Harry Potter The Exhibition brings magic to the Cambridge Side Galleria! – Five stars plus!
Harry Potter The Exhibition brings magic to the Cambridge Side Galleria! – Five stars plus!
Something magical happened more than 25 years ago when an owl delivered a letter to an orphan who lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle’s house. For many, this was the introduction to the World of Harry Potter. From there books, movies, video games and even a theme park all rolled out to create one of the world’s greatest fantasy stories. Now you can enthrall your five senses to this enterprise when you enter Harry Potter the Exhibit!
Located just outside Boston, the Exhibit is very accessible by the newly rebuilt Lechmere station on the Green line. Be aware there are paid parking garages too. The exhibit seems like a simple store front when you first arrive. Anyone can go to the gift shop to buy merchandise at any time with no problem. It is in a mall after all. T-shirts, costumes, props, wands, hats, coffee mugs, water bottles and much, much more are sold. They have everything you need to max out your Harry Potter collection or to get the perfect gift for a wanna be wizard.
Once you enter, you are given a bracelet that tracks your progress as you make your way through the exhibit. You add your name and choose your house in Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You may recall that there are four – Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Add your name and more importantly add your email for a surprise that follows you home after you leave the experience.
You enter on a life-size Marauders map. Be sure to remember how to open it! At many places there are videos you can watch and listen to. Blink and you might miss some very fine details as easter eggs alluding to obscure aspects of the lore are everywhere. It’s a true geeks dreams in that you will be delighted at how many hidden references you can find.
Numerous stations allow you to interact with playable games. One station teaches you to cast a spell with your fingers. Another has you brew a potion under the watchful eyes of Professor Snape. You will find numerous places to interact in movie locations like the Great Hall of Hogwarts and classrooms like Herbology, Divination and Defense Against the Dark Arts. You can even walk around the four houses of Hogwarts. Be aware that many of your tasks can give points to your house much like how Hogwarts works in the stories. And you can play a quick match of Quidditch – albeit for muggles only.
Hagrid’s hut has oversized furniture and crockery specifically to accommodate his great size. But more importantly there is a smell of burning wood as if you are there as he is about to cook supper. If you are careful to follow your nose, scents are hidden in several places. Few places truly go after all five senses but this one gets them all.
If you love cosplay, fashion and dressing up, then this exhibit is particularly enticing since it boasts real authentic costumes worn by the actors in the movies. Many of the displays speak about the artistic choices made when designing them as well as how they evolved over the numerous movies which makes sense the actors grew up as the movies were being filmed.
The same can be said for most of the props you see. They aren’t replicas, they are the real deal. Your favorite actor and character may very well have held that wand or that cup directly in their hands when they were filming. This is an excellent exhibit for movies fans.
Finally, you exit through the gift shop. But it’s not over just yet. I must mention that all five senses are used in this exhibit. So, there is one final sense to stimulate. You can taste authentic Butter Beer! Formally, one needed to travel to The Wizarding World in Orlando for such an experience. Now Boston hosts this super sweet treat. Butter beer has an intense cream soda like taste. It was recommended that you can use it to flavor coffee and that might be something to try!
For those that are not satisfied with soft drinks, this exhibit has a limited number of after-hours events that are for adults only. Admission will include tickets for drinks as well as complimentary snacks and a tote bag. This is perfect for kids that grew up with Harry Potter and want a little grown up fun too.
Harry Potter the Exhibition is at the Cambridge Side Galleria in Cambridge Massachusetts from now until April 2025.
For more information, please visit https://harrypotterexhibition.com/
Check out our video preview here – https://youtu.be/XSPUNisBKqE