Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Knockturn Alley

Okay, so we're onto part 3 of my trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. If you missed the others, check out Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. After walking around in the blazing hot sun of Florida, even in September, the dark and cool Knockturn Alley seems like a great place to hide for a little bit. If you have an interactive wand, you can spend even more time here, as there are quite a few place to use it and use magic. Knockturn Alley, like you might expect from reading about it in the Harry Potter books, is everything that Diagon Alley (where it is located) isn't. Where Diagon is bright and vibrant, Knocturn is almost pitch black. Someone complained that there wasn't any seating here, but if there was, you'd almost certainly trip over it. 

To get the feeling of being in a creepy wizarding alley, they've put Knockturn Alley inside, though with all the windows for store fronts, it feels as if you are still outside, but in a really shady neighborhood. There are two places you can slip into this dark wizard area, which may not be that easy to spot if you aren't looking for it.  

Now, you may have figured it out already, but if not, I love Halloween and creepy things and I wanted to know more about Knockturn Alley when reading the books. I was intrigued by the kinds of macabre and evil things these shops were selling. I mean, that one witch was selling what looked like fingernails. What were those for? Well, I probably won't find out, but the wares of Knockturn Alley are varied and the windows are just as thought out and packed as in the rest of the Wizarding World. 

You'll find poisons, bat meat, skeletons, shrunken heads, insects and more within this small shopping district, though they are all just for show. There's so much to look at, even in the darkness, that you may spend even more time there to see what's actually on display.

Obviously, Knockturn Alley was built around that iconic dark wizard shop Borgin and Burkes. It's the only place to shop here, but there's so much to see that it's not disappointing at all. Almost everything on display is for sale, so you can pick up a shirt touting the dark arts, a hefty locket horcrux replica or even a skull for your personal enjoyment. Whether you're in the market for a dark artifact or not, you'll want to make a visit here just to see some of the things you've read about.

I kind of love the horned skull on display, but the Death Eater Masks and jars full of weird potion ingredients really gave me some inspiration for my own Harry Potter party decor. 

Remember the vanishing cabinet? It's here! Step a little closer to it and you can hear that little bird chirping away inside. You'll also see the fake Moody's seven-lock trunk. It's just rattling away under a table full of other great stuff and next to a cabinet full of a bunch of freaky artifacts. Yes, that doll's eyes did just move. Ever wondered what the Hand of Glory looked like? Well, it's in a different cabinet, along with a werewolf claw. Want to see that cursed necklace that Katie Bell somehow ended up with? It's here as well.

Don't forget to look up here, too. There's even more up there, like that hideous troll foot umbrella stand Tonks kept knocking over in Grimmauld Place. You want one now, don't you? I didn't ask if it was for sale, but I probably couldn't afford it anyway (or get it home on the plane if I could). This shop wasn't huge, but since every nook and cranny is full of crazy stuff, it actually felt much bigger than it is. 

Some of my photos are lightened up a bit to actually show you what the picture is of, because the alley is actually that dark. I probably wouldn't head in alone, because sometimes it's hard to just spot another visitor in the gloom, and I'm a wuss who's afraid of the dark. Aside from that, it's definitely a must-see, because you can totally feel how uneasy and lost Harry felt when he accidentally ended up in Borgin and Burkes instead of the Leaky Cauldron. Thank goodness for Hagrid! 

Knockturn Alley is a great respite from the heat and satisfies most of your curiosities about the darker wizarding shopping area. Next up, we'll be talking food! What were you most awed by in Knockturn in the books or movies?

Visiting Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Diagon Alley

Last month I was in Orlando and we visited Universal Studios for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion. Diagon Alley is really exciting in the books and I wish we got to spend more time in it. Luckily, Universal knew this and the expansion did not disappoint. In fact, we spent almost an entire day at Diagon Alley, even though there is only one ride. There is just so much eye candy everywhere for the Harry Potter fan that you can be there for hours and feel like you've not seen much. {If you missed my Hogsmeade post, you can go back and read it here.}

Coming into Diagon Alley, the first thing you see is the giant white dragon perched atop Gringotts. The dragon breathes fire every 10 minutes and is simply amazing from every angle. She is the major landmark here and leads you right to Escape from Gringotts, which I'll get to in a minute. First, let's look at the London street where you go from Universal into the immersive world that is Harry Potter.

I always loved the idea that you enter the Wizarding World though a seemingly normal part of Muggle London. There's a record shop and a book shop and the Leaky Cauldron is just sort of hiding in plain sight. Unfortunately, you can't make your way into the magical world through the pub here, because it is an actual eatery. Instead, you head past the closed tube station and through a wall that hides the open brick wall that opens onto the quirky and bright wizarding street. Before you go in though, enjoy other Harry Potter landmarks, like King's Cross Station, the phone booth that lets you into the Ministry (dial 6-2-4-4-2 to hear a special message from them), the Knight Bus and King's Cross Station, where Harry and his friends went to get onto Platform 9 3/4 to take the train to Hogwarts. 

