The sunshine state: My Harry Potter experience

Hearing the seatbelt sign click off was a relief. The journey to America had been a chore but we had finally landed in Florida and I was back in my favourite place in the world. Collecting our suitcases and after the long discussion of what the car of choice would be this holiday, we made our way to the hotel in the scorching October heat; it seemed that with every year we came the temperature for the month reached an all time high. 



Being an avid Harry Potter fan a trip to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure and to the newly build Wizarding World of Harry Potter was top of my to-do list. Making our way through the park turnstiles I could see Hogwarts castle standing tall in the distance. Hardly being able to contain my excitement we headed straight to the back of the park to start to day, and as we reached the gates that separated the magical world of Harry Potter from reality I was instantly transported into chaos. Despite the park having only opened 10 minutes ago, the place was packed! However, refusing to let anything spoil out fun, we took a slow walk through Hogsmeade village, stopping to admire the Hogwarts Express in all it's glory, to the castle at the rear of the park. 

Joining the long line of people that had obviously had the same idea as us we waited anxiously, unaware of what wait before us in the famous castle. Luckily, the weather was gorgeous, and combined with excitement the hour-long wait seemed to pass by with ease. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was everything a Harry Potter fan would want and more. The queue to get onto the ride was an experience in itself. Entering through the towering castle gates and making our way through the familiar passageways and classrooms of Hogwarts, we visited iconic locations such as Dumbledore's office, the Room of Requirement, the Gryffindor common room (where we were greeted by the golden trio themselves) and more.

Once on the ride we soared above the castle grounds, played Quidditch with Harry and came face-to-face with an array of magical creatures including fire breathing dragons and a terrifying nest of Aragog and friends. Exiting the ride we passed through the gift shop where we browsed famous memorabilia such as Hermione's time turner necklace, the Marauders Map and robes, scarfs and uniform in a house colour of our choice.

Leaving the castle we made out way back through Hogsmeade and needing refreshments, headed to the Three Broomsticks (an exact replica of what's seen on screen) for a Butterbeer - the drink of choice for all the students who attend Hogwarts. 
Stopping next at Dervish and Banges to pick up some school supplies we admired the hundreds of journals, books, stationary and broomsticks before sending a letter home via the owlery and making a quick, albeit necessary, visit to Ollivanders to pick up a wand.

The final two stops down Hogsmeade were perhaps my favourite - Honeydukes sweet shop and Zonko's joke shop. Filled wall to wall with every magical sweet and chocolate you could image, Honeydukes is heaven for anyone with a sweet tooth. 

Limiting ourselves to a chocolate frog (complete with a famous witch or wizard card), some Bertie Botts every-flavour beans and Cauldron Cakes we left the shop satisfied, picking up another Butterbeer on the way.