favorite place – Toothsome), then were in the parks at 5pm. After we left totally exhausted but having had a complete blast, we crashed at the hotel about 2am, slept in until check-out, and flew home that evening. So two days for an incredible trip!

Less Crowds

Not just for ride wait times, but walking around a bunch of crowds in the park when you want to enjoy the scenery can be frustrating – but not during the Orlando Informer Meetup! We felt like some of only a few people in the park, not hitting crowds or anything once it was closed to the public. The girls were even able to break out into one of their dance routines randomly as we walked around the park without any fear of bumping into people!

This also meant plenty of fun, unobstructed photos all around the park where normally you’d have to fight with people to get a good shot.

Fun Characters & Activities

As if the food and rides weren’t enough, but they had characters all over the place for some added fun. Some of the characters were even part of an activity – finding the secret password for a speakeasy! Since I don’t drink, and had 2 minors with me, we didn’t participate in this – but we did watch plenty enjoying figuring out the clues. It seemed to be 1920’s mob-themed for this, which is really cool.

We’re big fans of music, so it was great that they had DJs all around the parks keeping people dancing and excited even into the wee hours of the morning.

I HIGHLY recommend checking out the Orlando Informer Meetup for an incredible experience at Universal Studios Orlando! Our first experience was better than we could have imagined, and we can’t wait to do it again in the future!

What’s your favorite thing about Universal Studios Orlando?

My First Harry Potter World Experience

April 10, 2019 by Kelly Dedeaux

I participated in Family Forward 2015, resulting in extra experiences and discounts. See more info here.

I freely admit that I’m a HUGE fan of Harry Potter – and my girl is even more so! She was in the middle of the series when we had our First Harry Potter World Experience in Orlando, so it was a really magical experience. Literally! (originally shared February 2016)

Contains affiliate links that support this blog at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure policy for more info.

Since there’s so much to tell about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I’m breaking it up into a few posts – this one I’ll share our thoughts on the atmosphere, rides and just the overall experience. Now there’s TWO separate areas for Harry Potter world – Diagon Alley in Universal Studios and then in Universal’s Islands of Adventure you have Hogsmeade. Make sure you have the park-hopper ticket so you can go between the two. The easiest way is on the Hogwarts Express, or you can just exit one park and go in the normal entrance of the other – but it’s quite a bit more walking as the Harry Potter stuff is near the back of both parks.

The Hogwarts Express was a fun experience – you get put into your own private train compartment (the 8 of us fit perfectly fine). Watch out the window and you can see some favorite characters from the show like Hagrid, the Weasley twins, even Hedwig! You HAVE to try the train both directions because each is completely different. Heads up – on the way from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade there’s a little dark moment with a ‘Dimentor’ (don’t worry, it’s just the screen and lights, not like a costumed person) that may scare little kids. Going the opposite way, those frightened of spiders may get a little ‘eeky’ moment, but again it’s just the screen. Our kids did fine after the first time, when they knew what to expect and just closed their eyes at that part. The train was one of their favorite things after that!Be prepared and nab your Free Printable Universal Studios Florida Height Requirements here!

Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida

Right before you enter Diagon Alley from the Universal Park, you’ll see the Knight Bus – don’t forget to talk to the shrunken head and take some photos!

Head over to the famous ‘moving brick’ wall – the bricks don’t actually move, of course, but listen for the sound and your kids will be CERTAIN they can see them! Once through, there’s the path with plenty of shops and fun on both sides – and straight ahead is Gringotts bank, with the famous 60-ft Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon on top. He roars loudly and breathes fire every 10 minutes. You’ll hear a light rumble from him right before, so you have time to have your kids cover their ears if needed.

I LOVED the buildings and how well they did at making you truly feel like you were in Diagon Alley, even with all the ‘muggles’ around! A few stores down from the bank is the Gringotts Money Exchange – you can go in and talk to the head goblin, and even exchange your muggle money for some Gringotts Bank Notes (useable at Universal/Islands of Adventure as well as the Harry Potter lands – or keep as a souvenir). The kids thoughts this was AMAZING getting to use ‘wizard money’ to make some purchases.

