Special Harry Potter Exhibit at The Pacific Science Center

My kids love Harry Potter. I mean LOVE the whole series. One of mine has read every book at least a dozen times. Sometimes as soon as she's done with one, she starts it over again. So when we heard that the Pacific Science Center was hosting a special Harry Potter exhibit, we of course had to go see it. We went on opening night and all received Potter glasses which we dutifully wore in the exhibit. Kids were dressed in their robes with wands, scarves, glasses--the whole bit.

When we went in, a few kids including one of mine were lucky enough to experience being "sorted" into Hogwarts Houses--mine got Ravenclaw. The process was very clever. Throughout the exhibit, there were movie screens with clips from all of the movies relating to the particular section in which we were standing. Each of us had an audio tour device which had behind-the-scenes interviews with the producers and set and costume designers. There were over 200 authentic costumes from the movies and displays with real props from the movie sets. We went through the Great Hall, Hagrid's Hut, the Gryffindor common room, to name a few. We saw props such as Harry's original wand and eyeglasses, the Marauder's Map, Gryffindor school uniforms, and costumes from the Yule Ball. 

There were tons of costumes from different aspects of the six movies. Some of my favorites were the Quidditch costumes, Quaffles, Snitches, Bloedgers, and other Quidditch gear. There were interactive displays where you could shoot hoops with Quaffles, pull out/harvest screaming Mandrakes, meet Buckbeak, sit in Hagrid's huge chair, and see the giant spider. There was a room full of beautiful food from the feasts in the movies, Yule Ball costumes, and lots of the candies and treats from Honeydukes and Weasley's Wizarding shop.

At the end of the exhibit there was of course a store with lots of HP inspired gifts including wands, games, stuffed owls and other animals, clothing, books, and candies such as Bertie Bott's Jelly Beans, Harry Potter Chocolate Chocolate Frogs and Fudge Flies.  My kids came away with a writing set and quill and ink, and they've had a blast writing beautiful letters with them.
 

I have to say I wasn't expecting the exhibit to be all that interesting for me but I was very impressed and had a great time. The details were incredible. Actually I loved it too. It was a great family experience and one which I would highly recommend if you have any Harry Potter fans in your house. The Science Center did a wonderful job with the whole thing. The only downside is that my kids want to go again.

The exhibit runs through January 30, 2011. Tickets are reasonable if you have a membership to the Science Center (tax deductible!), and a family membership almost pays for the difference between full price tickets for a family of 5. 

The Space Needle on a cold, crisp October night with the moon behind it was quite a sight too.