In many ways, Epcot was Walt Disney’s true dream. In the early 1960s, Disney was a huge success in the entertainment industry. He was also blessed with a loving family with many grandchildren. In watching his grandchildren grow up, Walt began to worry about the world of the future they would inhabit.

He wanted to develop something that looked to the future, both in a way that was exciting, educational and groundbreaking in it’s technology. He therefore developed the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) concept. But when Walt presented his ideas to the Board of Directors, they were skeptical. They wanted assurance that people would come to visit this "Disney World". What they wanted was a surefire hit: a Disneyland-style park.

Walt initially objected, but eventually relented, and he used the park to his advantage. He put the theme park, The Magic Kingdom, in the northmost corner of the Florida property, making it a "weenie" for the rest of the resort area.

The original concept eventually evolved into the Epcot theme park, which opened in 1982 at the Walt Disney World Resort. Epcot is more "learning-oriented" than other theme parks. It has only three thrill rides (Test Track, Mission: SPACE, and Soarin'); the rest of its attractions are dark rides (slower moving rides that are not about adrenaline rushes), or walk-through exhibits.

The park consists of two sections: Future World and World Showcase. Both are patterned after the kinds of exhibits which were popular at World's Fairs in the first two-thirds of the 20th century, in particular the 1939 New York World's Fair. Epcot has become essentially a permanent display of the world's nations.

Epcot is not about fantasy. It is about our World, here on Earth and out in the galaxy.

Future World

Future World consists of a series of pavilions that explore innovation and technology. It’s gateway is the Spaceship Earth: The eighteen-story-tall geodesic sphere covered in 11,324 triangular silver panels and made of alucobond. Inside is a slow-moving dark ride through the history of communication, with a focus on the development of cultures and the future of technologies

Nearby is Innoventions, located in two pavilions (aptly named Innoventions East and Innoventions West) which houses dazzling hands-on exhibitions from various science-and-technology oriented companies such as IBM and Segway.

Outside the innoventions pavilions is Innoventions Plaza, Home to the "Fountain of Nations," a large choreographed musical fountain which performs every fifteen minutes. During Epcot's opening ceremonies in 1982, water from 22 nations was poured into the fountain. This is a great area for you to enjoy food, shopping and Disney street entertainers.

In the Universe of Energy the audience's seats are actually large vehicles which move slowly through the attraction and are partially powered by solar cells on the building's roof. Visitors travel through the primeval age of the dinosaurs to learn the origin of fossil fuels.

For those who need that adrenaline rush, check out Mission: SPACE. It is one of the true thrill rides. It simulates the training required to be member of the space program. You take a simulated mission to Mars in a spinning centrifuge gravity-simulator, which gives you the feel of what it's like to blast off in a rocket.
Then there’s Test Track, where you sit in six-seater cars and experience the wide range of testing that automobiles must go through before they are approved for mass production. Cars in the ride pass through extreme temperatures, over rough surfaces, and around high-speed turns.

The Living Seas is one of the largest indoor aquariums in the world, designed to appear as the deep-sea research station Sea Base Alpha. You can view many different aquatic animals such as manatees while learning about the preservation of the oceans. Scuba divers appear occasionally to maintain the aquarium and educate visitors; For a fee, guests with certified diving credentials can join a group dive in the aquarium itself. The pavilion is also home to Turtle Talk with Crush, an interactive show starring Crush, the Sea Turtle, from Disney/Pixar's film Finding Nemo.

You’ll find The Land Pavilion contains attractions dealing with human interaction with the natural environment. Living with the Land takes visitors on a boat tour through a working greenhouse. Soarin’, a copy of Soarin' Over California from Disney's California Adventure, opened here in May 2005. Also showing is a movie called The Circle Of Life, starring the characters from The Lion King.

The glass pyramids of the Imagination! Pavilion contains Journey Into Imagination, a lighthearted ride starring Eric Idle and the Epcot mascot Figment, which encourages guests to use their senses and their imagination. Imagination! also contains Honey, I Shrunk the Audience: a 3-D short film featuring the the cast of the film Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.

If there is one problem with Future World it is that many areas are dated. In the 1980’s, when it opened, everything was cutting edge technology and truly awe-inspiring. The following decades, though, Future World hasn’t quite kept up with the vast advance of technology and human knowledge.

Still, Future World is a fascinating attraction that magically combines fun, entertainment along with social consciousness and education. The young wll be dazzled, and adults will continuously say “I didn’t know that!” You’ll be so glad you came.

World Showcase

World Showcase is made up of eleven pavilions which represent different countries around the world. In fact, they are designed to be as close as possible to actually being in the other country, right down to being staffed by citizens of each country (many of them college students living in Walt Disney World College Program housing). Each pavilion is sponsored (and paid for) by the country it represents, so tourism brochures are abundantly available.

Mexico

The Mexico Pavilion looks like an Aztec/Mayan pyramid. Visitors enter through a display of Mexican artwork, the "Animales Fantasticos" art collection. The main room is the home to a twilight-lit Mexican marketplace, Plaza de los Amigos. To the side of the plaza, a boarding area leads to a boat ride, El Rio del Tiempo (The River of Time), which takes the guest through the river, past a model volcano, and then through Mexico, from its Pre-Columbian Past to its present (which actually looks more like late seventies-early eighties).

