day 196 : VACATION RECAP {day 3} HARRY POTTER!

woo hoo!
{you can see our first 2 trip recaps here and here}
anybody who knows me, knows that i am a HUGE harry potter fan.
honestly, the whole reason we went to florida was to see the wizarding world of harry potter.
i have read the books many, many times, and just LOVE the series.
i feel so connected to the characters and the story ; i could talk about my love for the books every day!

our third day, we headed to islands of adventure. inside IOA, there are a few different areas ; just like disney. there is a 'toon lagoon' ; where everything is about cartoons, dr. suess has a park, as well as a park for super heros.

when we entered the gates, we were practically skipping to the back of the park to get to harry potter. we got there as soon as they opened, so it wasn't super crowded {yet!}

we avoided the roller coasters {i was still feeling a bit sick from all the rides the day before} ; but there were so many details to see {and so many humans to move around}! you could go in a handful of the shops {many were just storefronts where you could check out the windows}

if you stayed in the hog's head long enough, you could see the boar on the wall making subtle movements. i know the photo is dark, but both this & the three broomsticks looked identical to the movies!

when we arrived, the main ride, the forbidden journey, was shut down due to tech issues. we were able to tour the castle {you walk through the castle to get to the ride}. all of my photos are pretty dark, but gosh, it was so rad! the ride came back up around 4pm, so we went back and rode the ride!

the mirror of ersied!

when you start the tour, you being in the greenhouses, which are set up like professor sprout's herbology class.

dumbledores office ; he speaks to you when you walk in. all around his room are gizmos and gadgets that were in the movies and the books. the penesive is there, too!

a little further in, you meet harry, ron & herminone ; telling you they need your help.

the fat lady! she speaks to you as you walk by! shes one of my favorite characters!

i took so many more photos ; but i just cant jam them all in!

 we spent time in other parts of the park, as well!

we ate at mythos & it was delish! we had vegetarian pad thai & a flatbread pizza {we share all our meals like grandparents...} the building was BEAUTIFUL!

next to harry potter, the dr suess area was my favorite. i didnt read dr suess bokks when i was a kid, but i loved all the colors and {mild} rides!  i will say, that the magic you feel at disney totally lacks when you are at universal // islands of adventure. it wasnt as clean & the staff didnt see to love their jobs the way the folks at disney did. harry potter is expanding & the new additions look like they will be pretty amazing. we will head down again in a couple of years ; but between the two parks, i think that disney was an overall better experience. but oh man, i love harry potter!