Florida: #TBT Universal's Islands of Adventure

As it happens, Disney World isn't all there is to the good parts of Florida -- Universal Studios is there too! On my family's 2012 trip to Disney World, we took a day off and went to Universal instead. My brother and I went to Islands of Adventure, which is full of insanely good roller coasters and what was then the newly opened Harry Potter World! 

Harry Potter World was everything I had ever wanted it to be. They did an amazing job bringing the books to life (I never saw past the first movie, but I've read the series twice through). There was Hogsmeade and Honeydukes and sickening sweet butterbeer. And the rest of the park was pretty rad too, paying homage to Marvel comics and old-school cartoons like Betty Boop and Dudley Do-Right.

Enjoy!

-Staci