Harry Potter!

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!
I loved the details used in the park--the adorable signs,



the photo frames that really move,



the dude walking around with robes and an owl....

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!






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?

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:


These could really come in handy sometime.....

And now for my favorite FAVORITE part: Honeydukes candy shop.


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!



There were a lot of classic candies in there--chocolate frogs, peppermint pasties, every flavor beans--yum.


And leaving the candy shop, a sneak peek at the wand selection:

And another popular beverage in the park--Pumpkin juice!

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?