It doesn't take a wizard to know that "Harry Potter" fans are a devoted bunch. They happily stood in line for hours outside bookstores - sometimes in the rain and often in costume - in anticipation of the release of each volume J.K. Rowling has written about the boy wizard. And in recent weeks they have flocked to theaters to see the latest film version of those books, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," just as they did for the previous five films.

It should be no surprise, then, that "Harry Potter: The Exhibition" has drawn people from near and far during its run at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. By the time the exhibit opened on

April 30, the museum had already sold tickets to people in all 50 states, according to Anne Rashford, director of temporary exhibitions and events at the MSI, and fans from as far away as Canada and South America came through the exhibition that same day.

"Harry Potter: The Exhibition," which will run through Sept. 27 at the MSI, gives fans the opportunity to get up close and personal with more than 200 costumes and props from six "Harry Potter" films. The items came to Chicago from the Leavesden Studios outside of London, where the films were made, and they include Harry's school uniform and his signature glasses, as well as his wand - which, as fans know, is made of holly, with a phoenix-feather core from Fawkes' tail. And Harry's is just one of 16 wands on display.

Visitors will also find 25 different robes worn by movie characters, and a wide range of props from the tiny Yule Ball earrings worn by Cho to a life-size Buckbeak, the Hippogriff and a giant pawn from Harry's game of wizard chess.

The items are displayed in nine different movie-like settings, including the Gryffindor Common Room, classrooms, the Forbidden Forest and the Great Hall (festooned with a feast-full of trimmings for the Yule Ball). There are also interactive options throughout the exhibition including the opportunity to toss a Quaffle at the Quidditch display, or to pull a Mandrake from its pot in the Herbology greenhouse. If you do so, beware of the screeching sound these plants make when they are disturbed!

Which house?

Before visitors can get to all of the above areas, they must first encounter the Sorting Hat, just as students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry do at the beginning of each school year.

One or two guests in each group of visitors is sorted into a Hogwarts house and then their group enters the exhibition's pre-show where they view an eight-screen montage of the "Harry Potter" films. The screening ends with the whistle and roar of the Hogwarts Express train, which visitors can see as the wall of the pre-show rises to reveal the engine waiting on the platform.

Making their way along the platform, guests then enter the main exhibition, through the Portrait Gallery. Music from the "Harry Potter" films plays throughout the 10,000-square-foot exhibit, and museum staff add to the atmosphere, speaking in British accents and engaging visitors in Potter-like banter. The entire experience is one that Melissa Tase of Elmhurst, Ill., described as "fabulous" during a recent visit to the museum.

Tase's daughter, Delaney, 8, said that Hagrid's Hut was her favorite part of the exhibition. The home of the half-giant Keeper of the Keys, Rubeus Hagrid, (complete with bubbling cauldron, hatching dragon egg and oversized chair which guests can sit in) is fun, said Delaney, who has seen all of the "Harry Potter" movies. Delaney and her brother, Alexander, 11, were already sporting their souvenir T-shirts before leaving the museum.

It isn't just youngsters who are excited about "Harry Potter: the Exhibition." Renee Glismann and her two daughters, one of who was home on break from college, traveled from Fort Wayne, Ind., for the experience.

"It is really neat to be able to see the costumes up close and see how truly detailed they are," said Bridget Glismann, 21, who has read all of the Harry Potter books. The trio, which also included 13-year-old Shannon, also liked the way the exhibition was set up. It's design gives you the feeling of being in a different book or movie, with each room you enter, they said.

Outside-in

While you enter "Harry Potter: The Exhibition" from inside the Museum of Science and Industry, the entire exhibit is actually housed in a 12,000-square-foot temporary structure on the museum grounds. Don't let its outward, tent-like appearance fool you - once inside, you won't know you are outside.

"This is a sound, solid structure with solid wood floors and thick walls," said Rashford.

The main reason for having the exhibit outside the permanent building is that the museum's traditional temporary exhibit space is undergoing construction in preparation for another exhibit, Rashford explained. But visitors, including myself, have found that leaving the museum to enter the exhibit (through an enclosed entry way) actually adds to the feeling of being transported to another world - the magical world of Harry Potter.

The exhibit's run in Chicago is the world premiere of this venture, created by a partnership between Exhibitgroup/Giltspur and Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The MSI competed with museums around the world to host the premiere, Rashford said, adding that its next stop has not yet been announced.

"All we know is that we will be the only Midwest venue for this exhibition and that it will be on the road for the next four to five years," she said.

Admittance to "Harry Potter: The Exhibition" is by ticketed, timed entry (see box on Page 1B for details). Attendance has been "very strong" so far, Rashford said, and the most available times are evenings and daytimes early in the week.

If You Go

WHAT: "Harry Potter: The Exhibition"

WHERE: Museum of Science and Industry, 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

WHEN: Through Sept. 27. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun. Regular museum hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

COST: Combination admission, including the museum and the "Harry Potter" exhibition, is $26 adults; $25 seniors; $19 children ages 3-11. Admission to the exhibit after the museum closes (and on museum free days) is $18 adults and seniors; $15 children ages 3-11.

Tickets to "Harry Potter" are timed-entry and advance purchase is recommended. All tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-GO-TO-MSI or visiting:

http://www.msichicago.org

INFO: Visit the MSI Web site at: http://www.msichicago.org or call (773) 684-1414.

See the movie at MSI, too

If you haven't already seen "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (or even if you have), you can combine that experience with a trip to "Harry Potter: The Exhibition." The Museum of Science and Industry is currently showing the latest "Harry Potter" film in IMAX in its Omnimax theater.

Multiple screenings are offered daily. Tickets are $15 for adults and seniors and $13 for kids ages 3 to 11. Film tickets do not include admission to the "Harry Potter" exhibition or the museum.

A schedule of showings and ticket information is available online at http://www.msichicago.org