Saturday, September 24, 2016

Universal Studios Hollywood, Now with Kids

Last weekend, my husband and I were suppose to go to Universal Studios to celebrate his birthday on a day trip while my parents watched the children.  Just our luck--my mother got sick with a cold.  So, in trying to avoid wasting the ticket I purchased for my husband, we ended up bringing the kids for their first trip to Universal, a park I really feel is more for teenagers and older.  That being said, my 6-year-old was thrilled.  He has been wanting to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which I previously told him he couldn't see until he was 48 inches tall (he's currently around 46 1/2).  My 2 1/2 year old twins?  Meh, they went along for the ride.

So, Universal with kids.  Well, as I mentioned, I really feel it's for older kids, teenagers, and adults.  I went when I was around 6 and was bored the whole time.  But, that was years ago.  And, I can honestly say, while it's still definitely not completely child-friendly, Universal has made some big improvements.  The Despicable Me area entertained my twins for a period while my older son and husband went on the tram tour.  The water play area is especially cute and plenty of fun for the little ones.  There's also a little play area adjacent to Jurassic Park, which is pretty fun for the little ones.  Other than that, my twins enjoyed seeing the sights and listening to music, but not much for the little ones to do really.

My 6-year-old actually had a lot of fun.  He's kind of a wimp when it comes to rides (scared of pretty much everything that moves faster than 1 mile an hour).  But, he ended up loving the tram tour.  Seeing King Kong ended up being one of the highlights of his day, along with seeing the famous War of the Worlds set.  The Wizarding World of Harry Potter kept him especially entertained.  While my husband and I took turns riding the rides, my son went to every single spell casting site to try his hand at a spell.  He is very into magic and Harry Potter, so he was super excited.  On an earlier solo trip, I purchased an interactive wand, so we were set to play.  Warning to you, if you don't already have an interactive wand and you're kid is as obsessed as mine, they aren't cheap.  Expect to spend $50+ per wand.  But, it was worth it to see a wizard teach my son how to perform an alohomora on a small locked box and do a wingardium leviosa all on his own.  The frozen butterbeer was also a huge hit on a hot day.  All the kids loved their icy, sugary treat.


Unfortunately, I have developed a rare form of psoriasis that looks a bit like chicken pox which seems to have started up that afternoon, so our trip was cut a bit short and no pictures this time.  Yet more bad luck in the health department for us.  We're hoping my rash will be cleared up quickly so we can check out the Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove, CA next month.  I'm excited to see what it's all about and will report back on their Halloween festivities as well (assuming this darned illness goes away in time).

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