This morning, I was invited to watch a special webcast about the new Diagon Alley attraction at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, which opens this summer. From the sound of it, this addition is going to be very immersive and detailed! Fans will actually be able to travel by the Hogwarts Express from Hogsmead in Islands of Adventure, to Diagon Alley at Universal Studios. They wanted to add the train ride experience rather than just walking from one part of the attraction to the other, since it makes it true to the books!

The Hogwarts Express will actually take you through a replica of London, which looks “Exactly the same” according to actor Matthew Lewis, who portrayed Neville Longbottom in the films. A fake London in Florida? Now this I have to see! From there, you can slip from the “Muggle” world into Diagon Alley for the full experience. You can shop at the stores talked about in the books, eat at the Leaky Cauldron, go to Harry’s favorite ice cream shop, and take a walk through spooky Knockturn Alley.

Also new will be the ride “Harry Potter and The Escape From Gringotts”, which is a “Multi-dimensional” experience and touted as one of the most impressive, advanced rides that Universal has ever worked on. They showed a few artists’ renderings and it certainly looks cool!

I’ll be sharing more news and photos as I get them, but in the meantime, you can learn more about the Diagon Alley addition by clicking here.

ETA: Check out these concept renderings that were just released! You can click on the thumbnails to see the images full-size.

Here’s a press release with more details on what you can find at Diagon Alley:

ORLANDO, Fla. (January 23, 2014) – Never before has a theme park created a guest experience like this: you climb aboard the Hogwarts Express in Hogsmeade and moments later arrive at King’s Cross Station – where the wonders of London and Diagon Alley unfold before you. And it is all real.

With this summer’s opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, Universal Orlando Resort and Warner Bros. Entertainment will bring even more of Harry Potter’s adventures to life inside a new, magnificently themed area that includes a revolutionary attraction experience, as well as all-new themed shops and dining.

The two companies today revealed first-ever details about the new area and the one-of-a-kind adventures it will offer the whole family. The spectacularly themed environment will double the size of the sweeping area already dedicated to Harry Potter’s adventures at Universal Orlando, expanding it across both Universal theme parks.

And – just like in the books and films – guests will be able to travel between the two areas aboard the iconic Hogwarts Express.

Universal Orlando launched a global phenomenon when it opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade at its Islands of Adventure theme park in 2010. That area includes the iconic Hogwarts castle – which houses the groundbreaking Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction – and the village of Hogsmeade. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley will be located within Universal Orlando’s second theme park, Universal Studios, and will create new experiences based on the signature areas of London, Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley.

Universal’s creative team has been working closely with Stuart Craig and the production team from the Harry Potter films to make the new area as authentic and spectacular as possible – just as it did with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade.

The vision for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley is unprecedented, with Universal Orlando creating the world’s first centrally themed, multi-park experience.

After arriving at King’s Cross Station aboard the Hogwarts Express, guests will pass through London and the iconic brick wall archway from the films into Diagon Alley – a bustling, wizarding hub within a Muggle city. There will be shops, dining experiences, and a new ride called Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts – a multi-sensory, multi-dimensional journey that will take theme park attractions to a new level.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley will give visitors the exciting opportunity to:

· Board the Hogwarts Express and journey between London’s King’s Cross Station (located in Universal Studios Florida) and Hogsmeade Station (located in Universal’s Islands of Adventure). The journey will be filled with views of London and the British countryside – as well as a few surprises. Park-to-park admission is required.

· Experience a groundbreaking new, multi-dimensional thrill ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, which will place riders in the middle of an incredible adventure as they navigate their way through the perils of the Gringotts vaults

· Witness the magical experience of a wand choosing a wizard at Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC, one of the wizarding world’s premier wand shops

· Discover the darker side of magic in Knockturn Alley, the darkest of dark places that features Borgin and Burkes – a shop specializing in the Dark Arts that will offer a wide variety of Dark objects, such as Death Eater masks, skulls, and other sinister items

