The Balmoral, Edinburgh
A few years ago, I was writing a piece on three of Scotland’s great storytellers (J.M. Barrie, Robert Louis Stevenson, and J.K. Rowling) and was invited to stay in the “Rowling Suite” of the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. Besides being a really, really nice (and expensive) hang spot, room 552 is famous for being the place where Rowling completed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. To celebrate, she wrote the words, “JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on 11th Jan 2007” in Sharpie near the base of a bust of Hermes.
This may seem like an odd move, but it was actually very Scotland-author of her. Barrie (who wrote Peter Pan) used to etch his initials in hotel windows. By the time I visited the Balmoral, the room was fully Rowling-themed. Her books lined the shelves and the bust of Hermes that she’d signed was under glass. In a fun twist, I wrote the last words to my first novel for young readers while staying there. Though I don’t have the status to bomb graffiti on a marble bust (there was actually a second statue of Hermes in the room), I did write, “Also, Steve Bramucci finished Ronald Zupan and the Pirates of Borneo here too” into the inside cover of a collection of stories by Chekhov — which I owned — then slipped the book beside a bunch of other old titles in the book case.
Uproxx’s Jamie Frevele has lined out a few more places to soak up the global icon’s creative energy in honor of J.K. Rowling’s birthday.
The Elephant House, Edinburgh (Scotland)
If you’re in need of inspiration, put yourself in Rowling’s shoes and go to the very place where she wrote Harry Potter. The Elephant House takes a lot of pride in their status as a literary landmark and not surprisingly, they name-drop Rowling a lot. But when someone like J.K. Rowling drinks all of your coffee while creating a universe that got children excited about books again, can you blame them?
King’s Cross Station, London (U.K.)
The train station where Harry boarded the Hogwarts Express is real! There isn’t actually a platform labeled 9 3/4… at least there wasn’t before Harry Potter. But there it is, right between Platforms 9 and 10. Trying to run through the brick wall is not recommended. Please limit yourself to using your imagination.
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick (U.K.)
This iconic castle in Northumberland stood in for Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter movies and has hosted film crews since the 1960s. For over 700 years, it has been the home of Britain’s Percy family. What can you do there today, besides imagining a quidditch match on the ancient grounds? They host tons of medieval-themed activities, and while they aren’t exactly Potter-themed, they look just as fun.
If you’ve always dreamed of eating at the same impressive table as Harry and his friends, visit Christ Church in Oxford, whose Great Hall stood in for some Hogwarts interiors. It was also where Lewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, so it’ll probably be inspiring for many reasons.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Orlando (Fla.)
If you’re stateside, there may not be a Harry Potter filming location to visit, but there is an entire theme park that was made to feel like you were inside the Potter-verse. Universal Studios is the Orlando, Florida host to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and features the requisite rides, characters, and shops of a theme park, but it’s also truly made to be faithful to the books and movies, featuring a real Ollivander’s wand shop, Owl Post, and Honeyduke’s. You’d be crazy to miss out on getting a real butterbeer. [Adults can even get them spiked!]