Back by the Money Exchange is a out-of-the-way area which is less crowded than the main street – and has a lot of fun things to see such as a Mermaid well, The Hopping Pot (different beer brews, all FOUR varieties of Butter Beer, as well as some snacks and other drinks and Eternelle’s Elixers. The Elixer place is neat because you can buy different ‘potions’ (flavorings) to mix into your water for a fun little drink.

Both parks have PLENTY of photo opportunities – from a Hogwarts Express in Hogsmeade to a ton of fun window displays – try the Puking Pastilles at the Weasley’s joke shop in Diagon Alley. Check out the monster book or magical creatures at the pet shop, too!

I thought the Escape from Gringotts ride was remarkable – a 3-D, roller-coaster type ride where you need to get away from Voldemort, guards and more!

And yes, the top hat at Weasley’s store works just great – it’s right inside the brick entrance to Diagon Alley, and the Leaky Cauldron restaurant is right across from that. So much to do!

Rides in Diagon Alley: Escape from Gringotts, The Hogwarts Express

Where to eat in Diagon Alley: Leaky Cauldron, Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour

Shops at Diagon Alley: Ollivanders, Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, Borgin & Burkes, Magical Menagerie, Madam Malkin’s Robes for all Occasions, Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, Quality Quidditch Supplies

Hogsmead at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Hogwarts castle is definitely a centerpiece of Hogsmeade – huge, beautiful and the detail is incredible! Inside is the Forbidden Journey ride (this was amazing – feet hanging in the air as you ‘fly’ through a Quidditch match, escape a dragon and brave the forbidden forest – warning if you get motion sickness easily!) – but you get to walk though the castle rooms on your way to the ride entrance! The pictures move and talk, there’s fun wizard newspapers, say hi to The Fat Lady and the Sorting Hat, plus hear some words from Dumbledore in his office.

The castle looks even more beautiful at night – and the rooftops were ‘snow-covered’, making the whole experience as real as possible! I seriously couldn’t get over the amount of detail that went into the whole village!

The Dragon Challenge was fun – a roller coaster where you’re almost ‘racing’ the other coaster! Red or blue – which do you pick? My kiddos absolute FAVORITE ride of the entire vacation was Flight of the Hippogriff – a kid-friendly roller coaster that was decently fun for the adults (which is good since they asked us to go on it dozens of times) but a real non-scary thrill for the younger ones! Don’t forget to bow to Buckbeak!

Rides at Hogsmeade: The Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge, Flight of the Hippogriff, The Hogwarts Express

Where to eat at Hogsmeade: Three Broomsticks

Shops at Hogsmeade: Dervish & Banges, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, Honeydukes, Ollivanders

We only had a few days for all of Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure AND the Harry Potter stuff, so it was a bit rushed. I wish I had a whole day to truly look around into each thing – perhaps next time!

Coming Soon: Food at Harry Potter World, Great stuff for your visit to Harry Potter World

Book your Universal & Harry Potter World Vacation Now – use promo code: BusyMomsHelper for $10 off your package!

Check out other fun family vacation experiences!

100+ DIY Harry Potter Ideas

March 22, 2019 by Kelly Dedeaux

I’m a HUGE Harry Potter fan, love reading (and re-reading) the books, delight in the movies and have had plenty of dreams where I could cast a nifty spell. Imagine my delight about visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter during Family Forward this month! I can’t wait to tell you all about it – in the meantime, enjoy these 100+ DIY Harry Potter Ideas for crafts, recipes, printables and much more!

