Between 1861 and 1862, The Mortimer Building was built at 935 Broadway, NYC. The building predated the nearby Flatiron Building by 40 years. In 2021, Harry Potter New York moved into the building to give Harry Potter fans a place to buy toys, collectibles, and experience the Wizarding World.
My family stopped by Harry Potter, New York as part of my 10-year-old’s birthday celebration since he is a Potter superfan. The boy eats, drinks, and sleeps all things Hogwarts-related, and his shelves are lined with Harry Potter Lego sets. The first part of his birthday was to see The Cursed Child on Broadway, with a trip to the store being the finale. Harry Potter New York is the perfect place to take Harry Potter fans to purchase gifts and collectibles, drink a butterbeer, and check out some props from the movies.
To visit Harry Potter, New York, you need to scan a QR code at the door before entering. It’s a popular place to be, so you’ll probably not be able to enter right away. After you scan the code, you’ll need to fill out a short form. Only 6 people may be included in one form. If you can’t get in right away, there’s plenty to do in the area. There’s a nearby Lego Store to wander through and if you’re close to lunch or dinner, I recommend popping into Eataly for a lovely meal. Once you are alerted that you can enter the store, you’ll have one hour to return.
Give yourself plenty of time to peruse the store. It’s not a quick “get in and buy that thing” kind of place. There’s a pleasant flow to the store where there are a plethora of photo possibilities. Visitors can measure up to Hagrid, step into the phone booth, find Horcruxes, look at a variety of wands, and desire every Lego set in the store. It was hard to limit my kids to their budget, but you can drop some serious cheddar while walking through the store.
For fans that want to get more out of their visit, there are two virtual experiences. On the day we visited, we could get a spot, so I can’t rate how good it was. We really didn’t need it though, as we were content in checking out props and buying wands and toys.
After about 45 minutes of walking around the store, I was ready to get out. My younger kids would have been fine to stay all day, but the store gets crowded and I was ready to leave. After we shelled out some serious cash, we stopped at the Butterbeer Bar. Because of Covid, we weren’t allowed to stay inside the bar and finished our ice cream and Butter Beer outside. It was nice out, so we had our beverages and treats at Flatiron Plaza, where there were plenty of tables.
Harry Potter New York is located at 935 Broadway in the Flatiron District.
Virtual Que begins at 9am.
Hours are 9-9 Monday through Saturday and 11-7 on Sunday.
