Plans for the upcoming Harry Potter theme park, announced last fall, appear to be on schedule for its grand opening, slated for Spring 2010 in Orlando, Florida. Moreover, the Deluxe DVD version of the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, offers a sneak-peek into the various attractions that fans and visitors can expect to see at the new Universal park The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Series author, J.K. Rowling, was one of the first to taste the beerbutter drink, popularized by the Three Broomsticks restaurant. The frothy beverage will be served to visitors in a non–alcoholic form. The park will also feature Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry which surrounds Hogsmeade village, as well as the Three Broomsticks restaurant where the drink will be available.
Among the many attractions are theme rides such as Flight of the Hippogriff which simulates a ride on a hippogriff, a cross between a horse and an eagle. We got a glimpse of this creature in the young wizard’s various adventures. Another ride, the Forbidden Journey, leads us inside the famous school of wizardry. Fans of Quidditch, the premier sport of the wizarding world, will get to see a Triwizard Tourament.
Rowling was consulted on numerous occasions in the design and concept of the theme park and even admitted that she really enjoyed the beerbutter!