Golden Snitch Cake Pops by Tonya Staab

Party ideas with Free Printables by Creekside Learning

Winged Key, Quill, Sorting Hat & More Ornaments by Easy as DIY

Chocolate Frog Box Printables by The Brilliant Crafty Type

DIY Harry Potter Wands & List of Spells by Bambinis

Jewelry, Recipes, Kids Crafts & More Round up by Raegun Ramblings

Harry Potter Inspired Tree Skirt from Sowdering About

Places I’d Like to go from Harry Potter: Sign found on Craftster

Dementor Relief Chocolate Bar Wrapper Printables by Pieces by Polly

Time Turner Inspired Necklace from 30 Minute Crafts

Pocket Pygmy Puffs Necklace found on Crafster

30+ Harry Potter Knitting Patterns from In The Loop Knitting

Cheese and Pretzel Broomsticks by One Little Project

School Supplies that will make you a Total Hermione found on Buzzfeed

Little Monster Books by Instructables

Platform 9 3/4 Ticket Printable from I Do on a Dime

Professor Snape’s Potion Labels by Over the Big Moon

Mirror of Erised by Delicious Reads

Ministry of Magic Identification Card found on The RPF

10 Harry Potter Costumes by Andrea’s Notebook

Pin the Scar on Harry from Crafting in the Rain

Corner Bookmark on Instructables

Harry Potter Gifts for the Whole Family by Raegan Ramblings

Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean Box by Naphtali’s Melody

7 Harry Potter Craft Ideas & Printables by Everything Etsy

Ollivander’s Apprentice Wand Tutorial from Give Peas a Chance

Harry Potter Snitch Cake by Ashlee Marie

Harry Potter Clothespins by Tried and True Blog

Luna Lovegood Paper Doll Printables by Me and My Inklings

I Solemnly Swear Onesie by Tried and True Blog

Gifts for Harry Potter Fans

November 22, 2017 by Kelly Dedeaux

Some products were received complimentary to facilitate this post. All opinions are mine alone, and we only recommend products we truly enjoy or believe in. This post contains affiliate links that give us a small percentage if you make a purchase through that link, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this site!

It’s no secret that many of my family LOVE Harry Potter and that entire universe that J.K. Rowling created. As much as I love it, though, my daughter is completely and shamelessly obsessed with it! I don’t think a birthday or Christmas can go by without her requested something to go along with this, and I know she’d love practically everything on this list of Gifts for Harry Potter Fans. Whether you’ve got a witch, wizard or muggle on your list, there’s something for any magic-loving person here!

I do have to say, I would absolutely LOVE to put Hot Butterbeer on this list because Oh. My. Gosh! It’s completely delicious – my favorite butterbeer thing ever – and we’ve been missing it since we first tried it at Universal last month. So if you happen to be THERE during the holidays, I recommend trying it – and buying one as gift for Harry Potter fans in your family, albeit an immediate one since it won’t exactly wait patiently wrapped under the tree 🙂

Harry Potter Magical Beasts Game

Calling all Wizards! Magical beasts have broken loose at Hogwarts – you and up to three friends need to save everyone by recapturing these fantastic creatures. In this action-packed game, you play as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, or Ginny Weasley. Collect clues to track down creatures both inside and outside Hogwarts! Watch out though, moving from Hogwarts to the grounds nearby can be treacherous and cost you clues and precious time. For 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up.

Harry Potter Tri-Wizard Maze

Muggles and wizards alike will be enchanted by this magical game! It features fast-action Pop’N’Race play as you race around the Tri-Wizard Maze trying to capture the Tri-Wizard Cup! Beware because there are traps along the way that may hurt – or help – your journey throughout the maze. For 2 to 4 players, ages 5 and up.

Fawkes Plush

2-Pocket Poly Portfolio (4-Pack)

Complete Harry Potter Series – Paperback

Harry Potter Pictopia Game

Polystone House Crests

Hogwarts Express Book Ends

Hogwarts Stationary Set

Harry Potter Hybrid Bag

Hogwarts House Lounge Pants

Hogwarts Castle Charm

Golden Snitch Necklace

Hogwarts Varsity Hoodie

Harry Potter Light-Up House Banners

Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

Deathly Hallows 20 oz. Water Bottle

You can find even more Gifts for Harry Potter Fan HERE!

