Harry Potter and the History of Theme Parks Based on Books

When Universal Studios officially opened "The Wizard World of Harry Potter" in June 2010, it was noteworthy for being an amusement park based on a literary source. While other parks have themes, this one has subtext. The park perfectly recreates the experience of being inside the pages of the novels, but with lots of ropes and guardrails keeping your imagination in line.

"The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" is divided into different areas based on the various themes of the books. We suggest tackling them in order. Start at Child Neglect, then move on to Murder, Discrimination, Betrayal, and Revenge. For your lunch break, stop by the Three Broomsticks for some fish and chips. Spend the afternoon seeing The Media and the Government Conspiring to Silence the Truth, Torture, War, Genocide, and Bereavement. It’s a family vacation you’ll never forget, despite years of therapy.

Although it is unusual, "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" is not the first theme park to be based on a book. Theme park enthusiasts may recall the "Six Flags Great Adventure Catcher on the Rye Land." That park’s dismal failure was largely attributed to excessively long lines at the security checkpoints--Not only did they have to check everybody’s tickets on the way in, but they also had to give everybody who entered an FBI file.

Most recently, in 2007, "Rhonda Byrne’s Fantasy La La Land" was based on the power-of-positive-thinking bestseller The Secret. Although it drew millions of loyal fans of the book, they all left disappointed as they discovered the “park” was just an empty field and, inexplicably, just thinking really hard about having fun failed to attract any roller coasters.

Not surprisingly, the concept of literary theme parks came from the mind of industry pioneer Walt Disney himself. Before he died, Disney envisioned a new theme park based on the collected works on Ayn Rand, but the plans were scrapped when it was determined that all of the rides would induce vomiting.