Harry Potter Theme Park – A new Universal theme park called the “Wizarding World Of Harry Potter” opens in May 2010 in Orlando, Florida.

A new high-tech ride called  “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” will be  the marquee attraction at the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” a new theme park area opening in spring 2010 at Universal Orlando Resort.

The “Forbidden Journey” ride was named by author J.K. Rowling and described Tuesday by Universal officials in a Web cast revealing details of what the Potter park will look like.

The ride will take guests through scenes and rooms from the blockbuster movies inside a richly detailed remake of Hogwarts Castle made to look 700 feet tall. Hogwarts is where Harry attends a boarding school for witches and wizards.

Guests will enter the “Wizarding World” through a station archway named for Hogsmeade, the magical village near Hogwarts. A plume of steam and a train whistle will sound the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. The goal is to make the experience immersive, so nothing outside is visible after guests pass the Hogsmeade station archway.

Other rides include the “Dragon Challenge,” a twin high-speed roller coaster themed after the “Triwizard Tournament” and the family roller coaster “Flight of the Hippogriff,” named for a creature with an eagle’s head and a horse’s body.

The Harry Potter theme park will be part of Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Every shop and eatery is Potter-themed. Honeydukes sells chocolate frogs and “Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans,” Ollivander’s peddles magic wands, Zonko’s joke shop has Sneakoscopes, and the British restaurant Three Broomsticks pours Butterbeer.

At The Owl Post, guests can send letters with a certified Hogsmeade postmark. Magical instruments and equipment are available at Dervish and Banges, including everything needed to play Quidditch — a game like soccer played on flying broomsticks.

New footage of Potter stars shot on actual sets from “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” will be incorporated in rides.

The Harry Potter theme park will be Universal’s third big-ticket addition in three years with the company estimating the combined cost of The Simpsons Ride, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and Wizarding World at between $275 million and $310 million.

And that’s the latest news on Orlando’s new Harry Potter theme park.

Tags: harry potter, harry potter theme park, six flags, theme park

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