Summer Camp Kits: Earn Extra Cash this Summer

May 17, 2017 by Kelly Dedeaux

The kids are almost out of school, which means a few months of ‘Mom, I’m bored!’ Why not provide something fun for your kids, while also earning some extra cash this summer? You can host an awesome summer camp for kids easily with the help of our Summer Camp Kits – full of tips, instructions, recipes, crafts and LOADS of printables to help save you work while hosting a great camp! And if you don’t feel like doing a whole summer camp – these make fabulous preschool theme kits, party plans and ideas or just awesome activities for kids!

That’s right, you can put on a successful and PROFITABLE kids summer camp this year, and our Summer Camp Kits are full of helpful stuff to save you a ton of time and work. Almost all the planning is done for you! We’ve even got four themes – Superhero, Wizard, Science and Arts & Crafts – so you can pick what fits your kids (and the kids you’ll be inviting to attend) and their interests!

You’ll have all the instructions & supplies list for tasty foods and fun themed crafts, activities, games and even experiments! Try a Mandrake Root Cupcake in our Wizard Camp…

…or test your skills through a security maze during our Superhero Training camp!

Kids will have a blast doing experiments in science camp…

…and let their creative side shine in Arts & Crafts camp.

Each summer camp kit comes with TONS of printables to help with your successful camp – banners, name tags, games and filler activities, signs, food cards, photo booth props and much more!

You can nab your summer camp kit HERE, or even get multiple to host a variety of camps and bring in even more extra money this summer!

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These are ALL included in our Busy Mom Bundle, along with other fabulous printable packs!

Check out our other products HERE

Family Home Binder

Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books

2018 Planner & Calendar

A YEAR of Meal Plans plus Recipes – on a budget!

Printable Harry Potter Halloween Cards

October 12, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

We’re HUGE fans of Harry Potter in our family, especially my girl! She insists on that being her party theme when she turns 11 (because that’s when you get your first Hogwarts letter!), wants her room all magical, and dreams of owning her own ‘broomstick’ someday. When we were talking about fun Halloween class gift ideas, I knew she’d love these Printable Harry Potter Halloween Cards – complete with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Dumbledore and even Hedwig!

These Harry Potter themed cards are perfect for class parties, friends, or even giving out to trick-or-treaters. We just stapled (you could also use tape, whatever you prefer) a fun sized candy to each in the blank area and they’re the perfect Halloween gift!

There’s 7 different designs (the 6 different characters listed above, plus 2 different ones of Harry) but we fit 9 onto an 8.5×11 sized sheet. You get an extra Harry Potter and an extra Hedwig because, come on, everyone wants that beautiful owl!

We tried to come up with cute, fun sayings that went along with the Harry Potter theme, such as ‘Wishing a Happy Halloween to the Brightest Witch of All!’ or ‘Hope Your Halloween is Full of Good Spells’ or ‘Hope Your Halloween’s a HOOT!’ Even Hagrid has his own little bit…

Download & Print our fun Harry Potter Halloween cards HERE

THE Book for Harry Potter Crafts & a Giveaway

July 18, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

The nerdiness of my family continues with our love of all things Harry Potter. My daughter is especially fond of everything to do with the wizarding world! When I showed her The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter, she squealed in excitement – literally, and for several minutes as she combed through the pages wanting to try every single project right then and there. Guys, this is like THE Book for Harry Potter Crafts! Trust me, whether you’re a muggle, witch or wizard, this is the perfect gift for Harry Potter fans! Plus an awesome GIVEAWAY!

I received a free copy of this book to facilitate this review. All opinions are mine alone. This post contains some affiliate links that help support this blog at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure policy for more info.

While my girl insisted on doing several crafts in one afternoon, I finally convinced her to just try one for now so that I could take the time to share this with you. It was super hard narrowing it down from the 30 magical wizard crafts to try! We finally decided to start out with a Pencil Wand – the instructions were super simple to follow, and the supplies weren’t hard to find.

