31 Days:: All About Epcot

{About Series}

Welcome to today's topic: All About Epcot! You can find out all about the park {here at the Disney official website}. This is day two where I've been sharing about each of the Disney parks and other areas like Downtown Disney. So I'll just be sharing my thoughts about the parks :)

View from the Italy pavilion

Epcot is really the best park for adults. It's great for kids too, but this is one of DH's favorite parks because there's tons to take in as adults. The park is split into two main sections- Future World and the World Showcase. Future World is all sorts of fun technology-related and earth-related exhibits, rides, etc and the World Showcase is made up of 11 mini countries. Each country was largely created by craftsmen from that country, for example, in Morocco, tile layers came in from that country to lay thousands of little mosaic tiles by hand. Each country is pretty incredible, and includes exhibits about the country, restaurants, shopping, and some have rides, music, and other entertainment too!


Our Top Ride Picks

• Maelstrom- (in the World Showcase) a fun little boat ride through Norway folk lure, one small dip, good for pretty much any child. Get a FastPass (more about these later in the month) for this ride if you can- lines can be long.
• Grand Fiesta Tour- (in the World Showcase) a quiet little boat ride through the history of Mexico featuring the Three Caballeros, perfect for the whole family. Usually little to no wait. 
• Test Track- (in Future World- currently closed, but scheduled to re-open in late fall)  a fast-paced ride where you get to sit in a vehicle while they run it through all the safety tests performed on real vehicles- extreme weather, turning, breaking, speed, and even crash testing! It's a lot of fun, especially when they let it loose at the end to test "speed" around the test track! This ride also features a "single rider" line if your group doesn't mind being broken up- it can make the wait much much shorter. 
• Soarin- (in Future World) a fun adventure in a hang glider, soaring over scenes of California, a huge 180 degree scene surrounds you, really really cool. I'd highly recommend getting FastPasses for this because even with a FP it can take you a while to get through the line.
• Living with the Land- (in Future World) a gentle boat ride with information about how to preserve our earth, my favorite part is where you go through the working greenhouses to see how Disney grows their foods that you can eat at their restaurants, like at the Garden Grill! (I'll tell ya about that restaurant later in the month!)
• Ellen's Energy Adventure- (in Future World) a 45 minute ride (though it doesn't feel that long!) where you learn all about energy on our planet, includes video with Ellen Degeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy, as well as animatronics that you ride through, great ride if a late afternoon thunderstorm rolls through (as is so common in Florida!)  
• Spaceship Earth- (in Future World) a classic ride through Epcot's signature "golf ball" dome! It's a leisurely ride through how technology has advanced through the ages. Perfect for the whole family. Check this out later in the day, as that's when the lines are usually shorter. 

Illuminations

Entertainment

• Illuminations- this is by far my favorite nighttime fireworks display! The soundtrack is awesome (I actually bought it in one of the stores in Hollywood Studios) and it includes laser lights, huge flame torches lit around the World Showcase Lagoon, as well as all of the countries get outlined in "Christmas lights" for the show! Don't forget the amazing LED globe that opens up... I really can't describe it well, but trust me- make time for it if you can! If you're lucky enough to get reservations before the show at United Kingdom's Rose & Crown Dining Room, they will hold your meal for you whilst you step out onto their patio to watch the show, or if you get an outdoor seat, you have the perfect seat for the show! I'll talk more about this dining establishment later in the month, so check in then for more details :)
• Off Kilter- love love love this band! You can find them performing throughout the afternoon in between Canada and the United Kingdom. They're a Celtic rock band and oh so much fun! I have a few of their CDs, which they have for sale at a little cart near their stage :)
• Matsuriza- these are the drummers found at the tall tower in the Japan pavilion in the World Showcase. You can often hear them clear across the Lagoon, but they are really neat to see and hear!

Behind the Seeds Tour

Other Things to See and Do

• Behind the Seeds Tour- SO neat! They take you behind the scenes at the Living with the Land greenhouses and tell you all about the various hydroponics, aquaponics, and other types of soilless gardening they use! You even get to taste fresh cucumbers straight from their gardens! It usually runs about $18 for adults and $14 for kids this year. Sign ups are to the left of the entrance to Soarin.
• Cool Club- situated in Future World's Innoventions area, you can taste Coca-Cola products from around the world! Fun way to cool off for free.
• Bench Tour- if you have time for a leisurely stroll around the World Showcase, make note of the benches as you walk, they're unique for each country
• Lamppost Tour- again, if you have time for a leisurely stroll around the World Showcase, make note of the lampposts as you walk, they're unique for each country
• There are some other really neat tours {read about them here} that take you behind the scenes of Epcot, including a Segway tour!
• NOTE: you don't have to wait for a tram to get to the parking lot, you can walk to most of the parking lots! Can be shorter wait time or just convenient to walk if the tram lines are long or you have a fussy little one :)

That's about it for today, but tune in later in the month to find out about all the great restaurants we love in Epcot!! Tomorrow I'll be talking about Hollywood Studios, so I hope to see you then :)