But finally, 13 years after the first of seven books began chronicling the boy wizard's adventures, imagination has become reality at Universal Orlando.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ( www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter), a minipark inside Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park, opened for general admission in June.
Past a stone archway and the steam-belching Hogwarts Express, the fictitious city of Hogsmeade unfolds amid snowcapped, dingy rooftops and storefronts packed like row houses with shops straight from the books and movies. Zonko's joke shop offers Sneakoscopes and extendable ears.
The confectionery Honeydukes has chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans (pear and fish are among the delectable assortment). At the Owl Post, guests can stamp mail with a genuine Hogsmeade postmark.
Towering over it all is Hogwarts, a reproduction of the imposing, many-spired castle where Harry and his magician friends are students.
"Once we locked in and knew what we were doing, what we thought would be the most iconographic moments of the fiction to bring to life," the challenge was to strive for authenticity and detail, said Mark Woodbury, head of Universal Creative.
Park construction was overseen by the production manager from the Potter movies, and as Warner Bros. filmed the series' sixth movie, Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince, scenes were shot for the park's crown jewel, a ride called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
The cutting-edge ride seamlessly combines the sensation of flight with tactile experiences – smoke, droplets of water – as it takes guests through a hodgepodge of encounters in Potter's chaotic life, from the Quidditch field to the mouths of giant spiders and dragons. While waiting in line, patrons can see lifelike projections of film characters such as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
Potter author J.K. Rowling is a stickler for details, and Universal worked hard to get her OK. So many recipes were offered to find the perfect look, texture and taste for the heretofore fictitious butterbeer that Woodbury says he lost count. "We had to package up all the ingredients and rent a hotel kitchen in Scotland [where Rowling lives] so that we could put it all together," he said.
The result? A tasty, nonalcoholic brew reminiscent of cream soda that has proven wildly popular with fans.
Besides the Forbidden Journey, Wizarding World has just two other rides: Flight of the Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge, both of which are older roller coasters repurposed with Potter themes.
There's no additional admission for Wizarding World once you pay to enter Islands of Adventure and shopping opportunities are extensive – from broomsticks ($250 to $300) to magic wands ($28.95) to Gryffindor scarves ($34.95).
