You may need your wand for a few of them.
When you step into Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley at Universal Studios, you really feel like you’ve immersed yourself into the world of Harry Potter. The Wizarding World invites Potterheads to drink Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, fly on Hagrid’s motorbike, and even exchange money for Gringotts bank notes. It’s not just a land with a few rides and stores; there are also plenty of hidden details in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade at Universal Studios that make these locations extra magical. You just have to know what to look for.
Even if you’ve been to Universal Studios’ what feels like a million times, you’re sure to have missed a few of these easter eggs in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It’s like every inch of the land gives a little nod to either the book or film series in one way or another. You could really spend your entire day just exploring Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley to make sure you see every hidden detail, but of course, you have all of the roller coasters at Universal Studios to check off your to-do list as well. To make sure you least spot a few of the hidden details of the Wizarding World, here is a list of 14 Harry Potter Easter eggs to find.
Make sure to stop by the bathroom when you’re in Hogsmeade. Moaning Myrtle is known to haunt the second-floor girls’ lavatory in Hogwarts, but she also seems to haunt the restrooms here as well.
Not only does the red telephone box outside of King’s Cross Station signal to you that you’re in London, but it’s also an easter egg to the telephone box in Whitehall that was used as a visitor entrance to the Ministry of Magic seen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. When you dial 62442 (MAGIC), you’ll hear a recording from the Ministry of Magic.
Outside of Diagon Alley, you’ll be able to find 12 Gimmauld Place — aka the Black House. If you knock on the door, Kreacher will come to the window to see who is down below.
The windows in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade are full of Harry Potter Easter eggs, but you may need an interactive wand to see some of them. In one of the windows of Diagon Alley, you’ll need to cast a spell in order to see the dancing trolls. They are the same trolls that appear on the Troll Tapestry in Hogwarts.
If you’ve seen Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, you know all about the Vanishing Cabinet that Draco Malfoy used to sneak Death Eaters in to Hogwarts. It’s also where Harry hid when he accidentally ended up in Knockturn Alley instead of Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Now, it’s your turn to witness the Vanishing Cabinet for yourself. Just like where Harry found it, the Vanishing Cabinet is located in Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. If you listen closely, you can hear the sounds of the bird Draco used to test out the cabinet before it was used.
When heading to Platform 9 3/4 from King’s Cross Station, you may recognize the advertisement on the wall. It’s the same perfume ad from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ron is unknowingly poisoned after drinking Bungbarrel Spiced Mead given to him by Professor Slughorn. Luckily, Ron survives and the spice mead on the menu at Hog’s Head Inn is perfectly fine to drink as well. In fact, it’s a delicious and refreshing sip if you want to take a break from your go-to Butterbeer order.
While you can’t go wrong ordering a Butterbeer ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour in Diagon Alley, you might want to try one of Harry’s favorite picks. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry ordered strawberry and peanut butter ice cream for himself, Ron, and Hermione. While staying at the Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry enjoyed a lot of sundaes from Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour.
At the Diagon Alley in Universal Studios, there is a Chocolate Strawberry Peanut-Butter Sundae on the menu at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour that is definitely something Harry would order. The strawberry and peanut butter flavor is ranked among the best ice cream flavors in the Wizarding World, so you can’t go wrong.
While waiting for the Hogwarts Express on Platform 9 3/4, you’ll be able to spot Harry Potter’s luggage as well as Hedwig sitting on top. You can tell it’s Harry’s stuff from the “HP” printed on the side of his trunk.
Another interactive Easter egg is the Quidditch Trunk in Hogsmeade that you may recognize as the one Oliver Wood brings out in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It’s located in one of the windows near Hogwarts Castle, and you can cast a spell on it with your interactive wand to make it move.
Anyone working at King’s Cross Station is just a muggle. If you happen to ask them about Platform 9 3/4, they’ll stay in character and think you’re playing a joke on them. Last time I visited, one of the attendants told me how great it was I was “picking up sticks in the park” — referring to the wand I got from Ollivanders in my hand.
While not interactive, you can also spot Gilderoy Lockhart’s books in the windows of Hogsmeade as well. This hidden detail is for the Lockhart lovers who are as enamored with the character as the fans at his book signing.
There are tons of Easter eggs to the Harry Potter series in the queue leading up to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. However, one of the coolest things to see is the Mirror of Erised. As you look upon it, perhaps you’ll see what you most desire — or at least you’ll be able to snap a cute mirror selfie.
Just like Harry was able to speak to the snake behind the glass at the zoo, you’ll be able to talk to the snake in the window at the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley. Of course, you’ll need to speak Parseltongue in order to understand the snake.
