Harry Potter attractions are split between Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure, with the Hogwarts Express connecting the two parks.
The Harry Potter areas are very impressive and atmospheric. They were designed under the careful direction of J.K. Rowling with the help of Stuart Craig, the set designer for all the Harry Potter movies. As a result, they are incredibly true to the books and movies and the whole experience feels like a combination of visiting a movie set and playing make believe. If it weren't for the crowds, you would almost forget you're at a theme park in Orlando.
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| Hogsmeade Village! |
The little village with steeply pitched snow-covered roofs features many of the shops and restaurants mentioned in the books. The shops are small and true to the world of Harry Potter, which adds to the sense of realism (as much as a village full of witches and wizards at the base of a school of magic can be realistic).
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| The Three Broomsticks |
Butterbeer! The recipe for butterbeer was tested by J.K. Rowling until it met with her approval and the head chef for Universal apparently spent three years creating the food from the books, which includes cauldron cakes, pumpkin juice and chocolate frogs.
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| The Owl Post where you can mail postcards with a Hogsmeade stamp! |
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| Hogwarts Castle! |
The towering Hogwarts Castle is home to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, one of the main rides in the Harry Potter themed areas. The ride itself was very cool, using an innovative, if slightly dizzying, combination of robotic arms and videos projected on a giant screen.
My favorite part of the ride, though, was the walk through the castle while you wait. The line winds through dark passages of the castle, passing the Potions classroom, Dumbledore's office and through a classroom where a holographic Harry, Ron and Hermione speak to the crowd. It's awesome and highlights the attention to detail and authenticity of the Harry Potter sections of the park.
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| The sorting hat |
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| The entrance to Dumbledore's office |
The Hogwarts Express train connects the two Harry Potter areas of the Universal Parks. The train is designed to look just like the movies and the five minute ride from park to park features entertaining scenes of the countryside outside the window, as well as character sightings in the frosted glass doors of the cabins.
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| Fuzzy picture of the inside of the cabin- just like the movies! |
Next up: Diagon Alley!
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