Wands at the Ready

Accio Harry Potter Fans!

I've summoned you to this blog post for a very good reason - to tell you all about the magic that awaits you at the Harry Potter Store in NYC. Don't worry, you won't need your Alohomora spell to unlock these adventures, but you might need more than a few bucks to get the most out of the experience. 

No matter your house, you will find something to peak your interest here - I promise I won't hold it against you if you aren't a Gryffindor like me. Even Slytherins are welcome, but only if you agree not to use an unforgivable curse against me if you don't enjoy my tips and recommendations.

I am going to breakdown the store into five categories, just to help keep us all organized (that's definitely the Hermione in me!). One main thing to note is that the store can get very crowded and you can definitely find yourself spending a lot of money very quickly. 

Decorations and Memorabilia

One thing the store does extremely well is decorating it to make you feel like you are walking into the world of Harry Potter. They put a lot of detail into the layout, with the main feature definitely being the spiral staircase in the middle. They call it the Atrium of Awe and here you find a rotating replica of the Griffin that guards Dumbledore's office. 

Throughout the store, you will stumble upon other decorations that you will easily recognize from the books and movies. Snap a photo in the Ministry Phone Booth or step into Hagrid's shoes and see how you measure up. In the jewelry section, you'll find the time turner looming large above you. See a ceiling of floating books or find the snake slithering in the dark arts section. There are so many little details, so pay close attention everywhere you look.

I also really love that they have memorabilia on display from the filming of the movies. These aren't replicas, but are the actual items and props that were used by the actors in the films.

Merchandise   

Obviously the main focus of a store is always going to be the merchandise. The more things they can sell, the more money they make. The Harry Potter store does a good job of laying out their goods in a way that makes it easy to navigate and find what you are looking for. There are sections for items branded with each of the houses, an area specializing in jewelry and other trinkets, a candy/food section (get your chocolate frogs!) and of course a bookstore. 

My friend Ben has his eye on the replica of the sword of Gryffindor and I know that one day I am going to show up at his place and finally see it on display. 

Butterbeer Bar

You've seen (or read about) Harry Potter and his friends enjoying a nice glass of Butterbeer on more than one occasion and now you'll have your chance to taste it for yourself. At the Butterbeer Bar located on the main level of the NYC store, you have the options to have a freshly poured glass from the "draft" (remember these are non-alcoholic), to enjoy a bottle version of the drink or to order it in ice cream form. When I went to the store the first time with Craig, we ordered a fresh glass and an cup of ice cream and shared both. The ice cream definitely had a little bit of a different consistency than you would typically expect - I would almost say it was a mix between a whipped cream and an ice cream maybe? 

If you want something more to eat, you can also get snacks and sweets at the bar. I remember seeing various Harry Potter themed cupcakes and cookies when we were there. We didn't try any of these, but they did look delicious. 

Buying a Wand

There is an entire section of the store devoted to wands and I wouldn't have expected anything less. I felt like a wizard walking into Ollivanders for the first time. The selection of wands was more than I expected - basically those of every major Harry Potter character, plus some of the characters from Fantastic Beasts. They also had special themed wands that matched up with the houses. 

I had a really hard time deciding which one I wanted to buy - did I go with my favorite design or perhaps my favorite character? In the end I decided to pick one that would not only match the colors and decor in my basement (which is where I have it displayed), but also one that belong to a fellow redhead - Ginny Weasley. I mean, us redheads do need to stick together.

VR Experiences

The Virtual Reality experiences are what first drew me to the Harry Potter store. I read about them online and couldn't wait to try them for myself. I think it's a little easier to get tickets these days than when the store first opened, but either way I would suggest looking to purchase them a couple of weeks before your visit to guarantee a spot. 

The store offers two VR experiences - Chaos at Hogwarts and Wizards Take Flight - and each currently costs $37 per person. They are each very unique and different from one another and I would definitely suggest you do both - I've done each one twice. I personally think that Chaos at Hogwarts is much more impressive, so if you are doing both I would schedule that one second (save the best for last!).

Without giving too much away, during Wizards at Flight you are sent on an adventure with Hagrid that has you flying on a broomstick and feeling the sensation of being up in the air with him. In Chaos at Hogwarts you find yourself going to Hogwarts and walking through the castle with Dobby. 

The waiting area for Chaos at Hogwarts is set up as the train station, specifically Platform 9 3/4s. This is a nice addition and only something you get to see if you sign up for the VR experience. There are two different potential endings for this adventure and I was lucky enough to have a different one each time I participated. 

One quick tip, if you want to be able to distinguish your companion during the VR experience, I would suggest picking avatars from different houses to help them stand out. When Craig and I went, our whole group picked Gryffindor and when we entered the simulation, we couldn't tell who was who. Knowing this, I picked Slytherin the second time when I went with my friend Ben - this way we would be recognizable to each other.