ArcaMax

You will also want to:

-- See "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two" at the Palace Theatre. The play is set in the years after the final novel "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

-- Take Bridge Selfies. Tour the Tower Bridge Exhibition. In "The Order of the Phoenix," Harry flies along the Thames and over Tower Bridge on his Broomstick. (Check out the glass floor for an amazing view!) Lambeth Bridgeis where the Knight Bus squeezes between two oncoming double-decker buses in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Walk across the pedestrian-only London Millennium Bridge. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" opens with the bridge collapsing.

-- Platform 9-3/4 at King's Cross Station is where the Hogwarts Express departs. Platforms four and five were used for filming and, today, there's a photo app that lets you push a trolley through the wall marked Platform 9-3/4, and there's also the Harry Potter Shop, built to resemble Ollivander's wand emporium.

-- Leadenhall Market, the covered Victorian market in the City of London with cafes and entertainment, was used for Diagon Alley. Look for the blue door of the opticians in Bull's Head Passage -- it was the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

-- Piccadilly Circus, one of London's busiest and most iconic squares, is where Harry, Ron and Hermione run when they flee the wedding of Ron's brother, the Death Eaters hunting them.

-- The outside of St. Pancras International Station is where Harry boards the Hogwarts Express; Harry and Ron park the Weasley's Ford Anglia in the courtyard in the "Chamber of Secrets" and later fly over the station.

The London Zoo Reptile House is where Harry first discovers his gift for talking with snakes in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." It's home to more than 650 different species.

The Westminster Tube station was one of the main locations used by Harry in "The Order of the Phoenix."

-- Surround yourself with original artwork and props from the "Harry Potter" and "Fantastic Beasts" movies at a free exhibit at the House of MinaLima. Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima were the designers behind "Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" movie artwork.

Just make sure you've got your wand!

NOTE: If the recent terror attack in London gives you pause about visiting, perhaps think again. For one thing, security is always enhanced after an attack, which can happen anywhere. But more important, we should take a page from British Prime Minister Theresa May, who said in response to the horrific event, "Any attempt to defeat our values through violence and terror is doomed to failure."

========

(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow "taking the kids" on www.twitter.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)

(c) 2017 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.