I never got my letter to Hogwarts as a kid, but I never truly accepted I was just a plain muggle either. Lucky for B and I, we got to live out our wizard fantasies in Hogsmeade.

We had to take a not so wizard friendly form of transportation to get there, but we got there nonetheless. Big thank you to B and United Airlines for toting us back and forth. That being said, we made a pit stop at Universal Studios the second day of our Los Angeles trip.

We made it through the usual check in stuff for tickets, bags and COVID and began the Universal experience.

I should preface this by saying Warner Brothers actually own the rights and use of any Harry Potter item, production or amusement park ride. The legal teams were able to come to a working contract between Universal Studios and Warner Brothers and Hogsmeade planning commenced. Situated within the eye of Warner Brothers on the valley side of LA, Hogsmeade truly transports you to a new world.

You’re greeted at the Hogwarts Express drop off station, which has a handy spot for Butter Beer. I have forever been a fan of the bottled variety sold at Lollipop’s (a chain candy shop), and I was slightly disappointed to find out the real deal wasn’t as good. The foam of the drink took away from the rich flavor, and it ended up being too fizzy and heavy to genuinely enjoy. We did enjoy it while it lasted, but ultimately couldn’t finish it. However, we were just happy to enjoy the experience. You can see our Harry Potter cup pictured above and our joyful faces as we took in all of the Wizarding World had to offer.

We rode the main ride twice which was probably too much for me, since I got very nauseous after the second time around. However, it was exactly what I needed ride wise since the Simpsons ride was closed for refurbishment. It’s a car type ride that simulates a bunch of scenes on a rounded screen so you feel like you’re riding a broomstick through Hogwarts. After enjoying that we picked our way through the gift shop finding all kinds of knick knacks I’d want for a home scattered with Harry Potter items. Ultimately the decor search led us to Ollivanders, Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC.

Please forgive the funny photo it is from a panoramic photo I took of Hogsmeade. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take a photo of just Ollivanders so here we are.

We opted out of the line to have our wands chosen for us and we snuck in to Ollivanders through Wiseacres Wizarding Equipment. You could wait in the longest line for 30 mins or you could waltz in to the wand shop through another wizard shop for easy access. I grabbed a Slytherin Head Girl pin priced at $12 while in Wiseacres. It’s very me since I have previously been sorted into Slytherin by the Sorting Hat at Warner Brothers pictured below.

The pin now rests on my ringside backpack for work and proudly displays my Slytherin roots and is sentimental given my LA adventure with B. It’s got a sturdy star backing that adds to the magic of the pin, and the pin itself is so sturdy it can do some damage if someone ever threw it at you.

Anyways I stray, inside Ollivanders there’s an array of character wands, specialty wands, interactive wands and more. It’s a dusty old shop just like in the books and films, and it’s bustling with wizards looking for their match. I’ll do a whole post on my wand and coming to the decision to select the wand I did, but until then know I got the wand to do magic around Hogsmeade.

There’s a whole bunch of metal tiles with the spell stamped into it scattered around the park. You can make window displays come to life, doors open, fire shoot out of chimneys and more. I was lucky enough to get a handful of these spells on video, all of which will be posted on the blogs Instagram and other video friendly medias.

We had an amazing time scratching our wizard itches while in Hogsmeade. Oh how I wish to go back and to Diagon Alley across the country in Orlando.