Wizarding World at USH

My last post delighted in Andre’s enjoyment of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood. This one will delight in my own enjoyment. Not all of the attractions at Universal Studios are especially compelling for me, likewise Disneyland, which is just down the road from here. But at both parks are a couple of things that make me blissfully happy. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is one of them. Here was a copy of the village of Hogsmeade, from the Harry Potter books, and multiple incorporations of many of the characters and ideas from all of the books.

In the photos above, there are crowds of people, but often there were not so many people. You’ll notice in the photos below that I found the place no more crowded than any other popular village street in a real town.

If you’re familiar with the books, then you’ll know the students arrived by train, from the famous platform 9 3/4.

In the books, Hogsmeade is the closest village to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once they got older and could go off on their own, the kids went into town for a butterbeer. I purchased a butterbeer as well, from the kiosk you see in the photos at the top. It’s a sort of butterscotch icee, super sweet and cold, and I liked it especially because of the hot LA day. As in the books, the drink is available hot as well. I also bought some Gilly Water.

Many of the stores in the books are also here in USH, like Honeydukes, Zonko’s, and Three Broomsticks.

We had breakfast at Three Broomsticks on our second day there. The inside had an authentic feel, was quiet and not crowded, and served an outstanding meal.

Though there were rides, what I enjoyed most about Hogsmeade was wandering the streets, which are quite believably the stone streets of an old village. Two other buildings I enjoyed were Ollivander’s Wand Shop and the train station.

There are two rides and an additional “experience” in this world. The experience is a visit to Ollivander’s Wand Shop, where you can watch a demonstration of how wands choose their master. If a visitor chooses, they can purchase a wand. If you remember the Power-Up bands from my previous post that helped Andre interact with Super Nintendo World, so the wands help their wielders interact with the Wizarding World. If you moved just right and spoke the incantation properly, you could cause magical things to happen.

Many visitors wore robes they could purchase in the park. Too late, I realized that I had a robe and scarf at home from a Halloween years ago. If I had remembered, I could have brought the uniform of Gryffindor House with me and joined the fun.

I rode both the rides in the Wizarding World. First was the Flight of the Hippogriff. I was surprised to see an excellent rendition of Hagrid’s Hut (from the movies) while waiting in line. In the book, the Hogwarts Gamekeeper and professor of the Care of Magical Creatures lived in a wooden hut, but this eye-catching stone hut is to my liking.

The last, most astonishing sight there is the castle!

The castle is the location of the biggest ride in this part of the park, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. There was a little magic to be found at the entrance. (The screams you hear are from the roller coaster behind us)

Inside the castle is a very elaborate system of entertainment designed to occupy people who are waiting in line. Since this Wizarding World has been here for years, it’s no longer in huge demand, and there were hardly lines worth mentioning. I was not allowed to bring my camera, and had to use my phone, which required holding very still for all the dark shots. Again, the boys had to wait for me.

I enjoyed the fact that all the characters in the paintings moved, as expected if you know the books. You can see in the photo above, how one subject has fallen asleep in his chair. Well, you can’t expect him to stay awake and posing ALL the time, right?

We went on this ride a couple of times, which is a simulation of an adventure where we muggles (non-magic people) are allowed into the castle but are interrupted by Hermione, Ron, and Harry to ditch the tour and join them. We rode a magical flying bench to participate in a few minutes of a Quiddich match, get chased by a dragon, get attacked by a Whomping Willow and unfortunately negotiate through a cave of giant spiders. Once we escaped the Dementors, the end of the ride puts you into a gift shop, naturally. (If you didn’t already know this, the Harry Potter stories constantly have the young students on the brink of terror and death. That’s probably what explains the mass appeal. 🙂 )

Alright, alright, I’m done! This was definitely an indulgent post. I am as nerdy as they come, if you get me on the right topic, ha ha.