A week from tomorrow (April 7th to be exact) the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open its magical doors to Hogsmeade officially! I am absolutely obsessed with all things Harry Potter and when I got the chance to attend the soft opening in Hollywood I was obviously ecstatic. This park is AMAZING and I could spend hours and hours looking just at the immense amount of detail put into everything (actually I did this… for hours… worth it.) If you are expecting this park to be just like the Orlando Wizarding World put that idea out of your head right now, it doesn’t have the size that Orlando does, or the extra Diagon Alley/ Hogwarts Express expansion but it is still pretty darn amazing!  

The Forbidden Journey ride is one that can’t be missed! If you have been on the ride in Orlando it is exactly the same with improved 3D graphics. Truly the most amazing ride experience I have ever seen, plus the queue line is almost better than the ride! I could easily spend a few hours exploring in the queue (oops did this too…) and that is a good thing because the line for this ride will be EXTREMELY long once the park officially opens this spring.

There is so much to explore in the line there is no need to speed through! My favorite parts are the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore’s office and the painting of the Fat Lady.

Is there anything better than lunch in the Three Broomsticks? NOPE. You really feel like a Hogwarts student in here and they have tons of classic British fare to taste. I would recommend the Shepard’s Pie or the Banger’s and Mash. Make sure to watch the ceilings too, you might be able to see some fun “shadows” pass by!

Honeydukes cannot be missed! It is brimming with fun wizarding candy, just like in the books and movies! If you want to really get the full “Harry Potter” experience you have to purchase a Chocolate Frog and a package of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. (And they really do mean every flavor!)

If you’re like me and already purchased all this in Florida get some Honeydukes candy in a bulk bag so you can snack on some fizzing whizbees in line for attractions and feel like a wizard! Cauldron Cakes are also wonderful but they get smooshed easily in the boxes they come in, so be careful!

Right next door is Zonko’s joke shop and it is full to the brim of things that you would be sure to find in Professor Umbridge’s box of confiscated items. My favorite was the “U No Poo”.

Butterbeer is probably the best thing to come out of a theme park since the Disneyland churro. I crave it almost every day! It comes in “cold” and “frozen”. My personal favorite is the cold version, the sweet froth is the best part! Drink it without a straw to get a perfect butterbeer mustache! The frozen is more like a slushy, it is great for a super hot day but it is a little too sweet for my taste. I was told that an authentic “hot” butterbeer would be coming soon but sadly it was not available to taste when I was there.

Go get your wand from Ollivander’s and spend a few hours doing magic all around Hogsmeade. While you are looking in the windows doing your spells and charms take a look at all the details, it really is amazing the tiny things that they put in there!

There are two shows in Hogsmeade; The Frog Choir and the Triwizard Introductions. Both are amazing and worth watching, stay after the show for a photo op with the Hogwarts Students!

I hope everyone gets the change to go to Wizarding World, no matter what coast you live on! It truly is the most magical experience and something you will remember forever!