Just as Harry Potter art director and Universal Studios’ Harry Potter Experience creator Alan Gilmore described to us during a recent tour, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looms over the Universal Studios Hollywood park like the grand castle that it is. Let's see what you can't miss out on at the park.

Ride the 3D "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey"

 As you leisurely wind your way around the line to go on the spectacular 3D ride, you see all of Hogwarts – from the portraits on the wall prattling away at you, to the inside of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom where Harry, Hermione and Ron talk to you from the balcony and then disappear under the Cloak of Invisibility. You can even see Dumbledore in his office. The attention to detail is nothing short of spectacular.

Gilmore said of creating these experiences, “We worked with the actors when we were making the films to create this special content. We filmed the 3D footage in London and created this incredible environment for them to be in. It's really well done.”

Then once you get on the ride, you are immediately immersed in Harry Potter’s most exciting scenes: joining along a wild Quidditch race, warding off Dementors, battling spiders and being chased by a dragon. “Although Universal was the creative force behind the ride, we helped with the environment and the aesthetics," said Gilmore. "We worked closely with the visual effects companies and the set builders. We treated it like a film set because it's a movie in its own right. It's an extra story in J.K. Rowling's repertoire.”

Visit Ollivander's Wand Shop, Where a Wand Might Choose You!

The shop itself is impressive enough and offers every kind of wand available – from the well-known and interactive Elder Wand to your standard fare – but what you don't want to miss is visiting Ollivander's wand-choosing room. The room fits about 20 people, where you meet “Ollivander” himself. He picks someone in the room to step up and be “chosen” by his or her special wand.  If you are a true fan, this is a must because you experience the same thing young Harry does in the first Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when his wand chooses him.

Perform Spells Throughout Hogsmeade

If you buy a special interactive wand at Ollivander's, it comes with a map that shows 11 different spell icons in Hogsmeade. These icons are on the ground, often in front of storefront windows, and have spells written on them. Stand right on the symbol, wave your wand and say the spell, and see what magic happens in the storefront window before your very eyes. So cool, right?

Take the Family on the "Flight of the Hippogriff" Roller Coaster

If your little ones are too small to ride the 3D “Forbidden Journey,” then they'll love the “Flight of the Hippogriff” roller coaster that zings around Hagrid's Hut. You get to see Buckbeak, too!

Honeydukes Sweet Shop

Gilmore really gives the best description of this amazing candy shop. “We have all the amazing sweets J.K. Rowling wrote about in her books re-created here. We have Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, which are interesting to say the least. You have to be careful with those. Maybe have a butterbeer between them. We have chocolate frogs, peppermint toads, fudges, pumpkin juice, gilly water, and they are all fantastic!

“When we did the Honeydukes Sweet Shop on the set, we designed for the camera to go anywhere," said Gilmore. "You never know where that camera is going to go. It's the same here. YOU are the camera, you are the actor, so you can go anywhere you want and look at all the detail. So it's not like we are going to leave detail off somewhere, only go a certain height. We go all the way because we want you to look everywhere and feel completely immersed in that world.”

As an Added Bonus, Try Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks Inn (and the Food, Too)

Butterbeer is a taste of delicious, butterscotch-y goodness, which you can get straight or “frozen” style. So yummy. As for the food, Gilmore said, “It's English-inspired fare – shepherd's pie, fish and chips, the Great Feast, which is corn and potatoes and chicken – and it's all natural foods. J.K. Rowling was very specific that the food had to be healthy. No hamburgers. No sodas. The drinks are her drinks that she writes about in her books. Really interesting eating experience.”

What are you looking forward to most about the new Harry Potter Experience? Tell us in the comments!