Strolling Through the (Theme) Park One Day: A Hogsmeade Walking Tour!

In honor of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter’s birthday, here is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Harry Potter Land sounds better.  I started reading the Harry Potter books after the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) so I read them and caught up until the last book where I finished it in a weekend!  So when I was planning a trip to Orlando in December 2011, I decided on a side trip to Universal’s Islands of Adventure.  Earlier, I stayed at a Disney resort and they had a direct bus to the park, but no longer.  I took the city bus, but with transfers it took about two hours which was serious park time!  I decided to cab it back which was $50 one way, but worth every penny! (I hadn’t used Uber or any ride service at that point).  Islands of Adventure is a more eye catching park than Universal Studios, I had a park-to-park ticket which had a special Harry Potter plastic badge.  I heard that the number of people was so high that Harry Potter Land was timed, but I don’t see that in You Tube videos now. 

Hogsmeade sign at Islands of Adventure, 2011, photo by the author. 

There is the Port of Entry that is interesting, but there is no entertainers, still at the end of the street is the massive Incredible Hulk Coaster that is the feature of Marvel Super Hero Island.  There are two paths, but the interesting one is to the right where you walk into the land themed for kids, Seuss Landing, I love it.  Continue on and there is The Lost Continent, this is fun with the Poseidon’s Fury walk through and The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad show.  It is really the part of fantasy that I’m interested in.  Then, we get to the entrance to Hogsmeade, a turn from the ancient Greek structures to the magical world.  Hanging from the archway is the Hogsmeade sign with “Please respect the spell limits.”  Another draw was Hogwarts Express, removed with the attraction that opened in 2014 connecting Universal Studios.  f you are a fan of the books or the movies, it is a wonder to walk the streets of Hogsmeade!, this is not a theme park recreation - it is complete immersion.  

Once you walk into Hogsmeade you are there!, you are not surrounded by popcorn carts and stuffies, it is the Hogsmeade from the movies and books.  This is something that I don’t see with Galaxy’s Edge. Those park expansions are based on something that was never seen in Star Wars (unless it makes a cameo in Episode IX).  So it is basically a theme park peek into a new part of Star Wars.  The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is that world.  The other part that is stunning is that you can’t rush through the park.  There are certain parts that animate on a long cycle so you may not see the Monster Book of Monsters bark if you walk past it.  Hogsmeade is just stunning, you can spend hours just looking and relaxing, note though that both Orlando and Hollywood parks are authentic so there really isn’t shade from the sun so take refuge in the stores.  The Hollywood version is squeezed between the former Shrek attraction and Springfield for the Simpsons, some buildings peek out.  Next, a must is grab yourself a mug of Butterbeer!  I’ve always gotten a mug when I go.  I had a taste of a soda pop when I was in Scotland, Irn Bru, which is difficult to describe, one cheeky Brit said, “It tastes like rust.”  No, it is refreshing like a melted orange cream bar, but Butterbeer has a frothy top.  

Hogwarts Express, Islands of Adventure, 2011.

Another highlight of the park is the food.  I had the Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken which had juices dripping from it!, plus delicious corn that you have to pull from the husk, and top it off with more Butterbeer!  I love this meal so much I tried to take a pic of it and ordered it all of the time I went to the park.  I’ll get into the other highlight of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - interactivity.  The wands which sold like balloons at other parks had the feature to cast spells at windows when I went to the opening of the park at Hollywood in 2016.  This is expensive, I think $55, but I’ve bought two of them.  There are medallions in front of the windows that tell you where to cast spells, I was told by a team member that it is meant for kids, so you have to aim at kid’s height, middle, lower window and use tight gestures.  Little kids don’t swing their wands.  It is inevitable that kids are better at magic than adults.  I heard that Galaxy’s Edge will have interactive light sabers, but they are years behind Universal Studios.  The other part that I love are the shows.  There is the Frog Choir with the Hogwarts students assembling with their singing frogs.  Then, the Triwizard Spirit Rally with the beautiful Beauxbatons and the acrobatic Durmstrangs.  

These are fun and entertaining shows.  The best part is you can take pics with all of them.  I recall Disney’s Hollywood Studios which had an Indiana Stunt show that waved away people from taking pics of the performers unless you had an expensive ticket.  Once you walk past two blocks or so, on the right was the queue for the Dragon Challenge roller coaster.  This was a dual pair of roller coasters, the Chinese Fireball and the Hungarian Horntail, that went into terrifying loops.  This was re-themed from the earlier Dueling Dragons roller coaster.  There were banners for the Triwizard Tournament from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), my favorite of the films, and then a tent that had the Goblet of Fire trophy itself expelling blue fire. Like the Hulk rollercoaster, it was too much for me, and I scampered out of there.  The roller coaster was closed in 2017 with a new ride to open in 2019. A little further is the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster, more my speed, it’s queue winds around Hagrid’s Hut.  This was retimed from the earlier Flying Unicorn, but I love it.  Simply because, you see Buckbeak the Hippogriff in his nest, something new from the movies, he bows, but the other riders infuriate me for not bowing in return!  Muggles!   

Hogwarts Castle, Universal Hollywood, 2016. 

Lastly, Hogwarts Castle with my favorite ride in any park, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.  The simple reason besides all of the fun of the ride itself is that it features the lead actors and most of the cast from the films.  In comparison, only C-3PO is in Star Tours, they only added a segment with Finn, Jar Jar Binks doesn’t count!   This is Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter on a broom racing through a Quidditch match and facing Death Eaters.  There is the head of a dragon and it roars.  The ride makers know exactly what I would like to see.  Then, there is the giant spider, Aragog, in the Orlando version this is where you get a ride photo, no photo at Hollywood!  The Death Eaters are terrifying, the ride vehicle dips and even though I went on it multiple times, I can never see the Death Eater popping up to the side!  Here’s another tip, don’t use the single rider line!, I did in Orlando and missed most of the castle!  The queue winds past the Mirror of Erised, into Dumbledore’s room, through the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, and to the Gryffindor room.  Afterwards is where the single rider picks up!  Then, you get to the Sorting Hat and finally to the ride itself.  You exit into the gift shop, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, which has the stuffies and other souvenirs.  The downside was at Hollywood where I didn’t even find the book of Fantastic Beasts when the movie came out.  There is also the annual event, A Celebration of Harry Potter, with actors and displays from the movie.  Leave the Muggle World behind and enter the Wizarding World!   

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