As big fans of everything from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, our family was really excited when the world premier of Harry Potter: The Exhibition was announced. This exhibit has premiered at The Franklin Institute, an incredible family-friendly museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This experience is scheduled to run at the Franklin Institute through September 2022.
The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA
Tickets for Harry Potter: The Exhibition grant you general admission to The Franklin Institute as well. Plan to spend the entire day, and take advantage of everything this fantastic museum has to offer!
Kids Come With pro tip! A membership to The Franklin Institute basically pays for itself in a couple of visits, and provides a discount to Harry Potter: The Exhibition. An incredible bonus tip: The Franklin Institute is part of the ASTC (Association of Science and Technology Centers) passport program. This means that as members of The Franklin Institute, your family will receive free or discounted admission to museums ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. We have taken advantage of this perk at science museums in Baltimore, Chicago, Boston, and more! Even if you aren’t planning a full day at a science museum in a different city, with no additional cost it’s a great perk to have. If you’re from a different city and are a member of your own local science museum and you’re visiting Philadelphia, your membership should give you free/reduced admission to the Franklin!
Parking is on-site, but if the garage under the lot is full, an attendant will give you a sheet with two alternate lots listed only a few blocks from the museum.
How Crowded is Harry Potter: The Exhibition?
If you go on a weekend? The answer: CROWDED. Not like a “this is so crowded, it’s not worth it” level of crowds, but like a “If you can go on a weekday, go on a weekday” level of crowds. Don’t be deceived by my pictures below, I’m amazed I managed to grab so many without a ton of people in them.
You pick a time slot for the exhibit when purchasing your tickets online, and we chose 3:00pm. This allowed us time to get to the museum, park, and explore the rest of the museum until our time slot arrived. Once your time slot hits, you wait in line to be admitted. Once admitted, you then go to computer kiosks to choose your house, wand, and more! These are all then registered on a fancy-dandy-magic wristband, which you wear throughout the experience. Then you wait in line again until you enter the exhibit itself.
Should I dress up for Harry Potter: The Exhibition?
Um… Obviously. Almost every kiddo there was dressed up to some extent. Many of the adults were sporting some kind of attire from the Wizarding World… whether an accessory, t-shirt, or a full-on costume. Trust me, you won’t stand out if you join in the fun. Most people did!
My daughter dressed up in a Hogwarts-like uniformy-dress, and my son wore his usual: a dinosaur t-shirt and sweat pants. I’m sorry, “speed pants.” Because they make him fast. If you know, you know.
For their robes, I took two old black t-shirts (one of mine, one of my husband’s), and with inspiration from this awesome tutorial here from Pieces by Polly along with some scissors and a stapler, I had made them each robes that fit into my purse in less than five minutes. Now that is some magic.
Warning: Spoilers Below.
I’ll try to give you a great review and idea of what you can expect without giving everything away, but if you want to be totally surprised, stop reading after this section. The take home message is that the exhibit it awesome if you’re a Harry Potter fan, and feels truly magical if you’re a kid. If you’re a fan of the films, the photo-ops are particularly cool. My seven-year-old came home and promptly tore through the entire Harry Potter series of books in the following two weeks, and she has declared that Harry Potter will be our family’s theme for this year’s Halloween. She’s still deciding whether she’s going to be Hermione or Hedwig.
Entering the Exhibit: Marauder’s Map
The first room of the exhibit is a “holding room” of sorts. The clever use of projections on the walls and the design on the floor places you right inside the Marauder’s Map. (Yup, I know. Pretty darn cool).
On the right side of the room, there is a cart ready to rush the wall to reach platform 9 3/4. Kids Come With Tip: You’ll get a great view of all that is happening in this “holding room” no matter where you are, but kids will appreciate being on the side more, and the right side is where the cart is! I suggest moving to the right side when you enter the room and hanging out near the cart.
The next holding room is also very cool, with walls that become transparent, weather changes, and all sorts of projection. My kids found this all to be very impressive. I won’t spoil any more than that!
Your Magic Wristband
During these first few rooms, you will be directed to “swipe” your wristband near a “golden snitch” on the wall. It provides the opportunity for a tutorial of sorts for how to use your magic wristband moving forward. Swiping your wristband throughout the exhibit will register you to the space (introducing opportunities for magic!) and … Earn Points for Your House! (My daughter, in particular, was pumped about this aspect of the exhibit).
Fun Facts from the Harry Potter Movie Universe
Throughout the exhibit are signs posted with information from the filming of all the Harry Potter films. Even if you have seen all the movies (maybe even multiple times) and read all of the books, I recommend stopping to read all of these! There were so many facts I didn’t know about the filming which were really cool to find out.
Memorabilia from the Harry Potter Movies
Throughout the exhibit, you will see a ton of memorabilia form the Harry Potter films on display! There are costumes, props, wands, and the sorting hat. That’s right, the sorting hat.
The Four Houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff
The room that provides entrance to each of the four houses is so so cool, that I won’t give it away by sharing a full picture. Here’s a taste:
The Great Hall
The Great Hall isn’t particularly interactive, but it is so neat! The candles floating in the air were such a nice touch! My kiddos were awe-struck.
