Universal Studios (and Thanksgiving recipes)
Nick and I got home last night after a week in Florida. It was awesome! Now, however, we’ve got Thanksgiving right around the corner and a few homes to visit on Thursday, which means I’ll be in my kitchen until then.
In a crunch for time but need to bring something to Thanksgiving dinner? Check out these quick and easy recipes that are sure to be crowd pleasers:
Marie at Cabana Bay Resort, Universal Studios, Orlando
Okay, back to the trip.
Nick’s Aunt Jane got married on November 15 (which also happens to be my brother John and my niece Brooklyn’s birthdays!) just outside of Daytona Beach, Florida.
We love road trips, and decided to drive down for the wedding, then head to Orlando to visit Harry Potter Word at Universal Studios.
The wedding was lovely; a 1920s themed wedding with lots of feathers and sparkles. We had a blast with nick’s family, including my in-laws, who also made the trip down.
Harry Potter World, Universal Studios, Orlando
The morning after the wedding, Nick and I were off to Orlando. I used to dance at Disney World for a few years when I was younger and hadn’t been back to a theme park since. I was just sick of them. Nick, however, loves theme parks, so I knew he’d sucker me into going back to one eventually. His brilliant move was suggesting we visit Harry Potter World and I was hooked. I’m such a sucker for Harry Potter. And they have two parks – Hogsmeade (the first one) and Diagon Alley (the newest one).
I know this sounds corny, but it truly was magical.
Seuss Landing at Universal Studios, Orlando
When we first entered the park from City Walk (where all the restaurants and shops are), we stepped into the Cat in the Hat’s Seuss Landing world and I was in awe. I can’t put into words how detailed, clean, fun, and whimsical this land was. Even the garbage cans looked like they were straight out of a Dr. Seuss book!
From there we went through Poseidon’s Adventure to Harry Potter World. It was incredible. I don’t want to give anything away, but Olivander’s, where the wand chooses the wizard, was super cool, and the details of all the buildings, streets, even the food, was so spot on. Perfect for any Harry Potter fan.
Fire breathing dragon on top of Gringott's
One of the coolest things was taking the train from Platform 9 ¾ to Diagon Alley (the other park). It really felt you were riding the train in a Harry Potter book (or movie). What a great way to travel!
I don’t want to give anything away, in case you haven’t been yet, but trust me, Diagon Alley was awesome - complete with a gigantic fire breathing that sits on top of Gringotts, the bank.
We visited The Simpsons' world, Krustyland, Jimmy Fallon’s ride, Super Hero world, Toon Town etc. We saw it all, including construction worker musicians playing music on scaffolding and a main street parade with a marching band (Nick lost his mind; he loves marching bands).
Nick at Cabana Bay Resort, Universal Studios, Orlando
We stayed at the coolest resort, Cabana Bay, which looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 50s. Every detail of the hotel is super retro, even their shampoo bottles and soap bars in the bathrooms! It was right up our alley.
We spent a day at Volcano Bay, a waterpark with a giant volcano spouting water down to the many pools, lazy rivers, wave pool, and twisty-turny slides.
The drive back home wasn’t too bad. It just kept getting colder and colder.
This week, I’ll be making more warm soups, and Thanksgiving sides to bring to families’ homes. I know my brother Mike will bring his cheesy potatoes to my other brother Tom’s house, so I’ll make them for Nick’s family.
What are you making for Thanksgiving? Any special plans? What are your favorite theme parks; any recommendations? Hope to hear from you!
Have a great Holiday!