This article is your complete guide to Knockturn Alley at Universal Studios Florida! Although it’s more of a walkthrough experience, this hidden area is designed to replicate the infamous dark and mysterious alley from the Harry Potter franchise and offers guests the opportunity to shop at the famous Borgin and Burkes shop and cast secret interactive spells. It’s by far one of our favorite parts of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley, and something we believe every family visiting Universal Orlando should visit.
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Knockturn Alley is a themed area found within the Diagon Alley section of Universal Studios Florida. It has been themed after the dark and ominous alley from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter books and movies. This hidden area is considered more of a walkthrough experience as it doesn’t have any of the Harry Potter rides, but instead has some of the famous shops and offers different immersive experiences from the Harry Potter franchise, such as being able to cast spells with your Universal Harry Potter wand. In our opinion, it’s also one of the best areas to take a break from the hot Florida sun within the Universal Orlando theme parks.
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Knockturn Alley is located in the Diagon Alley section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter inside Universal Studios Florida. There are two entrances once you enter Diagon Alley with the first being a few feet after you walk into your left right next to the Leaky Cauldron Restaurant. The second entrance to Knockturn Alley can be found after you walk up Diagon Alley and make a left once you hit the fire-breathing dragon located above Gringotts Bank. Once you turn left you will see a dark sinister-looking alleyway that will lead you right towards Knockturn Alley.
The one main shop that can be found in Knockturn Alley is Borgin and Burkes, which is a replica of the dark arts shop found directly in the books and the movies. It’s one of the things that we love about visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, as each store and restaurants within the Wizarding World offers unique items, souvenirs, and experiences that are designed to fit the specific theme of the book and movie. Borgin and Burkes is geared towards the dark arts and allows guests to shop for some of their favorite dark arts merchandise, including Harry Potter shirts, notebooks, keychains, and other cursed items that one might expect a Death Eater to wear.
As discussed, some of the coolest experiences in Knockturn Alley are for guests who have upgraded and purchased an interactive Harry Potter wand for their Universal Orlando trip. To start, there are a few interactive wand locations inside Knockturn Alley, which are some of our favorite spell locations in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Not only that, but some guests might not even realize that even more hidden spell locations can be found on the spell map provided by Universal Orlando, and the only way to see these hidden locations is to use the black lights found in Knockturn Alley. So, as you can see, Knockturn Alley is simply a must-visit, especially if you have plans to take full advantage of everything the interactive wand experience has to offer!
One of our favorite times to visit Knockturn Alley at Universal Studios Florida has always been during early park admission or as soon as the parks open. One of the main reasons is that Knockturn Alley can become very busy later on in the day, especially during the hot Florida summers. So we typically like to enjoy this section of Diagon Alley as early in the morning as possible, especially when trying to get the most out of your interactive wand as there will be very little wait for the spell locations. Overall we also find this to be the perfect time for families looking to grab the perfect photos from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Of course as discussed earlier we also find Knockturn Alley to be a great location for families looking to take a break from the hot Florida sun or during a rainy day at Universal Studios Florida.
Related Page: Complete Guide to Harry Potter Wands
In general, the atmosphere in Knockturn Alley is themed to be dark and suspenseful, just like in the Harry Potter books and movies. Although it is darker than other areas of the park, it’s not meant to be scary, and there will be no one jumping out of hidden corners during your visit. Of course, guests who do feel overwhelmed or frightened can be sure to go to the nearest exit or just look for a Universal Orlando team member for assistance.
I like to retreat into Knockturn Alley when Diagon Alley is getting overwhelming. The cover from the Orlando sun, fewer crowds, and low lighting make it ideal to take a break.
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The biggest difference is that Knockturn Alley is a hidden area located within the Diagon Alley section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Based on the books and the movies, Diagon Alley is a vibrant and bustling wizarding shopping district where guests can enjoy the popular ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, shop for their favorite Wizarding World merchandise, and enjoy some authentic British Fare. Knockturn Alley, on the other hand, is based on the dark, underground wizarding alley from the Harry Potter universe. It is designed to be a more ominous and creepy environment, with a shop selling Dark Arts artifacts, such as cursed objects.
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