
Afterward, a passageway to the main shop allows visitors to buy the wand of their choice, modelled after the wands of the main characters. As expected from a theme park, the amount of merchandise available is outstanding, including full Hogwarts uniforms, pumpkin juice, and sneakoscopes. Following the shopping, a great treat is a mug of butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks; unlike in the books, it is cool and refreshing with even a frozen option available for those extra hot days. If it's a bit too crowded indoors, there are two outdoor butterbeer vendors, one just inside the village gates and another closer to Hogwarts, and both have regular and frozen versions of butterbeer with special mugs to boot!

Other rides include the re-themed rollercoasters "Dragon Challenge" and "Flight of the Hippogriff"; both were initially part of "The Lost Continent" section of Islands of Adventure under different names. "Dragon Challenge" is a dueling coaster ride with the option to ride one of two dragons--a Chinese Fireball or a Hungarian Horntail. Each dragon is a completely different track with multiple overlapping points, and a separate front seat line is available for those seeking extra thrills. Riding in the front seat is a considerably different experience as you pass over the other dragon coaster, and is definitely a must do! This coaster has the tallest height requirement in the entire park, so it's probably one for the parents rather than the tiny Potter fans. If the younger muggles in attendance require a high speed fix, the "Flight of the Hippogriff" is one to consider. It involves no inversions and a pretty neat wicker hippogriff car to ride in. The goal of the ride is to teach you how to ride a hippogriff correctly, and after a few tips from Hagrid, you are off to meet Buckbeak and then fly around the paddock. It is a pretty quick ride and the lines don't seem to get too long.
Overall the Wizarding World of Harry Potter does not disappoint fans of the books or movies. The rides are entertaining and thrilling, but the main experience comes from walking around the village and immersing yourself completely in the Wizarding World. The park creators seemed to pick up on the small details from the books extremely well and implement them flawlessly into the entire experience. Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has definitely encouraged me to re-read every book from cover to cover!
Image of Hogwarts Castle was taken by Carlos Cruz and uploaded to Wikipedia by Rstoplabe14, and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.