We quickly made two pencil wands to show off – and she can’t wait to use them! Whether that’s to have a wizard duel with her friends or write her latest potions assignment, I’m not quite sure, but at least she’ll be prepared for either one!

The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter is divided neatly into sections, and here’s just a SAMPLING of projects included in each:

The School Trunk: Crafts to Wear
- Sugar Quill Headband
- Golden Snitch Necklace
- Remembrall Ring
The Restricted Section of the Library: Crafts for School
- Spellbook Journal
- Monster Book of Monsters Tablet Cover
- Mandrake Root Pencil Holder
The Prefects’ Bathroom: Crafts for Style
- Butterbeer Lip Balm
- Dementor Soap
- Dragon Scale face Paints
The Great Hall: Crafts to Use Around the House
- Marauder’s Map Mug
- Honeydukes Cookie Jar
- Free Dobby Laundry Hamper
The Common Room: Crafts for Your Room
- Floating Candle Night Lights
- Mad-Eye Moody Photo Frame
- Wall Mirror of Erised
The Dark Forest: Crafts for the Great Outdoors
- Slytherin Snake Door Wreath
- Nargles for the Yard
- House Banners Doormat

Trust me, these THIRTY Harry Potter crafts are so much fun, and simple enough to do for a party, family night or simply because they’re awesome. If you or anyone you know is a Harry Potter fan, you’ve got to nab The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter (by Jamie Harrington) now. Then get your magic going with these fabulous projects!

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More Harry Potter Fun

Wizarding World of Harry Potter Food and Stuff

May 2, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Can I just say that I’m really missing Harry Potter world lately? I loved being there with my family, especially since Black Widow is a HUGE Harry Potter fan! In case any of YOU are planning a visit, here’s some of our thoughts on yummy treats, great souvenir ideas and more at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Food and Stuff!

Contains affiliate links that support this blog at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure for more info.

If you recall, we went to Universal and Harry Potter World last September with Family Forward, and told you all about our overall impressions of HP World here. I wish we’d had even more time, because there’s just SO MUCH to see! This post I’m just sharing what types of things we found that were not only delicious, but also some ideas and opinions on souvenir or gift ideas (you know, to take something back to the poor people who didn’t get to go – kinda sucks to be them, so a thoughtful gift would be nice).

Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Food & Drink

#1: Chocolate Frogs

You can’t visit Harry Potter World without trying at least ONE chocolate frog! They’re a little more pricey than I hoped, so we got 2 or 3 and just shared. Black Widow still has the cards (Dumbledore and Ravenclaw) hanging in her room! It’s just a fun experience to do, since it’s such a memorable thing in the movie (as well as one direction of the Hogwarts Express at the park).

#2: Eternelle’s Elixir of Refreshment

This is in Diagon Alley, back in an area that’s less crowded, sort of by the bank. They have different ‘elixirs’ (aka water flavorings) to choose from in fun colors. You get the little elixir bottle (that’s a super cute souvenir, by the way) and mix it with water – we bought bottled Gilly Water – then pour in the Elixer and shake. The drink itself isn’t anything super special, but it’s a fun thing for the kids 🙂

#3: The Leaky Cauldron

What a fun atmosphere! This is in Diagon Alley, as well, and was a great place to take a rest when we got hungry. You walk in and the menu is up on the wall while you wait in line. Once you get to the counter you place your order, then they give you a numbered ‘candle stick’ to take to your table, so they can then find you to bring your food.

With 8 of us, we ordered a variety – and there was plenty on the menu to choose from! It is pretty ‘English’, but they also had typical things like mac & cheese and wedge fries, so even our kiddos loved the food. It was good quality, and fresh.

My in-laws got the Ploughman’s, which had a Scotch egg, 3 kinds of cheese, fresh bread, mini pickles, chutney, grilled tomato, green salad and a horseradish-mustard dipping sauce. Yes, it’s meant for 2 people.

