The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Hogsmeade
The 20-acre Wizarding World is an amalgamation of landmarks, creatures, and themes that are faithful to the films and books. You access the area through an imposing gate that opens onto Hogsmeade, depicted in winter and covered in snow. This is The Wizarding World’s primary shopping and dining venue. Exiting Hogsmeade, you first glimpse the towering castle housing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, flanked by the Forbidden Forest and Hagrid’s Hut. The grounds and interior of the castle contain part of the queue for the super-headliner Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
Universal went all out on the castle, with the intention of creating an icon even more beloved and powerful than Cinderella Castle at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, and very nearly succeeded—if only they’d added a bit more brick and rockwork to conceal the big honking soundstage that holds the land’s groundbreaking ride.
The village setting is rendered in exquisite detail: Stone cottages and shops have steeply pitched slate roofs, bowed multipaned windows, gables, and tall, crooked chimneys. Add cobblestone streets and gas streetlamps, and Hogsmeade is as reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes as of Harry Potter.
The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando is packed with detailed, specific information on every ride, show, and restaurant in the resort, including insider tips on how best to tour Harry Potter’s Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley attractions. This brand-new book is the first comprehensive Unofficial Guide dedicated to Universal Orlando.
About the author: A contributor to several top-selling guidebooks, Seth Kubersky is nationally recognized as an authority on theme parks and amusement attractions. He has worked for more than 20 years as a theatrical artist, culture critic, and travel journalist. In addition to coauthoring The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, Kubersky also contributes to TouringPlans.com, The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, and Orlando Attractions Magazine.
Named Best Arts Writer in The Daily City’s 2013 readers’ poll, Kubersky writes an arts and entertainment column, “Live Active Cultures,” that appears in every issue of the Orlando Weekly, central Florida’s leading alternative newspaper. Kubersky lives in downtown Orlando, FL.
The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando is available NOW.
