For a few days, we escaped raw and wet Maryland for sunny and warm Florida. First stop was Universal Studios Orlando then a couple days in Bradenton to visit friends.

Universal Studios

Universal Studios is experiencing a boon thanks to Harry Potter. We visited 3 parts of Universal Studios: Universal Studios Florida™ with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ – Diagon Alley™, Universal’s Islands of Adventure^® with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ – Hogsmeade™, and Universal CityWalk.  

After arriving in the afternoon, we visited CityWalk to pick up our tickets from a kiosk. We walked around, enjoying the neon lights and light crowds. Although there is lots of shopping, we were interested in finding a place to eat. We passed up:

• Bob Marley – A Tribute to Freedom
• The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.™ Restaurant and Market
• Jimmy Buffett’s® Margaritaville®

but stopped in Pat O’Brien’s®. Pat O’Brien’s is a piano bar with dueling pianos. We had dinner and enjoyed several hours of live music. People constantly put in requests, the pianists were rarely stumped and we all sang along. It was lots of fun. Also, they had a few craft beers. I ordered an old standard, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA.

The next day, we arrived at the park bright and early. Universal Studios Florida was fairly empty. We wandered towards Diagon Alley, walking past the Simpsons and Men in Black. It was too early for a Duff beer, but we did stop for a picture.

Just past the Knight Bus we stumbled upon Diagon Alley. What an amazing little world Universal has created. We received an amusing wand tour at Ollivanders then experienced our first 3D ride, Escape from Gringotts. We even stopped for a Butterscotch Beer by the Flying Cauldron, a very good non-alcoholic drink — very sweet and too much diacetyl.

Connecting the two islands is the Hogwarts Express: an entertaining train ride. The crowds were still thin, so the trip to the Islands of Adventure was quite quick. This part of the park has many more rides. We headed to the Harry Potter World – Hogsmeade and had a porridge breakfast at the Three Broomsticks. Next to the Three Broomsticks is the Hogs Head pub which serves Hogs Head microbrews. Sadly, it was still too early for alcohol.

We rode many thrill rides, including Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Spiderman, Terminator, Men in Black, and Transformers. The quidditch match in the Forbidden Journey was especially memorable. We also enjoyed Poseidon and Horror Makeup shows. Unfortunately, the Sindbad Stunt show was a bit young for our group. We did not want to get wet, so we skipped the water rides. I didn’t want to puke, so we skipped the roller coasters. King Kong’s ride was closed temporarily, so we missed it.

The park was filling up when we returned on the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron. We had some drinks and enjoyed a quiet moment. We tried two Harry Potter beers:

• Wizard’s Brew by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — A sweet stout. Roasted malt taste. Magically delicious. LOL
• Dragon’s Tail (Harry Potter) by Florida Brewing Company — Nice red Ale. Citrusy west coast hop taste with slight malt sweetness. Dry finish.

Universal was fun. We were fortunate to hit it in late January with the small crowds. The weather cooperated with us. Visually, the park is spectacular.

 

Ford’s Garage

On route from Orlando to Bradenton, we stopped in Brandon for lunch at Ford’s Garage. What a treat! Ford’s is a Florida chain built honoring garages of old. Several beautifully restored Ford vehicles adorn the parking lot. A pair of old gasoline pump handles serve as door handles for the entranceway.

On the tables are oil rag napkins wrapped around the silverware. Hose clamps have been repurposed as napkin holders. The bathrooms were quite a surprise with car tire sinks and gasoline pump handle faucets. Even the urinals are a surprise — modified beer
kegs.

 

 

 

 

 

Besides the nostalgic decorations, Ford’s Garage has terrific food and an extensive craft beer selection. My berries and gorgonzola salad was fresh and delicious. The beer selection was terrific.
Here are notes about the beers we sampled:

• Free Dive from Coppertail Brewery  – Light, fresh, crisp IPA. Citrus nose, piney taste with a citrus sweet background. Grapefruit finish. Tastes like a summer day.
• Jai Alai IPA from Cigar City – Nice hoppy grapefruit with solid malt base. Fresh taste with dry finish.
• Aunt Sally by Lagunitas – Grapefruit sour! Delicious!

We stopped in Total Wine and made a 6-pack before heading to Bradenton.

Bradenton

We have friends in Bradenton, which is on the gulf south of Tampa. We actually swam in the ocean and had a few quiet days. No pub crawls, but we tried a few Florida beers:

• Diver Down by Brew Hub — Complex imperial red. Beautiful red-brown color with creamy head. Malty taste with hints of cherry & wood? Dry piney finish.
• Oceanside White IPA by Tomoka Brewing Co. — Creamy white head. Strong city’s hop nose. Intense citrus and pine bitter with orange flavor. No real malt balance.
• Rollin Dirty by Brew Bus Brewing — Creamy head, rich, smooth red ale. Malty flavor with little hops.
• Bell Cow by JDub’s Brewing Co. — Delicious milk chocolate Porter. Tastes like a chocolate milk. Yum!
• Back In The Day IPA by Orange Blossom Brewing Company — Nice bodied IPA. Lingering piney hop finish.
• Maduro Brown Ale by Cigar City Brewing — Delicious brown ale. Malty nose and malty cocoa taste.

Cheers!

Warren