· Explore some of Diagon Alley’s famous shops, including:

o Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, a vibrant shop featuring novelty items, magical jokes, and toys inspired by the books and films that will amaze the mischievous child in everyone

o Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, where guests will find a variety of wizardwear from Hogwarts school uniform ties, scarves and jumpers, to authentic wizard’s robes and character costumes

o Magical Menagerie, which features a collection of plush animals, such as owls and Hippogriffs

o Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, where guests can grab wizarding essentials such as telescopes, binoculars, armillary spheres, compasses, magnifying glasses and hourglasses

o Quality Quidditch Supplies, offering a wide assortment of apparel and equipment including Quidditch sweaters, brooms, Golden Snitches, Bludgers, Bludger bats, Quaffles and more

o Scribbulus, featuring authentic writing implements and products such as feather quills, ink and inkwells, bookmarks, journals, parchment paper, seals, stationery sets and postcards

· Enjoy traditional British fare that includes favorite dishes such as fish and chips, bangers and mash and more at the Leaky Cauldron

· Visit Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour for frozen treats in a variety of tantalizing and unique flavors such as strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice-cream and many others

· And more!

Travel, lodging, meet-and-greet with Mr. Snake and all other experiences provided by Buffalo Bill Center of The West.

If snakes creep you out – I’m sorry, but I tried to warn you! 😀 Mr. Rattlesnake here would have freaked me out in the wild, but fortunately I met him within the confines of his glass cage at the Buffalo Bill Center of The West. As we toured the five museums within the Center, we were lucky enough to get a peek behind the scenes at the Draper Museum’s lab. This area is not usually open to the public, and was very securely guarded. There were all kinds of fascinating things within, including Mr. Snake – much like their Raptor Experience, the Draper also puts on a live snake show, which sadly I missed. I did, however, get the opportunity to be rattled at within the lab.

I thought this little guy was cute – but he wouldn’t be very adorable if I met him in the wild!

The Draper’s lab area was fascinating, and I really appreciated getting a chance to see it. Because the museum features a lot of stuffed animals on display and also does research on specimens, there was a whole lot of taxidermy in this room. I’ll take this opportunity to remind everyone that the Draper uses specimens that have been victims of poaching, accidents, or natural causes.

Right next to the rattlesnake was a tank of flesh-eating beetles. I recognized these right away as the insects which are used by taxidermists to clean off the bones of animals – see, I learned something from watching reality shows about taxidermy! 😉

Our awesome tour guide showed us some of the things they were working on, including this section which I have dubbed “The bird morgue”.

In case you were wondering…it smelled about as fresh as it looks. The surreal humorist in me thought it was funny that the bird bones were in takeaway boxes! Hey, if these birds had already passed away, at least their bodies can be used for research and educational purposes!

There were also tons of plastic tubs full of bones!

I was amused by this incredibly creepy taxidermied heron. I’m not exactly sure what happened to it, but it’s clearly seen better days as it appeared to be getting some repairs.

Speaking of taxidermied birds, we also saw this shelf of ducks and other fowl from the 1800s. We asked if these were going to be put on display and learned that they can’t be put out in public, because taxidermists back then used arsenic when preparing the animals! However, they are useful specimens for the Draper to keep secured so that they can refer to what ducks looked like during that time period.

Finally, we saw one of the more peculiar donations the Draper has received: Our guide showed us this plastic container of fur stoles which had been sent to her. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with these!” she laughed. Apparently, the Draper receives some very bizarre packages from patrons wishing to donate specimens – I can only imagine!

Whether you find taxidermy to be interesting, funny, or a little creepy, we can all agree that the research and education provided to us by those like the staff at Draper is very important to society. I was very appreciative of our tour guide and all the staff of the museum for sharing their knowledge and anecdotes with us!

Would you enjoy a peek inside a lab like this? Or did you “Nope” right out of this post when you saw that snake?!

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Wyoming for the first time. My destination was Cody, the town which Buffalo Bill AKA William F. Cody helped to create. Buffalo Bill saw the potential this area offered as a tourist destination, and it is fascinating to see the sites that he developed still bringing in visitors in 2013. During my trip, I saw countless historical artifacts, stayed in the same hotel that Ernest Hemingway once visited, ate “Cowboy cuisine” and so much more. Here’s a brief recap of the adventures I had:

Buffalo Bull Center of The West

The Buffalo Bill Center of The West is a huge museum that houses everything from a rifle presented to Catherine the Great to paintings and sculptures by renowned western artists such as Charles Russell. The following is a just small sampling of what I experienced at the Center of The West.