You'll also get the chance to visit Grimmauld Place. You can't go in, but you can plainly see Number 12, unlike those Muggles that live around the place, and if you look up at the windows you might just catch a glimpse of Kreacher, the crazy old Black house elf that inhabits the place. (It was an especially good place to enjoy a big ice cream cone from Fortescue's, which I will talk about in a separate post.)

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is the largest building in Diagon Alley, though it also houses Quality Quidditch Supplies, and has tons of wizarding gear, candy and joke goods. The building is super colorful and inviting, as well as bendy and fun. I doubt even the people who work there have seen all there is inside and out. I love the adverts on the outside of the building for the products you can find inside.

 I don't think Lockhart's charm worked on Eric. He was more interested in choosing which of his dragon pics was the best for checking in. 

I adored the conservatory-esque dome over part of the Alley. It is reminiscent of  a London market and is also a nice respite from the blazing Orlando sun. Under the dome you can do some shopping, visit the money exchange for Gringotts, get a cool drink and watch several shows that happen every half hour.

The lovely actors from W.A.D.A. (Wizard Academy of Dramatic Arts) perform a tale from Beedle the Bard every hour and on the alternate half hours you can catch Celestina Warbeck sing her heart out, along with the help of her Banshees. If you don't want to be part of the show, possibly stand a little further back than we did, as Celestina will pick a guy from the audience to sing to and then to dance with the Banshees. Luckily, Eric is a good sport. Here is a quick video of some of her performance.

Everywhere you turn there are wizarding gems and amazing details. One of my favorites was this mermaid fountain that recalls Harry's time in the Black Lake in Goblet of Fire.

Gregorovitch sold his wands to the Bulgarians in the books (Viktor Krum has one), though other wizards bought from him as well. We never learn where he actually set up shop, but a small outpost is snuggled into a corner in Diagon Alley, enabling you to purchase a wand without going all the way to Ollivander's. There's no show here and the shop is quite small, but they have a good selection and it's not packed with people like Eyelops is.

Are you actually a Parselmouth? If not, how could you understand these gorgeous snakes that call Magical Menagerie home? This is just one of the cool things you'll find in Diagon Alley if you take the time to look around and poke in the nooks and crannies.

Some store fronts are just that. Store fronts. There's probably a storage room back there, but in order to mask it, they've put something wizardy there for your enjoyment, like this fun deli that sells stewed eels and some sort of fish pie.  

Ever since Harry's first trip into the wizarding bank Gringott's, I've longed to go inside and see just how awesome it was. Well, with the Escape from Gringotts ride, you get to experience the awe that Harry felt when he first stepped inside. The ride itself makes you wonder how angry those first riders were after waiting 5-7 hours for it. I mean, what? We were lucky that the lines on the days we were there were pretty short. We never waited longer than 30 minutes. The best part is seeing all the goblins working, walking by the vaults and offices and checking out the Daily Prophets and ledgers. After you make it past those points, you are ushered into an elevator that'll take you to the deeper vaults. It's a ride all on its own. Make sure you stand near a wall and hold onto the handrail, then look up!

So, once you've had your fill of Diagon Alley, you'll want to make your way out and into King's Cross Station. It looks just like it does in London, only smaller. I love the arrivals and departures board, plus there are ads along the walls just like the underground stations in London. You'll catch sight of that awesome perfume ad from Half Blood Prince, walk through a tube shop that sells snacks and beverages, head through the magical barrier between platforms 9 and 10 and then you're on the train to Hogsmeade. Again, you will need a park-to-park ticket to ride the train, as it goes to the other park, so make sure you have it handy before you head into the station. 

I'll be focusing on the foods and snacks of the Wizarding World in another post, as well as Knockturn Alley. Learn more about Hogsmeade, the train and the interactive wands here.

What's your favorite part of Harry Potter?

Visiting Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Hogsmeade

As you all know by now, I'm a crazy Harry Potter fan. I throw a huge party every July for Harry Potter's birthday and my house is decorated like Hogwarts from then through January 1st. That said, we finally made our way back to Universal Studios Orlando to check out the expansion to Wizarding World. This is the second time we've been since they opened Hogsmeade and the additions were something to behold. Obviously, you want to start there, because that's where Hogswarts is. 

The castle looms over Hogsmeade and is very dramatic, especially when you head inside to get in line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The ride is a 4D journey through Hogwarts and the castle grounds with Harry, Ron and Hermione, but the line itself is worth waiting in, because there's so much to see. You'll come in through the Greenhouses, pass through the potions classroom, Dumbledore's office, walk past the house hourglasses and many other staples of the books and movies. 

Watch the portraits talk to each other, meet the Fat Lady, check out the class notice board and listen to the wisdom of the Sorting Hat. I know he should be in Dumbledore's office, but his prominent place in the hallway gives you a chance to really appreciate him and his songs and rhymes. The ride itself can be scary for younger visitors, as Dementors and Acromantulas make an appearance and come pretty close to you. The car dips, swerves and flies and may not be great if you get motion sickness easily. In fact, I wouldn't suggest eating right before you get on it, because it can make even the most stable of us ill feeling. The way the car is situated, you are locked in like a roller coaster, but you have separators between you and the other three riders, so you can basically only see what's right in front of you, which can be disorienting, especially when you're turned nearly upside down. If that doesn't bother  you, you're going to have a great time.

