Photo heavy post ahead!
We had a long journey to
Warner Brothers Studios: The Making of Harry Potter on March 11, so we walked to the nearby Aldgate East stop to take the Tube, then a train to Watford Junction, where a Harry Potter-wrapped double decker bus picked us up for the 15 minute drive to the studio. Everyone on the bus was eager and excited to get there—and that vibe continued at the studios. My research suggested allotting 90 minutes to get from London to the studio, but I over prepared and gave us 2 hours. It went very smoothly, we got there in plenty of time, and when we arrived were immediately put at ease by the staff about our schedule and timed entrance.
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| Our chariot awaited |
I want to say at the onset—booking Harry Potter Studios was one of the first things I did after booking our flights. So nearly 2.5 months before this trip, there was only ONE day available during the week we were in London to get a reservation. Luckily it was for the day I had hoped for. But if you are wanting to go to Harry Potter Studios, I would 1) secure your tickets a soon as possible and 2) give yourself plenty of time to get through the space. We were there from 12:30 to 6 pm, and could have spent more time there!
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| Giant Elder Wand |
It was also special because: 1. Wilder is 11, the same age Harry was when he arrived at Hogwarts and 2. We went on March 11!
We had booked a Harry Potter-themed afternoon tea at 12:30 in the food hall, which was decorated to look like the Great Hall in the movies. Wilder has a pizza, Felicity had a burger - both from a Dudley Dursley-themed menu. Zach and I had tea, coffee and themed treats / sandwiches we shared with the kids.
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| Afternoon tea with Harry Potter-themed foods! |
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| Felt like the Great Hall! |
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| These four are no longer with us. I did actually tear up. |
We entered the studios for our tour at 1:30. This tour was expensive, but we think it was more than worth the money. All four of us have read all of the books several times and of course, watched all the movies. We got to see the actual sets, and recreated sets, for many scenes from the movies. We took in lots of facts and trivia, and there were many interactive elements that made it fun for all of us. My favorite part was the actual miniature (that is huge) of the exterior of Hogwarts. They used it to film exterior shots of the school throughout the movies before rebuilding it inside the studios for this tour. We each got a wand, some souvenirs, and I got this journal and a coffee mug with Hedwig on it.
Here's some photos from the studio - there's more to the post after our tour--at the bottom!
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| The cupboard under the stairs |
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| Preparing to enter the Great Hall set |
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| The Great Hall |
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| Hermione's dress from the Yule Ball |
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| Slytherin's room |
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| The Mirror of Erised |
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| Gryffindor Tower |
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| Their actual outfits! |
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| Wands |
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| potions |
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| We made howlers! |
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| The actual train cars on the Hogwart's Express |
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| Butterbeer |
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| They both liked it. VERY sweet. |
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| The actual bridge to Hogsmeade |
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| Ford Anglia! Wilder loves this so much |
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| Mandrakes screaming when you pull them |
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| triple decker bus! |
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| The Burrow |
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| Inside the home on Privet Dr. |
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| A Thestral |
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| Gringotts |
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| Diagon Alley! |
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| This miniature of Hogwarts was originally built outside and used for all of the external shots for the movies. Seeing it kind of made me emotional! |
We stayed till 6 pm, and then did the reverse journey of bus -> train -> underground -> then walked to an Italian restaurant in our neighborhood called
Emilia’s Crafted Pasta. The inside was trendy, yet cozy, and all of the pastas were handmade and DELICIOUS. I had a cocktail called a Hugo and an amazing carbonara with bucatini. Zach had lamb ragu ravioli, and we had sourdough bread with burrata. The kids devoured their pasta with tomato sauce and the bread!
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| A delicious Hugo |
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| Carbonara |
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| ravioli |
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| Sourdough bread with burrata |
On our way home in our neighborhood we stopped at
Mehmet Efendi, a Turkish bakery with all kinds of treats and tea in little tulip glasses. Felicity loves Dubai chocolate, and we loaded up on baklava.
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| Dubai chocolate |
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| Baklava of all kinds |
Next up - our visits to the Tower of London and Churchill War Rooms!
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