16 Best Places to Shop in Universal Orlando, Florida

The main repository of Potterabilia sells everything from Hogwarts school uniforms to broomsticks and other Quidditch supplies (including the legendary Nimbus Two-Thousand-and-One). This is also a good place to buy a new pair of Spectrespecs or stock up on other magic equipment.

These side-by-side stores at the corner of Hollywood and Minion Land are packed with souvenirs celebrating two of the most marketable icons in the merchandising world. Representing Old Hollywood is cartoonish flapper Betty Boop, whose image is affixed to mugs, apparel, gifts, jewelry, and other collectibles. Walk through the rainbow archway connecting the stores to find similar souvenirs celebrating the internationally popular (and supercute) Hello Kitty. There's no shortage of choices, with specialty sections like the Hello Kitty Lounge (robes, slippers, toys, and other pajama-party items); the Sweet Yummy Shop's cupcakes, fudge, and candies; and Hello Kitty at the Movies, which places Kitty in some classic films.

Step through Knockturn Alley to enter this somewhat gloomy shop where the somewhat macabre items include Death Eater masks, skulls, pendants, rats (fake), snakes (same), wanted-poster replicas and picture frames, costume replicas, apparel, jewelry, collectibles, a variety of T-shirts (with an assortment of characters and graphics), and the famed Vanishing Cabinet.

Above a juvenile chorus of "I want this!" are adults counseling their kids on what they actually need. That can be a monumental task in this large store, which is packed with dino hats, shorts, necklaces, cards, mugs, squirt guns, figurines, and the clever T. rex T-shirt emblazoned with the helpful suggestion "Bite Me." Rest assured there are educational dino toys, too.

Swing by Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods (stocked with items taken from misbehaving Hogwarts students) for school regalia plus authentic prop replicas like Death Eater masks.

Come here for chocolate frogs, every-flavor jelly beans, exploding bonbons, and many other as-seen-in-the-movies treats.

The rambling emporium inside the entrance/exit of IOA is the largest store in the park. It's filled with a little something of everything from everywhere, even some items from the attractions of Universal Studios. Here you'll find Kong, Spider-Man, superheroes, and puh-lenty of Potter themes plastered on sandals, frames, mugs, cups, caps, and clothing. It's perhaps the park's best one-stop shopping experience.

This re-creation of the animated convenience store from The Simpsons is one of the park's most popular shopping stops. You'll find Kwik-E-Mart (Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, proprietor) caps and smocks, Duff Beer mugs, Lard Lad doughnuts, Marge-style blue bouffant wigs, and Homer T-shirts packaged in Duff Beer cans.

If you're wondering where some park guests found their Potter-themed apparel, there's a chance it came from here. In this shop "Where Well-Dressed Witches and Wizards Buy Their Wares" the couture is dazzling. For those who love to play dress-up, the choices include replicas of Hermione's Yule Ball gown and the full line of Hogwarts apparel—not just robes but also house scarves and sweaters, as well as anything else you can think of.

As you explore Diagon Alley, you might feel empty-handed when you notice other guests are carrying wands—some with the ability to cast spells throughout the streets (through the magic of a laser pointer that triggers lights, fountains, signs, and other inanimate objects). Inside this cramped shop are thousands of wands waiting to choose their wizards—which they do with a little help from the wand keeper himself. Although it may take a few minutes before you're ushered inside, the interactive experience as a wand looks for its new owner is clever and fun.

Here you can not only purchase some stationery or a postcard and a quill pen to write to your favorite Muggles, but you can also get your correspondence authentically postmarked before sending it off.

Like Star Trek fans learning to speak Klingon, Harry Potter fans have learned to appreciate Quidditch, and this richly themed shop is one of the world's leading suppliers of this fantasy sport's equipment. Fans of the game will be thrilled at the range of Quidditch sweaters, brooms, hats, pennants, Golden Snitches, Bludgers, Bludger bats, Quaffles, and more.

With its cartoonish nautical theme (pink jellyfish overhead, a pineapple home in the middle of the store), this silly shop will have you stocking up on weird, fascinating SpongeBob merchandise from mugs to shorts to swimwear.

Talk about truth in advertising: this colorful gift shop tied to Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem is filled with what seems to be millions of cute minions (both one-eyed and two-eyed) on T-shirts and mugs and in the form of stuffed dolls. Gru fans can also find a black-and-gray scarf like the one worn by the supervillain. If you feel it's too hot in Florida for the actual scarf, buy a T-shirt with one silk-screened onto it.

Like Disney's Emporium in the Magic Kingdom, this sizable store is the last retail outlet you see before exiting the park. Although it doesn't have all the merchandise sold in individual park gift shops, as the park's central shopping destination it does have most of it—and some of the best, including T-shirts, stuffed animals, hats, backpacks, gifts, mugs, and limited-edition Universal trading pins. A big plus is that even if you don't visit IOA, you'll find some of the popular merchandise that's sold primarily at the neighboring park.

Practical jokes and novelties are a never-ending source of amusement—at least for the person who owns them. This is where you can stock up on cheap gags that'll keep you entertained (and others annoyed) for weeks. Highlights included Pygmy Puffs, U-No-Poo pills, Skiving Snackboxes, Puking Pastilles, Sneakoscopes, Bombtastic Bombs, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, Decoy Detonators, Extendable Ears, chattering teeth, and whoopee cushions. It's everything a kid (and some juvenile adults) could ever want.