I had great intentions of posting all about my Disney/Harry Potter trip with S. Reality, however, was less grand:)
But, since the Harry Potter park is brand new and was SO much fun, I figured I'd give y'all a little preview!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj480hjWwL4GeS_Wfc4zkZy6uIZ_6eZVhKTyIrc9i3DiDeV82WVTdr5Tnsg54uHphpoqLtACfRijIW_ENLPXNRIJsczLuSsP5zYW3E19YoV98kRSdTt3k4ZA88IqFKVU6_Bw4Rb_bO-jdY/s400/harry+potter+1+real.JPG)
I loved the details used in the park--the adorable signs,
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMbOvhgEfcozDknKNA_V2Dqpm8wTK-ASEPEpJAY6fib9kFI9DcauWQNKk7m3nfcEkj6FXoqbZxjNI9XDo-EG9qPviCY0kY8HrySvHO_XBs3j4mQLogatT5oADqgCTleMG_6TSu87LFh8/s400/harry+potter+1.JPG)
the photo frames that really move,
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69ekx_NSpqTTRffk6BIdOVvAkcmKpQqHrUXVTbaEqFtSJ1xC-CUDFHuCtim4uFS8neEA6RkkQgoSgl62c_4PQFY9Sc9VVYjJ1E_HIeg2Y9Xx9kTlokTfWfMd9uYAP4ae30TqRKlVY-yY/s400/harry+frames.JPG)
the dude walking around with robes and an owl....
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDf2z4RXyJMDgs-9Pg0yFDieXRsnK2alBOWwb2yu2twfffNYjQc1UZSdTXKVjlUK42wBeEDVFyU2nyzt6vt7PSl0m4t4OprsC8DTUPgWfHb2DWFD0X1B-Am9kx1g3rltCh8FVodR1BtC0/s400/harry+potter+5.JPG)
Love all the details of the books come to life.
Note, though: This park is VERY crowded. When people say "you need to get there the second it opens!" about parks, I tend to ignore them. But for this park, it's true! We were at the park when it opened at 8:50 and by 9:30, there were long lines forming. By 10:30 it was so crowded you could barely move.
See the line for Ollivander's wand shop, which was already crowded 20 minutes after the park opened!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvVKKPPisBDVK6Nayh5t6yRV4lAnpUsQlcH7ijqgGaberiGEjnu7E5z3yut0-d-quOP2GvEcorX5Reid49kuraPYQg-t9mVODiIMXFmR4LSTyN4gclFsa6BEoi4s4UvPASgUIrqJ7tOU/s400/harry+potter+3.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15lxIGU9RMJFBaZRiQjhUIIBeFX5LyYhtWqPotzMZfkHK8N1kCqTmHzcM1yAZWkMFkGKfB_vw-r7J-eoSj3HzskKNxVepBIIxzoWgzmjqr9KjrVZjYljAjxwpwLtG2FvMtdA0o2rai98/s400/harry+potter+4.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0vLjOYzJy7QeZ5Z0Ai2M4DYJjLehtBkPlHEbDhShKnUqXKmb-yrKmQ_I46VTpUP8F2BfrcPrTeSCdYkn8ivACDOsVWszDpI7hG_b3uDCgY1F3ZqsROasfMv_6y0b1aYG8diJxZyXMzA/s400/harry+potter+6.JPG)
Mmmm, butterbeer.
Want a fun Judaic activity? Try to figure out if Butterbeer is kosher! I thought about asking our rabbi, but as S pointed out, saying "Hey, I have this mystery drink--no clue what's in it or how it's made. Can I drink it?" is unlikely to work out with "yes." We conducted more investigation when we got there and the official Butterbeer chef said it's definitely NOT kosher. Alas.
But I can't help wondering--what is
in that stuff?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mAHjgIImt3a8W9Mg6IP0-A0UJZUvp-jYZdcWowTg58byv8ny2EQimA5Y8Qtwk7HxRTm000EKMQ3Qud-49mlCo7tMIKi4rgEsbqhgAaLUT9vSLR-WVPhhZ8G1HDGprxmVPGAIsncTABs/s400/harry+potter+7.JPG)
Along with the rides, one of the funnest parts of the park was a shopping area that was sort of like what you'd get if Hogsmeade Village and Diagon Alley got married and had a child.
