How far would you travel?
How far would you travel to indulge your kids' passions?
From Orlando to Britain, I've met families who have traveled thousands of miles across time zones to do just that. Their kids are Harry Potter fans and in many cases, they are planning entire trips around Harry Potter.
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| Cool off your summer on a river rafting trip with OARS |
IN LONDON: the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter, 20 miles north of London at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, joining as many as 6,000 people a day who make the pilgrimage to see where the films were made. You see the iconic sets like Dumbledore's office, Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express. More important, this is the place to learn how these films were created and the thousands of people it took to make them-set and costume designers, special effects teams, even animal handlers and trainers. Just make sure to book your tickets in advance! Read more about my visit here.
IN ORLANDO: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure has now been expanded to include Diagon Alley and the chance to pass through the brick wall at King's Cross Station to Platform 9 ¾ to board the Hogwarts Express, encountering magical creatures on your way to Hogsmeade. The kids will be begging for the $44.95 interactive wands that 
point them right (in designated areas at Diagon Alley) to make magic happen-a frog squirts water, for example. A tip: Stay at an on-site hotel and you can get into the Wizarding World early and bypass the lines at most attractions. Undercover Tourist has discounted tickets and park guides. Read more about my recent visit here.
IN LOS ANGELES : The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is coming to Universal Studios Hollywood next spring complete with Hogwarts castle, the shops of Hogsmeade, the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction and more.
IN EDINBURGH, Scotland: walk the streets that inspired J.K. Rowling, including the real Daigon Alley (Victoria Street, explains veteran guide Sam Thomson who owns Edinburgh Tour Guides and is often asked to give special Harry Potter tours) Visit Greyfriars cemetery where you will find graves of Thomas Riddle (Voldemore's given name) and William McGonnigle. Everyone thinks Rowling wrote the first book at Elephant House Café but locals think it was a lace called Spoons... and that Hogwarts was modeled after the George Heriot's School here. Rowling famously wrote her last Harry Potter book in a suite of the Balmoral Hotel here where guests might be able to see a signed first edition.
Don't forget your wand!
