After we finished the Harry Potter Ride we walked into  Hogsmeade to explore the little Wizarding town. We skipped Olivander’s Wand Shop as there was a long line and we were all quite familiar with the scene that would be played out…everone knows  “The wand chooses the wizard”.

At the Aviary the Stuffed Owls were animated and could be purchased as owl mail carriers. We had to check out the offerings at Honeydukes Sweetshop.

 They were all there from Any Flavor Beans to Chocolate Frogs and Caldron Cakes.

We admired the Hogwart Express and saw the Wanted Poster for Sirius Black.

There were vendors offering Butterbeer all along the main street.

 We slipped into The Three Broomsticks for a leisurely lunch. We were able to get a table on the back veranda where an umbrella shaded us from the sun. Hogsmeade had it all!

After lunch we started back to the remaining sections of the park. As soon as we left The Wizarding World we were winding through a middle eastern bazar. Then as we rounded a corner we spotted the Poseidon Adventure ( not the Shipwreck). It’s a walk-through experience, not truly a “ride” but it’s fun and interesting, definitely worth the short detour.

We had our eyes on Dr. Seuss land. There was Horton and the Cat in the Hat with Thing 1 and Thing 2. We took a ride on a small rollercoaster (clearly geared to small children) that told the story of the Star-bellied Sneetches.

The Cat in the Hat ride whirled and swirled as one might expect. Then it was time to find a cold bit of refreshment so we stopped to get a bite of ice cream and discuss what to do next.

We though about going back for one last ride with Harry but to be honest my blisters had blisters. I was about done for the day. I would have gladly camped out somewhere and let the others go play but they all said they were ready to wrap up too. So slowly we trudged (I limped) alllll the way back to the car. Joe, Tim and Saralyn were going out to dinner in Orlando but I had to take a pass.

Our busy schedule had done the “old lady” in. Back at the condo we reloaded Joe’s car and I crashed. It was about 3 hours later before I woke up and  ordered a small pizza from the Pizza shop right on the premises.

My final thought/ recommendation …If you are only going to Universal like I did in 2010, you’ll have a great time. If you are going to both Disney and Universal, go to Universal first. Disney has set the bar really high and you will be less likely to notice the difference if you go to Universal first…you know the saying “You’ve tried the rest, now try the best”. Well Universal is the “rest” and Disney is the “Best.”