The time has finally come and the WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER at Universal Studios Hollywood will be making headlines all day long today. The new land brings to life the magical village of Hogsmeade; complete with shops, restaurants, and two attractions to delve you deeper into the story.

A few weeks ago, we got to tour the enchanted new destination and are happy to give you a complete walk-through of all the new hot spots. To start we’ll head to the back of the land for a look at the marquee attraction HARRY POTTER AND THE FORBIDDEN JOURNEY!

HARRY POTTER AND THE FORBIDDEN JOURNEY

Similar to its counterparts in Orlando and Japan, the attraction is a fantastic journey through the stories by JK Rowling. For the Hollywood version, the voyage is made in 3D courtesy of glasses in the iconic shape of Quidditch googles. Before you even start the ride, the queue takes you through iconic locations of the infamous Hogwarts castle…

Getting in Line

The Green House

What a view!

Entering the Castle

Talking Portrait Hall

Dumbledore’s Office

Dark Arts Classroom

Gryffindor Common Room

Sorting Hat

Flight of the Hippogriff

This roller coaster adventure is a tamer version of thrills right next to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The kid-friendly coaster is a quick romp weaving in and around the forest near Hagrid’s hut.

The Queue

The Ride

The Three Broomsticks

Feeling just like it sprung forth from the pages of the Harry Potter books, The Three Broomsticks is the hallmark dining location for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Check out our previous posting for a full look at the food offerings at The Three Broomsticks.

The Exterior

This is a new addition to the Wizarding World specifically just for Hollywood, it’s a new enchanted window that brings a little life to an otherwise empty area.

The Interior

Hogshead Pub

The pub here features an original selection draught beers and spirits created exclusively for the land, including Hog’s Head Brew, Dragon’s Scale, Wizard’s Brew and Fire Whisky.

Ollivander’s

Another highlight of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter experience is created at Ollivanders, Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC, where you can see a wand choose a wizard. You can also purchase your own wand or choose from a selection that includes Harry Potter Film character wand replicas, collectible wand sets and more!

The location was optimized in Hollywood based on learnings from other Wizarding Worlds to increase capacity and create proper queue space for the experience.

Exterior

Interior

Owl Post

At this magical spot, complete with owls in the rafters, you can send a letter and have it stamped with the official Hogsmeade postmark and then mail it off! You can also buy stationery and stamps plus owl-related toys and other gifts!

Exterior

Under the Rafters

Interior

Dervish and Banges

Connected to the Owl Post is Dervish and Banges which offers up a selection of Quidditch equipment, Hogwarts uniforms, tees, trinkets and more.

Exterior

Interior

Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment

Connected to Dervish and Bange’s is Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment. The mystical shop offers up vairous wizarding wares and supplies including robes, crystal balls, telescopes, armillary spheres, compasses, hourglasses and more.

Gladrag’s Wizardware

Here you can find a selection of wizard apparel including hats, accessories, and jewelry. On display inside the shop is the actual dress worn by the character Cho Chang during the Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Exterior

Interior

Honeydukes

This famed spot for sweets includes various treats such as Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans, exploding bonbons, Peppermint Toads, Fudge Flies, Chocolate Frogs and a selection of fresh-made goodies like Cauldron Cakes, No Melt Ice Cream, and Candy Apples.

Exterior

Interior

Zonko’s Joke Shop

Hardly much of a shop and more so a section of Honeydukes, this spot offers novelty items including joke toys, magic items and even more sweets.

Exterior

Interior

Filche’s Emporium and Confiscated Goods

Located at the base of Hogwart’s castle and literally nestled inside a cave, this spot is a treasure trove of goodies including Hogwart’s clothing, movie prop replicas, magical creature toys, Maurader Maps, Goblets and so much more.

False Fronts

There’s tons more shops in the Wizaring World but they ultimately end up being more false fronts than anything else. Still, the names should be familiar to fans of the books including Madam Puddyfoot’s Tea and Cakes, Tomes and Scrolls, Spinwitches, The Magic Neep, and Dogweed and Deathcap Exotic Plants and Flowers.

Outdoor Vending Locations

There’s several shops in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but sometimes a quick grab-and-go is the most efficient means of experiencing it all. There’s TWO outdoor locations to get Butterbeer plus The Magic Neep cart offering a fruits, beer, and slew of frosty beverages including Pumpkin Juice and Gilly Water.

There’s also a spot to pick up a variety of wands that lets you skip the often busy Ollivander’s. It’s located inbetween Hogwars and Flight of the Hippogriff.

New Alley

Every Wizarding World built in Unviersal’s three parks have slight variations and minor unique additions. For Hollywood, a new alley was created to help flow-through of crowds and also to create even more of a sense of discovery. It is essentially a means of separating the Wizarding World from the Shrek 4D attraction.