• Plains Indian Museum

The Plains Indian Museum features a wealth of history and artifacts. Their newest exhibit, the Dyck Collection, just opened this past Saturday and we had the privilege of seeing the collection before it was open to the public. Paul Dyck was an artist (You will notice some of his paintings in a separate exhibit below) and a private collector of Plains Indian artifacts, amassing a collection of important historical pieces. These are significant in part for their age, as these treasures date from the 1700s to the pre-1890s.

• Buffalo Bill Museum & Childhood Home

Of course, you will find a wealth of information relating to Buffalo Bill here! His childhood home can be found next to the Center’s sculpture garden – it was brought to Cody from its original location in Iowa in 1933 by rail. It was moved a total of four times before finding its current (and permanent!) location.

My family has a small tie to Buffalo Bill – when my great-grandpa was a child, he saw Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show when they toured the UK. The Buffalo Bill Museum includes a large map of the world spanning a wall that shows all the places where Buffalo Bill traveled.

• Cody Firearms Museum

The Cody Firearms Museum is home to a vast collection of historical guns, from firearms owned by presidents to experimental patent models. There are all sorts of curiosities here, including a Swiss army knife that has a revolver in it! I found this museum to be absolutely fascinating.

• The Whitney Gallery of Western Art

The Whitney Gallery boasts an array of western art pieces from the classic sculptures of Frederic Remington to the contemporary paintings of James Bama.

• Draper Natural History Museum

The Draper Natural History Museum gives visitors a look at the ecosystem of the Greater Yellowstone area, as well as conducting their own local research. The Draper also puts on a fantastic bird of prey show, the Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience. The outdoor show gave us the chance to meet a great-horned owl, a turkey vulture, a golden eagle, a peregrine falcon and a red-tailed hawk. I love birds so I thoroughly enjoyed this show!

• Plains Indian Museum Powwow

The Plains Indian Museum Powwow is an annual event that took place from June 15th-16th this year. In addition to enjoying the wonderful dance and music, we were also able to pay a visit to the on-site Learning Tipi, where Lakota educator Gloria Goggles discussed Powwow history and traditions.

• Shopping

Powwow also features 40+ vendors booths with food, drinks, jewelry, art, and so much more. I spent about an hour looking through all the stalls and bought a beautiful necklace that matched the turquoise and brown dress I was wearing perfectly; I also bought several lovely bracelets to bring home as gifts.

I also picked up a few souvenirs at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center gift shop. Jai loves new socks, so I got him a fun pair to commemorate the trip, along with a cute tea towel for my dad.

Everything that I’ve shown you so far are just the activities that took place within the Buffalo Bill Center of The West – which, as you can see, is a lot! The following are other things that I experienced in Cody:

Cody Nite Rodeo

The Cody Nite Rodeo has been taking place for 75 years, and is a uniquely American experience. I’m sure I looked like quite the city slicker making my way over the bleachers in my business suit! 😉 For a little glimpse of the rodeo, check out this video I took during the event:

The Chamberlin Inn

I stayed at the Chamberlin Inn, a beautiful hotel that was founded in 1900. My room was charming and comfortable, with a very soft and cozy bed, coffee, and chocolates on my pillow. Ernest Hemingway stayed at this hotel in 1932, so I got a kick out of being a blogger working on my laptop in the same place where Hemingway finished writing “Death in the Afternoon”. 😉

Dining

From a bordello converted into a restaurant to Buffalo Bill’s buffet, Cody is full of delicious eats housed in curious historic buildings. I wrote a detailed recap of the restaurants I visited over on my food blog.

I really enjoyed my visit to Cody and although I was there for three days, I feel like I only just began to see what the area has to offer. There are still things in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center that I didn’t see – it’s that big! – and I never made it to any of the stores in downtown Cody. Oh yeah, and I hear that there’s a little place called Yellowstone National Park nearby, too. 😉 I was surprised by how much there is to do in Cody and I hope to return in the future so I can explore it further!