They also got the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. It was yummy, with a scoop of ice cream on top.

We got several things: mac & cheese with potato wedges (kids meals) bangers and mash (the hot dog looking things with veggies), Chicken sandwich, and fish ‘n chips (kids meal). I couldn’t resist trying the chocolate potted cream for dessert – so good! But no, you don’t get to keep the cute pot it comes in – I asked.

#4: Butterbeer

You HAD to know this one was coming, right? Because everyone raves about the butter beer – the big debate is which one is best? I didn’t get to try the heated one (didn’t realize it was an option!) but between the regular and the frozen, I definitely preferred the regular. The frothy top was perfect, and it had just the right amount of butterscotch goodness. The frozen seemed a bit TOO sweet to me, but the others liked it fine.

#5: Three Broomsticks

So I did NOT get to eat here, but I was told by so many friends that I have full faith in their tastebuds that it’s a must-try restaurant at Harry Potter World.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Souvenirs, Gifts and Stuff

Our kids worked hard during the summer to save up for something special – although they didn’t know about this trip until the plane! Luckily we had them prepared so they could choose a few things to purchase, if they wanted.

#1: Gringotts Bank Notes

You can exchange your ‘muggle money’ for official Gringotts Bank Notes at the Money Exchange in Diagon Alley. The staff guy was super helpful, and be sure to take time to talk with the head goblin! I gave a little more detail in my first post of this place – it’s really neat to see, then you have ‘wizard money’ to spend as you wish! It comes in $10 or $20 denominations, and in a neat little ‘bank envelope’.

#2: Adopt a Magical Pet

My kids had a BLAST in the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley, where they have plenty of ‘pets’ you can adopt! Grab a Fluffy, Crookshanks, or even unicorns, cornish pixies, spiders and more!

#3: Every Wizard Needs a Wand

No visit here would be complete without a visit to Ollivander’s Wand Shop! There’s one in Diagon Alley AND Hogsmeade, so it’s super easy to make a stop. See them choose a special someone for ‘choosing a wand’, then spend time picking out one of your own!

Now, my girl is REALLY into Harry Potter, so to her spending $50 on a wand (she got the magic kind) was well worth it. She loved doing spells around the park!

For my boys, they didn’t care enough for me to want to spend that type of money – and I knew that ahead of time and ordered them disclosure. And honestly, these ones are a bit thicker so they’re more durable!

#4: Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes

Pretty much anything here is fun – from their Exploding Bon Bons (white chocolate bon bons with pop rocks inside!) to their sticky tricks and more.

Here’s some fun things I found on Amazon ahead of time, to save some money in the parks:

More Harry Potter Fun…

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is now at Universal Studios Hollywood

March 13, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Since we use to live in Utah, our vacations often took us to California for Disneyland or Universal. It was much closer than Florida – but we missed out on the awesome Harry Potter World stuff! Now that we’re in Texas, we’re pretty close to right smack in the middle…..and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is now at Universal Studios Hollywood, so California has just as much magic!

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We’ve been sharing some posts from our first trip to Harry Potter World in Orlando last September, and can’t wait to see how the California Hogsmeade compares! There will, of course, be some differences – it looks like the Dragon Challenge ride isn’t included. The castle looks AMAZING, though, and still includes the great ride Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey. My kids’ absolutely FAVORITE ride, Flight of the Hippogriff, is there so that’s a big excitement!

You can still try a delish Butterbeer, and stop by Ollivanders to pick out your own wand. Plenty of shops, such as Zonke’s Joke Shop, Honeydukes and Gladrags Wizardwear. I’m sad that The Weasley’s store isn’t there, but not surprised since that’s a Diagon Alley thing. Don’t forget to eat at the Three Broomsticks, too!

I highly recommend trying their pumpkin juice – it was so yummy and refreshing! Honeydukes also has so many tasty treats, you have no shortage of options!

