Well, if you don’t blow your Universal Orlando vacation budget on park tickets, you will be tempted by all the Harry Potter souvenirs at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Each ride has its own specialty gift shop and the two Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley offer a bonanza of shopping opportunities.
In fact, shopping is a huge part of the experience, as you get to do what Harry Potter and his friends did in the books and movies – stock up on your magical gear. Every Harry Potter shop features clothing and robes with your favorite Hogwarts house crest, but some gift shops are better than others, and I’ll fill you in on why below.
Best Harry Potter Souvenirs to Buy Before you Go
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Of course, when you are walking around The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, you will see people with all kinds of Harry Potter paraphernalia that they bought before they arrived like t-shirts, special wands, jewelry and more. This is a great way to save some money and show your fandom from the outset.
Since we are a major Harry Potter fan family, I’m always scouring Etsy and Amazon for some fun gifts or things to bring on our trip to show our Harry Potter love. Here are some of my favorites:
Best Universal Studios Souvenirs
While at the park, it is definitely easy for Harry Potter fans to go a little crazy on Harry Potter souvenirs. Every time we go we stock up on sweatshirts, t-shirts, postcards, Harry Potter stamps, chocolate frogs, notebooks — you name it!
But of everything we bought, the best Harry Potter souvenirs were the interactive wand and pygmy puff. By the way, if you are also heading to Disney, check out my friend Jodi’s recommendations on the best Disney souvenirs.
Interactive Wands
A few years ago, we bought Hannah a very nice Hermoine wand at Barnes & Noble. It even lights up when you wave it – which came in very handy and attracted a lot of attention in the dark Knockturn Alley when visiting Borgin & Burkes.
But despite bringing this perfectly good wand to the park, we knew we were going to get suckered into buying another at Ollivanders Wand Shop.
Ollivanders was our first stop in Hogsmeade and since we had been able to get into the park early, we were part of the first group to be ushered into Ollivanders for the first demonstration of the day.
As the only kid to be outfitted in witch’s robes, Hannah was selected from the small audience to participate in the demonstration and “choose” a wand. After she was paired with the correct wand, of course we had to buy it. But that is ok, I didn’t mind spending the money because this interactive wand provided two days of fun at Universal.
The wands sold at the park are interactive, and come along with a map and instructions showing the location of interactive displays and the spells and wrist motions needed to activate them.
And at least we have gotten a lot of use out of it as we have brought it back for subsequent trips. (Just note that you may need to stop into Ollivanders and have them reactivate it for you.)
Pgymy Puffs
So excited to find pygmy puffs!
Keep reading because I’m not just talking about any Pygmy Puff. I’m talking about Pgymy Puffs purchased at Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes in Diagon Alley. If you aren’t familiar with what a pygmy puff is, it was those adorable puff balls that all the girls wanted at Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ginny got one and named it Arnold.
Pygmy puffs are actually really popular with real girls too. At least, I know they were for mine. Luckily, we decided to get one at Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes, because it seemed more authentic since that is where Ginny got hers. Well, every time someone adopts a pygmy puff for the first time at Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes, the clerk goes through a naming ceremony by ringing the bell and shouting out the name.
The naming ceremony definitely made the experience special and makes the pygmy puff the second best Harry Potter souvenir to get at Universal Orlando.
Howlers
The one bonus I’d add is that if you visit the Owl Post to purchase postcards, also pick up a “Howler.” (For those not familiar, these were the magical letters delivered by owl at Hogwarts, typically from your mom, screaming at you for something.)
In the non-magical version, it is like one of those greeting cards that allows you to record your own message.
Tamara Gruber is the Founder and Publisher of We3Travel. A former marketing executive and travel advisor, Tamara is an award-winning travel writer and recognized expert in family travel. Tamara is a member of SATW and the Adventure Travel Trade Association, and serves on the Board of the Family Travel Association. She is also the publisher of YourTimetoFly.com and the co-host of the Vacation Mavens travel podcast.