Norway

The Norway Pavilion is designed to look like a Norwegian village. The village includes a detailed stave church. Much of the pavilion is taken up by interconnected shops. These shops are decorated with large wooden trolls and sell assorted Norwegian goods, including clothing, candy, and small troll statues. The courtyard of the pavilion contains the entrance to Maelstrom, a boat ride into Norway's past and present.

China

Visitors enter the China Pavilion through a large Chinese gate. The courtyard is dominated by a Chinese temple, the Temple of Heaven, which contains the entrance to Reflections of China, a Circle-Vision 360° movie exploring China's history and scenery. The courtyard is bordered by shops selling Chinese merchandise. The pavilion is decorated with ponds and crossed by bridges. Chinese acrobats also perform frequently in the pavilion.

Germany

The Germany Pavilion is designed to look like a German town, but with architecture from different eras and regions. The Platz (plaza) is decorated with a statue of St. George and the Dragon and a clock tower. The Biergarten, at the rear of the courtyard, sells traditional German food. The pavilion also has numerous small shops selling German goods, including dolls and cuckoo clocks. The area near the pavilion is decorated by an extensive model village with working model trains.

Italy

The Italy Pavilion features a piazza surrounded by a collection of buildings of Venetian and Roman architecture, including a functional re-creation of Venice's Campanile (bell tower) of St. Mark's Square. A replica of the Doge's Palace from Venice also figures prominently. The piazza is decorated with statues, such as the Neptune Fountain and the Lion of St. Mark. In the piazza various types of street performers, such as clowns and pantomime. Italy is also the location for the VIP viewing area for Illuminations, perhaps giving you a glimpse of a celebrity with their family.

The American Adventure

The American Adventure Pavilion is in a Colonial style building. It contains The American Adventure, a stage show about American history using audio-animatronic actors and the Hall of Flags exhibit, a display of the different flags throughout U.S. history.
Across from the pavilion is the American Gardens Theater, an outdoor amphitheater that hosts concerts, singers, and bands from around the world. Over the years some of the more famous shows include Blast!, Barrage, and many 1960's bands (such as Davy Jones from The Monkees) who bring back the old days each year at the Flower Power concert series.

During the holiday season, the theater hosts what is arguably its most popular show, the Candlelight Processional. This show includes an orchestra and large choral group that perform traditional holiday songs while a guest celebrity retells the biblical story of Christmas. The show is usually performed three times daily between Thanksgiving and Christmas week.

Japan

The entrance to the Japanese Pavilian features a Japanese Pagoda. The area is filled with Japanese pools and gardens, and surrounded by Japanese traditional buildings. At the end of the courtyard is the gate to a Japanese castle, including a moat, which leads into a display of Japanese culture.

Morocco

The Morocco Pavilion is designed to look like a Moroccan city, with a realistic Minaret. It includes the Gallery of Arts and History and the Fez House, an example of a typical Moroccan house. It has many shops with a Moroccan feel, selling such goods as rugs, leather goods, and clothing. The area is decorated with gardens and fountains to give a North African feel. Later in the evening, there is a musical show including a Belly Dancer.

Throughout each day, Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and the Genie from Disney's Aladdin appear at the Morocco Pavilion to meet and greet guests and take pictures.

France

The France Pavilion is themed to look like a Paris neighborhood with a pool and fountains and with a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The pavilion features Impressions de France a panoramic movie which visits France's cities and historical structures. Often throughout each day, Belle and the Beast from Disney's Beauty and the Beast appear at the France Pavilion to meet and greet guests and take pictures.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom Pavilion is designed to look like an English village, with buildings based on different periods of British architecture. It has English gardens. including a hedge maze. There is also a Beatles tribute band called "The British Invasion" that performs regularly in the Pavilion.

Canada

The Canada Pavilion brings you to the Canadian outdoors. The pavilion is decorated with a canyon, a waterfall, gardens, a pool with fountains, and totem poles. The main attraction at the Canada Pavilion is O Canada!, a Circle-Vision 360° movie of Canada's cities and scenery. This pavilion is the semi-permanent home of the Celtic rock band Off Kilter.

EPCOT TIPS

To cut costs, Disney now opens World Showcase late (usually 11:00 AM) and closes Future World early (usually 7:00 PM, except for Test Track, Mission: SPACE, Spaceship Earth, and Soarin' which sometimes remain open until park closing). Unlike the Magic Kingdom, which does not serve alcohol, many stores and restaurants in the World Showcase do serve or sell alcoholic beverages from their respective countries, and beer is sold at refreshment stands throughout the park. A popular activity is to "drink around the world" at World Showcase.

A thirteen-minute fireworks show takes place in the World Showcase Lagoon every night at the park's closing time (usually 9:00 PM). Fireworks and lasers fill the sky above an immense rotating globe whose continents show changing pictures of culture and technology throughout the ages, while a rousing musical score plays over the loudspeakers.

There is an entrance to the park between the France and United Kingdom Pavillions known as the International Gateway. Guests staying in a number of the Epcot Resorts and guests at the Disney Studio's can access this gate by walkway or boat.

Walt Disney World Resort
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
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