Magical York
Walking through York it’s easy to see how magical a city it is. Just walking down the Shambles, you feel like you’ve stepped into Diagon Alley from Harry Potter’s world. The old cobblestones, the medieval buildings, the cute shops, etc. So, it’s no surprise that there have been many businesses that have popped up to capitalize on this magical quality and appeal.
There are currently several magical-themed shops on Shambles alone. Tons of places around the UK can claim some type of affiliation to Harry Potter, whether it be inspiration-wise for JK Rowling and/or shooting scenes for the movies. However, York is not one of those places. Regardless, the Shambles makes many people think of Harry Potter, and multiple shops on the street are unofficial Harry Potter shops. I should have counted them. I know there are definitely three, maybe even four of them.
In addition to these shops, there are other magical places that I personally found far more interesting. There’s an alchemy shop, which is so cute. From the books on the shelves that look out at you to the giant dog that I swear came straight from The Never Ending Story, plus a ton of other details throughout (the girls particularly liked a floating ball that was at the front till), the store is adorable. They sell all kinds of candles, colognes/perfumes, and things of that type. The smells are amazing and the names vary from elemental to alchemical. I was so tempted to buy their Water perfume!
There’s a ghost shop on the Shambles, which always had a queue that was at least an hour long, oftentimes significantly longer. I don’t personally get the appeal, but clearly, I’m in the minority. Each ghost they sell is handmade and unique and comes with its own story. But that’s still not enough for me to queue for an hour to buy a little 2” tall figurine for $20!
Nearby here is The Potions Cauldron. They make their own glittery, sugar-free drinks with magical names. You can buy them straight from the shelves or from a counter in a to-go cup. They even sell butterbeer, complete with whipped cream and caramel sauce, which the girls loved! We all found the use of pasta straws to be ingenious! In the back of their shop, you can pay to do an interactive potion experience. We managed to go on a day when it was just us, and we loved it. The talking paintings on the walls, the bottles falling off the shelves, the faces you’d see in the firepit coals, the changing cauldron colours, etc were all so fun! In the end, we got to mix up our own potion, which was essentially just picking which of their bottles you wanted to try, and adding a blinking, plastic, neon-coloured ice cube and pop rocks. The girls and I had a really fun time in here together!
On this street, you’ll also find a nice selection of candy, fudge, and other treat shops. Plus tea shops, cafes, a pub, and other non-magical stores. It’s a fabulous street to wander and explore, which explains why it is always packed with tourists! We chose our time wisely to explore this street, but loved to walk down it as much as possible!
Moving away from the Shambles there were other magical things to see and do in York. We loved the Hole in Wand, which was a magical-themed mini golf course. You had to make your way through the nine holes, collecting ingredients as you completed each hole, so you could concoct your final potion to help the little gargoyle. The mini golf holes were so well done, and the course was far more challenging than it appeared at first glance! And, of course, I won, which made it that much more fun for me! This place is affiliated with the Potions Cauldron on the Shambles. They have a little café here, which you get to sit at once you finish your round. Because included in each entrance fee is a free bottle of one of their magical potions.
There are always a ton of walking tours in every touristy city. And York is no exception. However, it’s rare to find such amazing walking tours aimed specifically at children. But The Wizard Walk is an amazing exception to this general rule. The tour guide is amazing and definitely knows how to connect with children! We walked around, watched him tell jokes and do magic tricks, and got to see York from a new perspective. We were able to buy wand kits, as well. The girls have wanted a magical wand for at least the last 1.5 years, so this seemed a good time to indulge in that. The wand came with a brochure to teach them some magic tricks, which they also loved doing around home.
There are various temporary and permanent seek-and-find type games they set up in York that are a blast. They had the ghosts in the gardens, where we were hunting around York for ghosts for Halloween. They had the Nutcracker Trail where we were searching for Nutcrackers and their names for Christmas. And they permanently have one where you have to walk around York and find some little detail attached to a shop, complete with a riddle on your booklet to correspond with each little statue, picture, etc. All of these were something magical – elves, fairies, etc. There was also a permanent cat trail through York, where you had to walk around with your little booklet and find all the cat statues attached to the buildings. All four of these were free, and we did all of them and loved them all so much!
There are also various paid magical mystery tours you can do around the town. We picked up a couple of brochures and thought we might end up doing one. There were several that looked so fun! But in the end, we didn’t get around to doing these. Partly due to being so busy doing so much around town and partly as we are always cognizant of not spending too much money since we’re on a budget. Might be something we decide to go back and do in the future at some point, though!
This city really and truly does feel magical. Even after being there for over three months, we still felt that magical tingle every day we were there. It never wears off. And I hope it never does. Because we all intend to go back to York and recapture the magic of York many times in the future!