There are two types of people in my life: people who respond quickly and accurately to the question, “What house are you in?” and people I don’t have another conversation with.
I know I speak for a huge population of millennials when I say my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood were drastically impacted by the magical otherworld of Harry Potter and his friends. I remember, reading through the series time and time again, trying to imagine just what the Great Hall in Hogwarts Castle or the Three Broomsticks would look like.
When the films started coming out, my curiosity was satiated, but a new desire to walk through the cobbled streets of Hogsmeade and stand in front of the Mirror of Erised sprung up in its place. Luckily, Universal Studios Hollywood took a hint from Universal Studios Orlando, home of the first American Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and brought it to the West Coast.
I was lucky enough to get on the guest list for a preview of the park led by Alan Gilmore, artistic set director for the park and artistic director for two Harry Potter films. As we worked our way through the Wizarding World, authentic film props and minute details started popping out of the woodwork – sometimes literally.
While the entirety of the land was as aesthetically dialed in as guests could expect, the following five locations really did bring the magic home.
Three Broomsticks/Hog’s Head Pub
Although Hogwarts students get treated to meals prepared courtesy of house elves, not all food magically appears on silver platters in the Wizarding World. The Three Broomsticks and Hog’s Head Pub are central to Harry’s Hogsmeade experience.
Guests get to experience the exact same Gothic-inspired tavern and pub as the Golden Trio and find refuge from the hustle and bustle of things outside.
Sure, the traditional English menu and hand-crafted beers named after canon ales are exciting, but the true value of the building comes from the sunlight that drifts in through the lofty windows, spreading over wooden tables and mismatched piles of luggage belonging to the witches and wizards staying in the lofts above the restaurant.
Visually, the Three Broomsticks is nothing less than stunning. In no way could a guest be surprised by a sweet-smelling vapor rising from the cauldron in the center of the room or by a table of wizards discussing the latest controversy at the Ministry of Magic in a booth at the back of the pub. The building fully encapsulates the medieval traditions honored by the wizarding community.
Honeydukes
As brightly colored as the wall of Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans that faces shoppers as they walk through the doors, Hogsmeade’s signature candy shop gives guests an opportunity to wander through the aisles and pick up some of Harry’s favorite treats.
There’s an overwhelming amount of product held in the relatively small shop, giving the feeling that the bounty of goods could be picked through by every visitor in the land and still have full inventory at the end of the day.
Gilmore explained, as we dodged guests rounding corners inside, that the layout was designed to be a bit difficult to navigate. His ultimate goal was to force guests to adventure through the space and take a bit of time to absorb the crackled shelves, perfectly antiqued display cases and, of course, candy selection.
He succeeded.
From chocolate frogs to never-melting ice cream, Honeydukes offerings serve as a reminder that in this land, magic can be consumed in every manner imaginable.
Zonko’s Joke Shop
With a storefront directly to the left of Honeydukes, but no internal separation from the candy shop, the infamous Zonko’s reverberates with retro-themed toy displays and pops, whizzes and whirrs that sporadically surprise guests from the shelves.
In the books and films, the Weasley twins channel their creative energy into projects such as Extendable Ears and Puking Pastilles that have been realized for parkgoers. Throughout the course of the morning, Gilmore repeatedly mentioned that the land is not based in technology, but rather analog products and enchanted items. The variety of wind-up robots, stuffed Pygmy Puffs and inexplicable bursts of air behind fringed curtains maintain the analog atmosphere flawlessly.
Ollivander’s
One of the most important item in a witch or wizard’s life is a proper, personally chosen wand. At Ollivander’s, aspiring magic-doers (not Muggle, wannabe illusionist “magicians”) can not only peruse floor-to-ceiling walls of handcrafted wands, but also have the chance to go through a proper ceremony with Ollivander himself to see which wand chooses which guest.
There are wand options designed after more than 30 characters from the book, as well as non-specific wands in varying combinations of base wood and internal cores. Descriptions of the characteristics of each variety are available to read for guests who want to choose a wand of their own. Gilmore opted to take the wand of Sirius Black, his favorite of the characters.
Throughout the land, small silver icons with a spell name and motion can be found inlaid in the cobblestones outside storefronts. If a guest purchases the right type of interactive wand, they may use it to perform a spell (words and motion required), to cause a physical change in the storefront closest to the icon. Executing “Alohamora,” the unlocking spell, will send the drawers of a cabinet in a nearby window flying open, validating the wand-bearer’s capabilities.
Hogwarts Castle
As beautiful as Hogsmeade village is, there’s no question in anyone’s mind that the Hogwarts castle is the end-all be-all icon of the Wizarding World. Walking up to the property from the front of the land, guests can see the Weasley’s baby-blue Ford Anglia crashed at the base of the Whomping Willow that rests to the left of the castle.
Visitors are welcomed into the castle itself and led past the Mirror of Erised, through the herbology department’s outdoor mandrake enclosure and into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom that houses original desks and blackboards from the films. Finally, fans get to hear a special message from Headmaster Albus Dumbledore as they are lead into his private office.
Harry, Ron, Hermione Granger, the Fat Lady and countless moving portraits also make guest appearances throughout the castle tour, which doubles as the queue for signature ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
The dark corridors, heavy rock walls, high ceilings and winding paths completely remove guests from the bright Southern California setting of the park and immerse them in Gilmore’s world of witchcraft and wizardry.
If I had the chance, I would have spent the next several hours re-exploring the interior of the shops, trying on robes and sweaters in my house colors of green and silver, sipping on pumpkin juice at the bar top of the Hog’s Head and soaking in every detail from the wood in the highest rafters to the distressed wood making up window sills. I’ve been to the Wizarding World in Orlando and gone through the excitement of seeing my first real wand and ordering my first glass of Butterbeer. I’ve gone through a sorting process and been placed into the ranks of some of the most cunning wizards in history. I’ve loved JK Rowling’s world since I opened my mom’s copy of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” at age seven. And, still, I felt myself falling in love with the magic of the park like it was my very first time.
Aside from these landmarks, visitors to the park will be able to explore the owlery and post office, clothing shops, a train car on the Hogwarts Express and Universal Studios Hollywood’s first outdoor roller coaster, the Flight of the Hippogriff. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will officially open to the public on April 7, 2016 with a castle lighting ceremony. Cal State Long Beach students can purchase discount tickets for the park, with a CSULB email address, at ushtix.com/csulb.