I’m a Hufflepuff.
There – the cat’s out of the bag, my friends. I’m also high-key obsessed with Harry Potter, and I’ve made it my mission to find out all of the cool Harry Potter sh*t I can see and do. I geek out when it comes to Harry Potter, and no, I can’t spew (see what I did there?) out random HP facts or name 12 spells at the drop of a sorting hat, but the passion lies deep and that’s rung true since I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time in sixth grade.
I am an admittedly awkward person, but get me in a room with a Harry Potter fan, and we’re instant friends, even if they are a Slytherin. It’s cool, it’s cool. No judgment here. Malfoy got a conscious in the end, so you can’t judge a person by their house. But I digress.
Harry Potter fans are like a ginormous and proud cult. We embrace our love of Harry Potter, and any time something new and Harry Potter-related comes to light, our friends make sure we know about it. That’s when you know you’re a crazy true fan. So even though this list is for all of the Harry Potter fans out there, it’s actually a way for me to put all the HP vibes into the universe and make these things happen for me.
GET SORTED INTO YOUR HOGWARTS HOUSE
As a fan, I’m sure this is something you already know, but just in case, if you absolutely need to get sorted into your Hogwarts house so you can feel even more of a connection to all things Harry Potter. If you took the quiz on Pottermore years ago, I encourage you to take it again. I took the test back when Pottermore first started, and I got sorted into Gryffindor. I was excited, but surprised because I never really identified with the qualities of a Gryffindor. I took the test again a few years later, and I got Hufflepuff, which made a lot more sense to me. Where my Huffles at?
TAKE THE WB STUDIO TOUR LONDON – THE MAKING OF HARRY POTTER
This is seriously one of the coolest things I’ve done – Harry Potter-related or not. It’s so neat to see the behind the scenes stuff of how movies and TV shows are made, and it’s even more awesome when you’re actually passionate about it. The Warner Brothers Studio Tour London – the Making of Harry Potter dishes out all the dirty secrets behind the magic of the movies. You get to see tons of stuff from the set, experience some magic for yourself and you’ll literally spend hours perusing through everything. Plus, in the middle of the tour, you can take a break, grab some grub and drink some Butterbeer. Literally living the dream.
GO TO THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER
There are actually three locations for you to enjoy the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Orlando, Florida; Hollywood, California and Osaka, Japan. Each theme park is a little different, but the biggest continues to be the first park created in Orlando, Florida. At the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you can immerse yourself in this magical world – ride Harry Potter-themed rides, visit Diagon Alley, go to Hogsmeade, enjoy some Butterbeer and so much more.
DO A HARRY POTTER ESCAPE ROOM
There are several Harry Potter-themed escape rooms open now. With a quick Google search, you can find the location closest to you. Here is a short list that someone put together in 2017.
BREW YOUR OWN COCKTAILS POTIONS AT A HARRY POTTER-THEMED BAR
The Pop Up Geeks are notorious for setting up themed bars throughout different parts of Edinburgh. Their latest and greatest is Perilous Potions where bar-goers select their drink of choice from the menu and then they’re given a tray with the ingredients for brewing the potion Snape-style.
TAKE A HARRY POTTER CRUISE
If you’re a die hard Harry Potter fan ready to dish out $4,000+ on a Harry Potter cruise, then this is the ultimate thing to be able to check off of your Harry Potter bucket list. The cruise will take you to some of the filming locations for the movies, and while you’re partying it up at sea, you’ll also get to enjoy some fun Harry Potter-themed activities and cuisine. If you’re not ready to splurge on a $4,000 Harry Potter cruise, you can book a Caribbean cruise. Not Harry Potter-themed, but still an incredible getaway.
SEE THE HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD PLAY
Even though the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play is long, I’ve only heard amazing things about it. I’m so glad the play finally made it to the US, but I still haven’t been able to see it. Even if you read the book, and you weren’t satisfied, you should absolutely still see the play. It was meant to be performed, not read. I can only imagine how magical it must be.
GO TO PLATFORM 9 3/4
If you find yourself in Kings Cross Station in London, be sure to snap a picture at Platform 9 3/4. During the day, they have people in the area who will provide a Harry Potter scarf of your choice. You can use your own camera to take pictures, but there’s also a professional photographer snapping photos as well. Right next door, you can do a little shopping and get some Harry Potter memorabilia.
GO TO THE COLLEGE OF WIZARDRY
If you’ve ever wanted to really immerse yourself in the wizarding world and attend classes at Hogwarts, now’s your chance. The College of Wizardry is located in Poland, and you’ll get to spend three nights living in a castle, going to wizarding classes, discovering secret passageways and feeling all the magic.
SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE WIZARD CHAMBER AT THE GEORGIAN HOUSE HOTEL
If you want to sleep like a wizard, but you don’t want to learn all the spells, you can stay in the wizard chamber at the Georgian House Hotel in London, breakfast included. The chamber is hidden behind a bookshelf, and the room itself is filled with everything a wizard needs, including trunks and a cauldrons.
TAKE A HARRY POTTER WALKING TOUR
Instead of creating all the hassle of planning out your own way to see Harry Potter filming locations in London, take all the guest work out and let someone do the work for you by going on a Tour for Muggles! The walking tour takes you on a magical journey to see some major movie locations, including the Leaky Cauldron, the inspiration for Diagon Alley, the visitors’ entrance to the Ministry of Magic and so much more. The tour is consistently ranked 9 3/4.
MEET YOUR FAVORITE CAST MEMBERS
If you follow your favorite actors and actresses from the movie enough, I’m sure you know that they’re always out and about doing cons, speaking at different events and all that jazz. I was fortunate enough to go to Dallas Fan Days (a Comic Con of sorts) and see James and Oliver Phelps speak on a panel and meet them in person. I honestly still can’t believe it happened.
ATTEND THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP
Yes, this is an actual thing. Some Harry Potter enthusiasts decided to create Quidditch at their school then others caught on and now it’s a whole thing. The 2018 Quidditch World Cup takes place next month, but there’s one to look forward to every year, and they’ve been held in various locations.
TAKE BROOMSTICKS LESSONS AT ALNWICK CASTLE
What’s the second most important hardware for a wizard (after their wand, of course) – a broom! You can take your own broomstick lessons at Alnwick Castle, which was also used in the Harry Potter films.
This is by no means an extensive or complete list of Harry Potter-related things to do. There are so many places you could visit, including locations where the movie was filmed, spots where JK Rowling did her writing, the Reptile House from the first movie and so much more. Harry Potter fans keep discovering new ways to relive the magic over and over again, and as long as they keep the magic alive, I’ll keep adding more to my Harry Potter bucket list.
What Hogwarts house are you in?