You'll end the ride in a gift shop, because why wouldn't you? In this case, it's Filch's Emporium, which combines some awesome Harry Potter merch that you can't find elsewhere in the park and all those confiscated goods from Hogwarts students throughout the years. It's like a combination of Filch's office and the Room of Requirement, with piles of books, student files and cages full of things those kids aren't likely to get back (see them up along the ceiling?). Across the hallway, you'll find complimentary lockers where you can put your loose articles, which aren't allowed on the ride.

 Looking for a wand or some Harry Potter souvenirs? Check out the Owl Emporium, which is attached to Ollivander's Wand Shop. Here you can see the owls that deliver post all over the Wizarding World, along with heaps of packages waiting to be sent. You always want to look up when you're in the Wizarding World, because if you don't, you'll be missing out on a lot.

Hogsmeade is permanently cloaked in a blanket of snow, just as you see it in the movies. Of course, when it's 108 degrees out, it's a bit misleading, but maybe that's how people are walking around all day in their wool blend wizard cloaks. I know I couldn't do it. I barely wanted to wear sleeves.

Are you in the market for a wand? I certainly was, especially since you can buy an interactive wand that will work at over 25 places in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley to perform real magic. Well, you know "real" is subjective, but the beauty of Wizarding World of Harry Potter is that it feels like you're actually in the books. Head to Ollivander's to watch a wizard get chosen for a wand to choose them. Maybe it'll be you. The show is short and the shop is very small, but there are wand boxes from floor to ceiling here. The actor that plays Ollivander chooses several wands for the volunteer to try out and only stops when they find the perfect one. Cue whirlwind, sparkling lights and swelling music.

Once the show is over, everyone else is ushered through the door to the Owl Emporium where you can purchase your own wand if you choose. Pick a replica of your favorite character's wand, let your birth date choose for you or do what I did and get the one that feels perfect in your hand. Mine turned out to be hazel. My birthday would have given me a Death Eater wand with a skull on the handle. It seemed really large and unlike me, so I passed. The interactive wands are only $10 more than the regular wands, so there's really no reason to not get one if you're buying a wand anyway.

 I adore the Wizarding World and the shops are phenomenal from the outside. Many of them blend into one another and are cramped on the inside, but that doesn't stop you from wanting to check out all their goods, especially in Honeydukes where there are tons of delicious sweets, including giant Chocolate Frogs and boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

With your newly acquired wand, look for gold medallions on the ground outside shops to know where you can do magic. Each medallion (as well as the map that comes with every interactive wand) shows you the spell to use and the movements to do with your wand to accomplish it. If you're having trouble, usually there is a lovely wizard nearby to help you out. Like with all spells, some are more complicated than others, but practice makes perfect.

Though there aren't a lot of rides in the Wizarding World, there are three in Hogsmeade (not including the train to London and Diagon Alley). Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff. Dragon Challenge is a traditional roller coaster that pits two "dragons" against each other (when the crowds are large) and is themed for the Triwizard Tournament. View the Goblet of Fire, the chapion's tent and the Triwizard Cup. This, too, is housed in a castle like structure, which can get dark and spooky. I saw more than one person jump when a person came around a blind corner or remark on the low light levels. You can't bring anything with you on this ride, though there are a ton of photo opps inside and out, You'll go through a metal detector to ensure your pockets are empty of anything that would fall out and hit someone else.

To make up for the lack of rides in Hogsmeade, you've got the opportunity to see a few live shows including the singing Frog Choir. They showed up in line for Dragon Challenge and I was unable to snap a pic, but it was a fun surprise. The Triwizard Challenge is another live show. It's not long or involved, but you can see the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbaton showcase their skills. The Beauxbatons dance and twirl while the Durmstrang guys show off their fighting techniques. Obviously, they aren't well-matched, but it was still fun to watch.

Once you've seen everything you can see in Hogsmeade, head to the train station where you can take the Hogwarts Express to London and Diagon Alley. Make sure you make the return trip, too, because both ways are different (as you would expect on the actual train).

 We adored the train. It was like actually getting on the real Hogwarts Express, without the option of making a purchase from the food trolley. You board your own compartment (up to 8 people will fit in one) where you'll see the landscape change outside the "window". 

Sorry I look like a crazy

Throughout your journey, only about five minutes, you'll see some famous Harry Potter friends and scenery, plus you'll also see shadows walk by out in the corridor. It can be hard to know what to focus on, so I suggest making a few trips back and forth. Also, you'll need a park-to-park ticket to ride the train, since it actually goes to the other park and you have to get off. Make sure to have your ticket ready. If you don't have a 2-park ticket, you can buy one at the train station. Here's a bit of train goodness:

Stay tuned for the Diagon Alley portion of my trip and a post all on foods and treats. What's your favorite character, place or food from Harry Potter?