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Universal Studios Announces First Hotel Package For Its Harry Potter Theme Park

Update 3.25.10: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open June 18!

Happy Friday! It's a very happy Friday indeed for fans of Harry Potter and Universal Studios actually, since the first vacation and hotel package was just announced for the getting-ready-to-open "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" theme park at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure.

The park, which will recreate Hogwarts, Ollivander's wand shop, as well as other locations from the famous books and movies, is due to open this spring but an actual set date hasn't yet been released.

But here's what the Wizarding World package including hotel stays, is offering to celebrate it:

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It's Always Christmas At Santa's Lodge

Where: 91 W. Christmas Blvd. [map], Santa Claus, IN, United States, 47579

If you're nuts about Christmas, we've got the hotel and the town for you. Santa's Lodge, in Santa Claus, Indiana, doesn't hold back when it comes to banking on their namesake 365 days a year. You've got decorations and a toy train in the lobby, two big fat Santas out front, and more holiday kitsch in every room.

If you're the bah humbug sort, the novelty will probably wear off fast and you won't be left with much on your wish list. Expect basic hotel catalog furniture, flimsy plastic toilet seats, and thin sheets. Oddly, the "family suite" has a whirlpool tub in the living room. The family that bathes together stays together?

There's one giant draw besides Santa though: the great Holiday World theme park a two-minute drive away. We're talking about three gut-wrenching wooden roller coasters, crazy water park rides, and free sodas to boot. So while this hotel would have trouble competing as a 3-star in a major market, it's the prime present under the Christmas Tree if you're headed to Holiday World.