So when we traveled down to Florida, I made it a point to visit Diagon Alley. Years ago, we visited Hogsmeade and it was wonderful. I wish we had been able to see Diagon Alley in the daylight, but we went for the  Halloween event (because that ticket was a little bit cheaper than a regular price one) so it was already evening.

The benefit to this is that it was definitely less crowded! We managed to get on the Escape from Gringotts ride within ten minutes of walking through the gate, and since most of the park go-ers were there for the haunted maze stuff, there were very few people to compete with for photos and good views. Seeing the streets of Diagon Alley lit up on a rainy autumn night was kind of magical:

The merchandise at the Universal Studios parks costs an arm and a leg, so I didn't buy any souvenirs. But we did indulge in a glass of butterbeer, and share a Cauldron Cake from Sugarplums Sweet Shop.

Being in Diagon Alley inspired me to work more on my Harry Potter themed used bookstore dollhouse, so when I got home I carved out some time and created a banner that shows all four Hogwarts houses:

The little flags were cut out from some packaging for the human-sized decorations that recently went up in the library.

I also found a lost owl in my stash of supplies, and he found a home perched on one of the flower boxes:

Now that I've been to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley in Orlando, and Platform 9 3/4 in Kings Cross Station, I think the last big Harry Potter place on my bucket list is the Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London. But at least for a little while, my Harry Potter fandom bug is satisfied.