Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience transports families to the magical world of Harry Potter. With interactive components, delicious food options, and plenty of photo opportunities, this is an immersive experience Harry Potter fans won’t want to miss.
Countless details went into the planning of this experience, and it shows. Custom wands and house hot chocolate, they even had Moaning Myrtle sound clips playing near the bathrooms! Keep reading to learn more about what’s in store for your immersive visit to the Forbidden Forest and click here to buy tickets.
What You’ll Find at Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience is located on the grounds of YMCA Camp Duncan, in the northwest suburbs. Parking is a short walk away from the exhibit space, which is home to an inner courtyard and food stations, which you can visit both before and after your time on the trail.
Illuminated Woodland Trail
Exploring this immersive experience will lead you through the Forbidden Forest, with iconic wizarding moments and the meeting of strange and magical creatures. Brush up on your Expecto Patronum, bow to a Hippogriff, and even try your hand at a wand battle. There are interactive stations and moving exhibits. Music and sound clips from the movies are playing, with sound effects being the finishing touches. Throughout the trail, there are also countless photo opportunities with fan favorites, including the Weasley’s car, Hagrid, and Hedwig.
While walking along the trail, we came to a food and drink stand, and were worried that it was the end of our time. We were pleasantly surprised that this was just a rest stop, and we were only about half-way done. This was a nice opportunity for our family to regroup and continue on our adventure.
The second half of the trail was filled with even more of our favorite characters and photo opportunities. We took about 1 hour and 15 minutes or so on the trail itself, but were at the experience for a little over 2 hours.
Audible Listening Stations
At the entrance of the experience, visitors will find Audible listening booths. There are small benches inside where guests can listen to clips from the full-cast audio books for each of the seven Harry Potter books.
Delicious Food and Drink
Before and after your time on the trail, visitors are welcome to dine on Cauldron Feast Beef Stew, Old English Fish and Chips, and a variety of other themed foods. A sample of the sweet treats include House Sorting Truffles, Hedwig Blondie, and Hogwarts Envelope Cookies. We loved our Chocolate Frog Brownies!
The drink menu is extensive, featuring hot chocolate, cider, bottled water and sodas, and alcoholic beverages. A trip to any Harry Potter experience wouldn’t be complete without Butterbeer, which can be purchased in both a regular cup or souvenir stein. We really enjoyed our House Hot Chocolates, with flavors and sprinklers to match each of the four houses, as well as a classic Hogwarts option.
Photo Opportunities
Within the grounds of the exhibit, but outside the trail, there a few additional photo opportunities, including a mistletoe hut, row of banners, and a sweet pumpkin patch.
Gift Shops
At the start and end of the trail, visitors will find plenty of unique merchandise options. Capes, custom wands, holiday ornaments, water bottles, you name it. There were countless opportunities for one-of-a-kind gifts for your favorite Harry Potter fans.
Age Recommendations
We have a 7, 10 and 12-year old, all of which really enjoyed their time on the trail. We are reading the Harry Potter book series, and with each turn, our children were eager to find a new character or scene from the books.
Even though we walked the trail at night, and there were characters that could be scary, such as Dementors, we never felt nervous or hesitant. Everything is very well illuminated, but still on brand. There was a larger section with spiders, including a visit by Aragog, which could be scary to some. A few were hanging over the trail, but they never moved, which made us all feel at ease. Nothing jumped out at you or startled us, which we appreciated with children who generally scary easily.
We also loved that this was outdoors in nature, rather than inside a building with fake trees, making it a truly immersive. This experience brought the Forbidden Forest to life for my Harry Potter-loving family.
Special Needs Accommodations
The entire experience takes place in a woodland trail, so the terrain is uneven. The path is not a hard surface with a few slightly inclined spots, making it difficult to push a wheelchair. However, motorized scooters are available for rent for $15, and should be reserved in advance to ensure their availability.
There are some flashing lights throughout the trail, but no strobe lighting is used. Sound effects and music are played throughout the trail as well, but never felt it was too loud or uncomfortable. If a member of your party is sensitive to sound, we recommend bringing noise-canceling headphones just in case.
Tickets
Tickets start at $29 and vary by day and time. Tickets earlier in the evening are less expensive, and prices drop as you move towards the late night sessions as well. There is also a $10 parking fee if purchased online, or $15 if you pay there. Please note that transaction fees are also added when checking out. Family and group rates are available, as well as Deluxe tickets, which include a light-up lanyard and three exclusive merchandise items. All of the pricing information can be found on their website.
Location
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience
YMCA Camp Duncan
32405 North US Highway 12
Ingleside, IL 60041
Check out our guide for more immersive experiences in the Chicago area.
