On June 18, 2010 Islands of Adventures Orlando was changed forever when the doors to the long awaited Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction had been opened. This new island featured many new attractions such as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge, and Flight of the Hippogriff. Harry Potter fans now have something new to look forward to; Diagon Alley.
Diagon Alley is currently being built in Universal Studios. Much like in the Harry Potter movies park goers will be able to take the train from Diagon Alley all the way over to Hogsmeade if they have a pass allowing them to go back and forth between the two parks.
The expansion is expected to be finished in Summer of 2014. This new area of Universal will include many Harry Potter themed attractions including Gringotts Bank, The Leaky Cauldron, and an expanded Ollivander’s Wand Shop. One of the most anticipated coming attractions is the indoor coaster that will take muggles on a through a tour of Gringotts Bank. This ride will be similar to The Forbidden Journey, including both simulations and real life action.
One of the most exciting parts of this expansion is watching it happen week by week. Being such a large project it was difficult for Universal Studios to keep it secret for very long. Guests with year passes painstakingly gaze at the construction every visit hoping for just another glimpse of something new and unexpected. The construction on this project has already taken the buildings to heights of more then six stories high, and they are continuing to grow!
Wizards and muggles alike will just have to keep their Extendable Ears open for any new information circulating around the halls of Hogwarts concerning this exciting new addition.