The grand opening is April 7th, so head on over to Get Away Today for the best deals on your vacation – then pack your robes and have a magical time!

Check out these other Harry Potter posts…

DIY Book of Spells

September 10, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

We had so much fun at our recent visit with Family Forward to Universal Studios and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! As part of our big ‘surprise bag’ we put together for the kids when we got there, I made this super fun and budget-friendly DIY Book of Spells for each kiddo! I thought it would be the perfect thing to share for this month’s Halloween themed Craft Lightning!

I was able to finish the first one in just about 15 minutes start to finish, then the rest were only a few minutes each since I’d already cut out the designs. Plus, each one only cost a couple bucks for everything! So fun that they have their own Book of Spells, and plenty of blank pages to journal their fun, or even make up their own spells and potions!

DIY Book of Spells Supplies

Small, blank notebooks ($2-$3 at Walmart)
Vinyl in colors of choice, or use paper and glue it on
Silhouette, Cricut or stencil to cut out shapes

DIY Book of Spells Directions

Cut out your vinyl/paper. You can nab the silhouette files I used for my 5″ notebooks HERE and HERE.
Attach it to the cover of the notebook as desired – mix it up with fun colors and designs!

Originally I was just going to keep it like this…..

….but then decided it needed a little more accents to it, so used the moon from the corners to add to the Title, and the dots at the end of the wand for a little ‘magic’.

Much better, don’t you think? I really wished I had some brown vinyl for the wands, but this works out well also. The kids were thrilled to get them – and for the tiny bit of money and time it was more than worth it!

What are YOUR favorite spells from Harry Potter?

Don’t forget to head over to check out the other fabulous, spooky, and down-right fun Halloween themed crafts that take less than 15 minutes for this month’s Craft Lightning!

DIY Harry Potter Book Bag

July 30, 2014 by Kelly Dedeaux

Good morning, y’all! The next few days I have some FABULOUS bloggers sharing their creativity with you….and today we’ve got Randi from Sowdering About in Seattle kickin’ it off with this uber-fun DIY Harry Potter Book Bag! So on to Randi….

There are three things you need to know about me. One, I love coffee. Two, I love to read. And three, I love, absolutely adore, Harry Potter. As a matter of fact, back in 2010, I read listened on audio to nothing else but Harry Potter. All seven books on rotation. For a year.

DIY Harry Potter Book Bag / by Sowdering About for Busy Mom's Helper #HarryPotter #Craft #SummerReading

Some people might think that is crazy, but honestly, I love how books can just take you away and when you are working in an accounting office, there is no better place to be than at Hogwarts. But I digress…

This summer when the kids and I started visiting the library, I knew they needed something incredible to carry their books home with them. I had been wanting to make a book bag like this for years now, and now I finally had a great excuse!

I downloaded the Harry Potter font from dafont.com (who am I kidding, I’ve had it downloaded for years) and I cut out my letters on contact paper using my Silhouette. A lot of people use freezer paper, but I haven’t used it before, so I just stuck to what I know which is contact paper. Contact paper isn’t difficult to use, but it can be kind of finicky so you just have to be gentle with it.

When it was all cut out, I stuck it to my book bag. I carefully added the centers to the “b” and the “o’s” using an X-acto blade. I then used a black fabric paint to paint on the words. To set the paint, I used my blow dryer on high heat. This isn’t necessary, but I was in too much of a hurry to see my end result so I couldn’t wait for it to dry on it’s own.

When the paint was dry, I gave it a good hard look and decided it needed a “Deathly Hallows” symbol as well, so I drew it on with a gold paint pen. It was the finishing touch that this bag needed.

The only problem that I have with this bag now is, do I give it to the kids or keep it for myself?

I’m Randi and I blog over at Sowdering About in Seattle. I like to write about my crafty adventures in the Emerald City and all the usually stressful fun stuff I do with my kids.

Follow along on our adventure with us!

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