Things To Do This Weekend – LA – 4-8-16

Welcome back to my weekly column about, well, things to do this weekend! After last weekend’s exciting adventures (I had some. I hope you did too), it’s time to look forward to this weekends. Instead of our usual setup, we’re just looking at three larger excitements. I tried to get some of them indoors because of the rain, but it was just too hard to convince myself we should all stay inside. Speaking of rain, let’s figure out when it’ll be here.

Yeah, there’s going to be rain this weekend, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t go out and have some fun. So let’s see what the weekend has in store.

Friday Night – April 8th – Room Escape

With more spring rains here, I’d suggest we take our fun inside. Captured LA game in downtown LA on 6^th Street. Room Escape games, simply put, are where you and a group of your friends (or strangers) are “locked” in a room and given a certain amount of time to solve the puzzle that’ll unlock the door and let you out. Captured LA is hosting a room escape called, “Scarlet Killer,” which is a great mystery that has you solve a string of murders involving up-and-coming starlets. We have a deal for groups of 4 or 8. So grab three of seven friends and see if you can solve the murders. You can see our deal here.

Saturday Day & Night - Harry Potter

On Thursday, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios opened its doors. Now, you might be wondering why I’d be suggesting Harry Potter when it’s supposed to be raining this weekend. Well, that’s exactly why I’m suggesting it. There will be a whole new world to see at Harry Potter, and as long as you bring an umbrella and some rain boots, I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun. Now, can I guarantee it’ll be deserted? No. But knowing the vibe of my Angelenos, I can’t see them venturing out into the “torrential downpour” that’ll be happening.

Now, if you’re looking for things to see and do there, you’re walking through Hogsmeade. There’s a lot of shop’s there including Olivander’s (Wand Shop), Gladrags, Honeydukes, and more. I’m not entirely certain if the outdoor roller-coaster Flight of the Hippogriff will be open (with the rain and all), but that’s just one small part of the attraction at Universal Studios. The big ride is going to be in Hogwarts Castle itself, “The Forbidden Journey.” Getting ready to put on some glasses though, but Hollywood’s ride is in 3D.

So, I’d say you should check it out. If you need to escape the rain, there are tons of other rides in the other parks. You can also return to Universal City Walk and have a bite to eat in the many indoor restaurants. If you’d like more information, you can find it here.

Sunday – April 10th – Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

The Los Angeles Festival of Books is back, and it’s running Saturday and Sunday on the USC Campus. If you are a book-lover, or have a book-lover in your life, now is the perfect time to find something for them. There will be conversations and a new Speakers Series that includes notable persons such as Carrie Brownstein and Arianna Huffington. Over 500 authors, celebrities, artists and more will be at the Festival of Books. I’d say go Sunday just because it’s not likely to be raining. You can learn more about the Festival of Books, including how to get tickets, here.

And that's it for this weekend. Hope it's a magical one. And here's a link to our Facebook page and our Twitter page.