This was Zonko's joke shop:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcK4B70ZzjgDyaIzJWwxqh4onaaJ-J23II_SLYFLfcgdeIOsMuDSeTQXb4zaw0lrn5iQRRjirIA4ofbjgui9J62mseZlLbMAjNon9ONKx5Pk_kHK27jS0dGzGz1kMyK55IKAkqZsIebg/s400/harry+potter+8.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDtIcfxj2nGwoOLZOMK0ivbhLrf7Pauh3rNbg_fS0mDN5YExz0DVIlDw0V_ZeIHee5hh-rt9bFQCEUo6WcFSd0iTA597jE_lP6WYc4mGN5pwZm8G5MljBAzb1fJWiT6oEqcPi9lN960M/s400/harry+potter+9.JPG)
These could really come in handy sometime.....
And now for my favorite FAVORITE part: Honeydukes candy shop.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pNudaN9FjBsJPb5D0L987knNUAhYui1JyMQ-PS6CH9KywDOSWbhThhXiJJTb9pagyzZ5xKcBQrpVVyqtBFzYjmeWBubV0f5xlxxUoYosjVrKJUJr0VKpNQCkkiWL2ZEzCC02Jq8-hvc/s400/harry+potter+10.JPG)
I love the colors and retro details on this SO much. It makes me want to run in my scraproom and whip up some aqua, pink, green, and checkerboard goodness!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1T8_-64-5MOcEI4HqQsM8-UPGn8rv7KC5-S5Lhxqcgooe1B8cCBcoT4ZfR5gxPXx29JjYUwN8efQ_ekDRjqFv4K_EcIM-BZYuJv5JRw3bPfUI0kR5z64VVCWE986axoeHAf2_tRVZqo/s400/harry+potter+11.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeOC2f9XImprCtcCxdemlJ-0T5KDsjNow84ZQZboED_sWU_ilsmprRrgLU7wN96ky59ZxKfDo0zB2TM9RYSrSAHRXEJh9hMaOd77sUU0gW1TnJnjwgy63InCUu7KD_wKgT7EtvVq2k2M/s400/harry+potter+12.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidx3PpGTnH8aUj5RPlkNv3zhjdU7JzjEyUtN8f1Qwt6gPzkyP9fgGOWCl118cj3XUsBdhXeT1r9rRWHvXpz9MFWUwNc43lomVWJmfDMVGT1vgSTpGqneSpaOFzmFNij9EcnyGvbrq695A/s400/harry+potter+13.JPG)
There were a lot of classic candies in there--chocolate frogs, peppermint pasties, every flavor beans--yum.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJ6tB907agy4anQlgVT-4FTluQ8LFb2tqjhEYvWEoHfAHZXNEkPwTj_Ng5XxZ7CEonk94ZusooNUr6p1_mFD2BpbokuLTshdlvojFbsTVTyHVxee56bp_PQbGIIxef9jFNkslBkEsl8c/s400/harry+potter+14.JPG)
And leaving the candy shop, a sneak peek at the wand selection:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvjUxwuuu4aYLXGyqH3e_HeA9giMttVlKNTup5SfvU_IDNqu0S9s5z7Hee-_Tdpawg6vsAoKn9OHfoFAomn6H36tlF9VZf8Bm2unHd7bxclOPAYwX7T5OcbTSxKkc4aGtKRr3MAfapGU/s400/harry+pottter+16.JPG)
And another popular beverage in the park--Pumpkin juice!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6yZ7J2vTd34QI5EJe5kf3J15FSQU8JGd_KSBQy50xKnC8SsjXA7cys_1tJFkVAgeax3_z5Whe1zWzeo8osRCAg1VcrrL8PTBu3nBCpxbaQR7sRtooYh8x1H81A1s68Syi5kcR_b43mw/s400/harry+potter+15.JPG)
Well, there you have it. An image-heavy guide to Harry Potter park!
I'm off to finish the approximately 12, 431 items on my to do list before Shabbos. Wish me luck!
And before you go--check out the new
home decor post featuring
APRIL FOSTER--right on the
Ella blog!
What are YOUR plans for the weekend? And on the topic, what's YOUR favorite amusement park?