The Room of Wands
The room of wands was very dark, so don’t expect to snap an amazing picture. The lighting doesn’t really allow for it. That said, the lighting completely makes the ambiance of the room, which is lined with nine-feet-tall(ish) replicas of each of the main character’s wands. Actual hand-held wands for the characters are in cases. Dumbledore’s wand (my choice for my own wand) ended up being my daughter’s favorite.
There is also an interactive activity in this room!
A Note to Parents: Many of the cases and interactive activities are not an ideal height for young kiddos. While they will certainly enjoy the interactive nature of the exhibit, be prepared to lift them up several times over the course of your experience so they can partake in all of the magic!
Attending Class at Hogwarts
One of the most fun aspects of this exhibit is being able to explore the interactive exhibits for each of the different classes! Each classroom is appropriately themed, and the activities are easy enough for kids to do (and honestly, fun for adults as well).
Herbology
Herbology class gives opportunities to learn about – what else – Mandrakes! This room had almost no line, and was the least crowded. It is bright and beautiful, very reminiscent of the greenhouse in Hogwarts itself.
Potions
In Potions Class, students are provided their book of recipes and asked what ingredients should be used to create a given potion. (Notice the golden snitch below the cauldron, which is where students scan their wristband to earn points for their house!)
At busy times of the exhibit, there is a line that forms for the potions class. However, it moves quickly, as there are multiple stations! Students then jump naturally into line for Defense Against the Dark Arts, which is the next classroom. (This line also moves quickly).
Defense Against the Dark Arts
Defense Against the Dark Arts takes place in an open, foyer-like classroom with large windows. There is a Boggart cabinet in the middle of the room, where one’s “worst fears” are realized, and students are provided the opportunity to slay their fears. (This is accomplished on-screen, no wand necessary).
Divination Class
Divination class looks exactly how one might expect. Once students scan their magic wristband, they are able to peer into a crystal ball to view a mysterious prophecy…
Care of Magical Creatures
In the Care of Magical Creatures (which is near Hagrid’s hut, obvi), students learn about some of Newt’s favorite Fantastic Beasts. (There’s also a fantastic photo-op in which you/your children can become one of these magical creatures. The poetry of your children being one of the “fantastic beasts” is not lost on me).
Hagrid’s Hut
Hagrid’s Hut is super fun to explore. Although it seems like there might be some super cute photo ops, the lighting doesn’t lend itself well to pictures. This spot is better spent taking it all in. Definitely have a seat in the Hagrid-sized chair though.
Quidditch
Grab your Nimbus 2000 and dust off those athletic skills, because there’s a spot to “play” Quidditch right there in the exhibit! This activity will be tough for smaller kids (though they won’t like it any less) and super fun for bigger kids and adults!
Using the Portkey
Everyone grab that boot at once! No one gets left behind.
This SUPER fun experience is filmed live, projected onto a scene in front of you that everyone can see.
All the Photo Ops!!!
Care to visit the Ministry of Magic via the phone booth? How about visit Dolores Umbridge’s office? What about visit Harry’s cupboard under the stairs?
There are so many fun photo ops in this area of the exhibit. Here are a few of our favorites!
The Great Battle
Grab hold of that wand (attached to the rock pillars) and be transported right into an epic battle of magic!
Photo-Bomb Your Kids’ Memories in the Pensieve
Ok, friends. We admit it. My husband and I had so much fun doing this. When you scan your bracelet to the left of the pensieve, your face will appear in the mystic-memory-cloud both in and above the pensieve.
It took us about three seconds to learn that if we scanned our own bracelets, our own faces would be photo-bombing our kids’ pensieve experiences. This was way too fun, and our kids were utterly shocked by our faces magically appearing to them. (Also, it’s kind of how I fantasize their brains will work whenever they consider doing something too rebellious during their teenage years). Parents: Highly Recommend.
Exit through the Gift Shop
The gift shop is cute, and there are lots of fun bracelets, magnets, clothes, and other mementos for purchase! (Including a certain beverage…) That said, don’t count on being able to purchase certain things here that one might assume they’d be able to find. They DON’T sell wands, neckties, Gryffindor scarves, or some of the other items one might assume they’d find in this particular gift shop. You’re also not supposed to access the gift shop unless you have been admitted to the exhibit itself, so don’t count on picking anything up prior to entry.
The Magic Continues…
After you leave, a summary of some of your experiences will be emailed to you! I was honestly hoping there would be more pictures included, but you’ll be given a few snippets of fun to take with you! (Including, of course, how many points you earned for your house).
Kids Come With Review
We absolutely loved Harry Potter: The Exhibition! We’d recommend a weekday rather than a weekend if you can, and be sure to take advantage of visiting the rest of the exhibits at The Franklin Institute if you have time!
The Franklin Institute
222 North 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
www.fi.edu
Tickets for Harry Potter: The Exhibition can be purchased by clicking here!
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