'Harry Potter' Diagon Alley attraction opening in July at Universal Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. (KABC) -- "Harry Potter" fans who were waiting for the Diagon Alley attraction to open at Universal Studios Park in Orlando, Florida will only have to wait a few more weeks.

The resort announced Wednesday that the new attraction will officially open on July 8. It will double the size of the Harry Potter landscape in the park and will be tied via the Hogwarts Express train to the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Island of Adventure.

Fans can walk the streets of Diagon Alley, explore shops featured in the popular film and book series like Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and dine at the Leaky Cauldron. Guests will even see the Knight Bus as they stroll through London.

As guests enter Diagon Alley, their eyes will be drawn to the dragon atop Gringotts Wizarding Bank, which will blow out hot air at any given moment. The bank also houses the new attraction's centerpiece thrill ride: Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, where fans can re-enact a scene from "The Deathly Hallows" in which Harry, Ron and Hermione break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in order to steal an item that will help them defeat Lord Voldemort.

"Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts will change the way you think about theme park attractions," Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative, said in a statement in May. "We've created an entirely new type of ride that propels guests into the story like never before, and guests will remember it long after their visit to Diagon Alley."

Check out a behind-the-scenes video of the ride

If fans want to see both parks, a two-park ticket is required. For adults, a two-park ticket for one day costs $136; for children, it's $130.