Massachusetts Mountain Revealed as the Official Hogwarts of North America

Once the foliage starts showing off and there’s a chill in the air, I’m ready for a Harry Potter marathon. My wife and I are both huge fans, and this is our kind of weather to settle onto the couch and start with the first movie. Before long, we’re working our way through the entire series again.

There’s just something relaxing and exciting about returning to that make-believe world this time of year. The castles, the magic and the beautiful landscape in the background fit right in with a crisp fall day. What I didn’t realize was that a piece of that fictional backdrop is set right here in Massachusetts.

According to the Harry Potter universe's author J.K. Rowling, Massachusetts is home to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The North American cousin to Hogwarts stands atop Mount Greylock, "concealed from nonmagical eyes by powerful enchantments." In the story, those spells sometimes appear as mist around the mountain.

A Real Massachusetts Mountain With a Fictional Secret

Mount Greylock, in western Massachusetts, is the state’s highest mountain. There isn’t an actual wizarding school waiting at the summit, but the mountain itself is very real. I love that a place in our own state has a role in a world my wife and I enjoy so much.

Our Own Answer to Hogwarts

Within the story, Ilvermorny grows from a small homeschool into a castle welcoming young witches and wizards from across North America. It even has four houses: Horned Serpent, Wampus, Thunderbird and Pukwudgie, a nice nod to the Freetown State Forest (if you know you know).

READ MORE: 20 Surprising and Bizarre Things Massachusetts Has Made Official

For now, my wife and I have our spot on the couch and plenty of Harry Potter to revisit. Add the fall foliage outside and a chilly day, and that’s a pretty good setup. If only the barred owl that squawks in the woods behind my house was a magical letter carrier, I'd feel better about just how annoying it can be.