Guest Blogger AMY HARRISON - Flower & Garden Festival

Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival

Those of us who love to vacation with Disney know that they are amazing horticulturalists. Walt Disney World is brimming with beautiful flowers and plants no matter what time of year you are there. But if you love to garden, and I most certainly do, there is no better time to see all Disney has to offer than during the International Flower and Garden Festival. Offered annually, from early March to mid-May, the Flower and Garden Festival is an experience even a novice gardener can enjoy. All of the parks are in full bloom in spring, but Epcot holds a rare treat for those willing to take a look.

The International Flower and Garden Show takes place in Epcot, around both Future World and the World Showcase Lagoon and it is free with your park ticket! There are a few classes, tours, and demonstrations that cost extra, but the majority of the festival, including the concert series, is free!

As with all things Disney, the International Flower and Garden Festival offers something for everyone. As you would expect, this festival includes classes, seminars, and exhibitions that will give you inspiration for your garden and even give you practical tips on how to create or improve your gardens at home. But what you may not know is everything else the International Flower and Garden Show includes:

• Concerts; Garden Rocks concerts happen nightly and previous artist have included En Vogue, Little River Band, STARSHIP and Taylor Dayne. My favorite thing about these concerts is that you don’t have to be in the amphitheater to enjoy them. You can hear them as you wander the lagoon area, eating and browsing the shops.
• Outdoor kitchens; because food is a HUGE part of World Showcase the International Flower and Garden Festival has incorporated innovative foods into it’s happenings. You will find an array of food booths in the World Showcase area, which are set up specifically for this festival and feature a wide variety of meats and produce in new and interesting ways. This is a growing part of the International Flower and Garden Festival and I would expect more and more of these booths to pop up as the Festival continues in future years.
• Cooking demonstrations; these are held daily throughout the park.
• An annual artist showcase, usually held the last weekend in March; the showcase features your favorite Disney characters in all new ways and displays this artwork in the country pavilions around the World Showcase lagoon. It’s a great place to pick up a truly unique souvenir.
• Interactive playgrounds set up around Epcot; These play areas can be a welcome distraction for young ones attending the festival. If you find yourself with a restless kid (or adult for that matter!) head over to the Pixie Hollow fairy and butterfly garden. It is a work of art in itself! You may even find yourself inspired to create a fairy house in your own backyard.

With so much to see and do, you won’t want to miss this truly unique experience offered at Disney’s EPCOT theme park. Spring will never feel the same!

Amy Harrison

Fellow Wishdrawals agent, Disney DIY Aficionado, and Premium Mickey Bar Connoisseur

Check out my blog at www.merryweatherscottage.blogspot.com

Epcot : Part One

Tips for having fun with your kids in Epcot

Here are a few things to do with the family when you head to Epcot.  Some people feel there isn't enough for young kids, but our family could not disagree more.  We always wish we had just a few more hours.  Use these tips and tricks to help your kids enjoy what we feel is the most fun theme park for adults and you'll end up with a great day for the whole family!

5 Iconic Things to Do at Epcot:

1)      Watch the Fountain show - especially around sunset.

2)      Take a picture in front of Spaceship Earth (the ball)

3)      Eat in the Coral Reef Restaurant

4)      Ride Soarin’ – have you done it before? Guess what: Soarin’ is going to get an international update with new scenery soon!

5)      Watch Illuminations from the Showcase Plaza or Italy

The Future World side of Epcot:

• Soarin’ (40”) – this is a fabulous ride.  If you have a fear of heights, I suggest you ride in the back row which is lowest to the ground.  If you don’t want to ride with feet dangling above you, ask to ride in the top (front) row.
• Living with the Land
• Circle of Life – Lion King Environmental Movie

• Character Stop – a great place to meet Mickey and Friends!
• Test Track (40”) – design a car and then test drive it.
• Spaceship Earth – the ride inside of the Epcot ball – it’s very relaxing and cool on a hot day.
• Innoventions East & West – fun play areas to hang out in if it rains and great activities for kids ages 5-8
• Ellen’s Energy Adventure – not our favorite ride, but it’s funny and entertaining.  I’d rate it for kids ages  9 and up.

• Mission Space (44”) – a great thrill ride.  Mission Space allows you to play astronaut for a day.  Green is for those who don’t want as intense of a ride and orange is for bigger thrill-seekers.  The view of the ride is exactly the same, but you will feel more force on orange. 
• Mission Space Advanced Training Lab – my kids could spend hours in here exploring and playing.  When you exit the ride, you are dumped into this large area with interactive activities and play areas.  You can access it through the gift shop, as well, if you have smaller kids who aren’t tall enough to ride Mission Space yet.
• Mission Space splash area – if you don’t want to wait for your family members who are riding Mission Space in the Advanced Training Lab, there’s a fountain play area right out in front of the attraction.  If you have a change of clothes, a towel, or a really hot day, you can let your kids play in the fountain and cool off.

• Seas with Nemo and Friends – a very cute ride for even the littlest tyke, but fun for the whole family.  The line for this attraction is usually very short and moves quickly.
• Turtle Talk with Crush – this is a great show for kids ages 2+.  Crush comes to visit with a small group (kids get to sit right up front) to answer and ask questions.
• Sea Base – when you exit the Nemo ride, there is a huge aquatic exploration area.  Again, if I let them, my kids could stay here and view all of the live creatures and enjoy with the interactive activities for well over an hour.

• Journey Into Imagination with Figment – this is a ride for kids, but it’s very cute!  And yes, the song WILL get stuck in your head. J
• ImageWorks the What If Lab – this is another interactive play area.  When you exit the Imagination ride, you’ll come out to a huge area filled with interactive activities for children (and we play there, too) of all ages.

Epcot’s World Showcase:

• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros – a boat ride featuring Donald Duck in the Mexican Pavilion
• American Adventure – a 30-minute show about American history.  Don’t let the word ‘history’ scare you away – it’s very entertaining.
• Kidcot Fun Stops – When you enter the World Showcase, you will find a coloring station in each country.  Your child can color and decorate the current character.  Then you take it with you and have it stamped in each country.  It’s a great way to keep kids interested as you travel through each country’s pavilion.
• Passports – you can buy them for $10 in any of the countries, or even in the Future World.  Then you have them signed and stamped in each country.  It’s a fun way to see your name written in 8 languages!
• Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure – great for kids ages 6 & up, this involves Agent Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb.  You receive a free device that keeps kids involved through interactive activities as you visit each country.

  Movies to watch/Books to read before visiting Epcot:

• The 3 Caballeros (Mexico Pavilion)
• Mulan (China Pavilion)
• Ratatouille (France Pavilion)
• Beauty and the Beast (France Pavilion)
• Winnie the Pooh(United Kingdom Pavilion)
• Mary Poppins (United Kingdom Pavilion)
• Peter Pan (United Kingdom Pavilion)
• Aladdin (Morocco Pavilion)
• Snow White (Germany Pavilion)
• Frozen (Norway Pavilion)
• Finding Nemo (The Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion)

Be sure to tune in for the rest of Epcot week as I share articles from guest bloggers featuring the Food and Wine Festival and the Flower and Garden Festival!