Day 31: Backtracking

While we were in Florida, we stayed at a KOA campground. It was the perfect homebase for spending time at Universal Studios--pretty close by, showers, laundry facilities, electrical hookups, and even a hot tub which we got to use the first night. It was our most expensive camping situation, but way cheaper than hotels in the area.

But it was time to say goodbye to Florida. We had rushed down there so we could make it to Univeral Studios midweek, but had some stops we wanted to make back up the coast.

Made it back to Georgia! I didn't get a picture, but we saw a bunch of pigs along the freeway, just at the edge of the forest as we drove. Not the wild animal we usually see.

And our stop for the --Savannah!

We had time to walk around a little after we made dinner.

The architecture here is just incredible. 

It's one of our favorite cities.

Stopped by the fountain at Forsyth Park.

And then ran to the grocery store on our way back to the van to grab a couple of things for breakfast. Peanut thought it was funny to find a car that is smaller than he is.

We found a spot right on Monterey Square in Savannah for the night. Only a couple blocks from a grocery store with a bathroom, quiet, and a beautiful location.

Day 30: One More Day of Universal

Last day at Universal and we spent some time exploring outside of the world of Harry Potter. We walked through the exhibit for Wicked and saw the costumes from the new movie.

We ran into the Mystery Machine driving around,

and found some characters to say hi to.

Or maybe not say hi to.

We watched the Kung Fu panda show and Peanut got to interact with Po.

We went on several rides and shows, too. The Bourne Stuntacular stunt show was incredible! And we all liked the Simpson's, Fast and the Furious, and the Minion Mayhem rides. Peanut and I may not be able to do the extreme roller coasters, but we tried out pretty much everything else.

And then, off course, we went to back to all the Harry Potter stuff for one last look.

We appreciated the details,

still didn't get the dragon fire, 

but got to enjoy all the Christmas feels.

These three days have been so fun.

So magical.

So immersive.

We've loved getting to see it all.

Peanut has been in heaven.

And we stuck around for the evening in Hogsmeade.

As the sun set behind the castle,

we found a spot behind the Hog's Head to watch the show.

The music, lights, and fireworks were so fun.

We moved out to the main path to see the view from the front. The castle was beautiful.

We stopped by Honeydukes for some treats to take home,

and spent a few more minutes wandering around the village.

It was hard to say goodbye

after all the magic.

But it was time.

Last stop was to check out the exhibit about the new park opening in the spring. It looks like it will be amazing, and includes another Harry Potter area, and How to Train Your Dragon. We'll definitely need to come back!

Day 29: Going to Hogwarts

We were back at the park right as it opened, ready for another day of Harry Potter (and a few other things, too.)

We went into Diagon Alley again, and enjoyed being in there before it was totally crowded for the day.

Did a little more magic,

and waited for the dragon (who was broken for the rest of this trip, so we waited for a long time for nothing.)

I seriously can't get enough of this place and how much it feels like you stepped into the movies/books.

Peanut ran through all his spells.

The whole place is just magical. 

But then, we had a trip to take.

On our way to the train station, we stopped by the phone booth where we could call the Ministry. They really thought of every detail.

And then, King's Cross Station.

There were Christmas packages mixed in with the luggage.

We found the entrance to Platform 9 3/4.

And made it through without any issues, haha.

An then we just had to wait for the Hogwarts Express to show up!

Found Hedwig while we waited.

And then it was time for the ride to Hogsmeade Village! It's not a long ride, but so fun to be on the train with everyone from the books.

We came out of the station, and. . .

Peanut got his first glimpse of Hogsmeade!

I think he was happy.

This place is just so fun!

And since Hogsmeade is already wintery, the Christmas decor is perfect.

All the shop windows are so fun!

We spent a lot of time just wandering around, looking for all the spots to use our wands.

And we found the castle!

Hagrid's Hut.

Peanut waited in line with us for Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure, even though he didn't want to ride (he's still not a rollercoaster fan), but he wanted to see everything along the path of the line. I can only handle so many rollercoasters, but this one was really fun!

Then, it was time for the castle ride:

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

The line for the ride is just as cool as the ride itself.

We walked through the castle, exploring everything there.

We got stuck for a long time in one spot,

but eventually the ride started working again.

And we got our turn. It's a fun ride, but I always have to close my eyes here and there on the 3-D rides so I don't end up nauseous. Peanut and I had both taken Kwells, which definitely helped.

We're all fans!

Another look at the castle.

And another stop for butter beer.

And then we ventured into a different world for awhile.

The Camp Jurassic playground is my favorite spot in Universal outside of the Harry Potter stuff.

There is so much fun stuff to climb, 

run through and explore there.

And some great spots to rest, too. Peanut and I spent awhile playing in the park while Daddy-o went to ride the Velocicoaster, which was absolutely too much for Peanut or I to handle. 

Daddy-o loved it, though.

We went to look around the visitor center,

Peanut designed some dinosaurs,

and identified the hatching eggs.

We ended the evening in the Suess Landing.

Also fun,

and the ride was very relaxing, haha.

Nice view of the sunset.

Found the Mystic Fountain, which was hilarious--telling riddles and spraying people.

Back to Hogsmeade.

I feel like the one thing Universal Studios is missing is the chance to stay in the park overnight. It would be so fun if there were places to stay where you had views of the castle,

and could shop after hours, or at least wander the streets.

By the time they were closing, we were exhausted from another busy day with lots of walking. We stopped by 12 Grimmauld Place as we were leaving. I think we'd hit up all the Harry Potter stuff at this point, and still had one more day in the parks!