I was visiting Florida for a little pool/beach time and Pirates’ Spring Training last week in the Clearwater/Bradenton area, so I thought, “Why not head to Disney for a day?” It seems like forever since I’ve been there (2019 with Er) and it’s always held a special place in my heart–even as an adult. I realized quickly that everything was booked up and reserved due to limited capacity and COVID restrictions at the parks. I usually make Disney plans WELL in advance (I’m talking months to a year). Epcot still had limited availability. Epcot is the park with the least amount of rides, but it has much to offer for adults when traveling “around the world.” As a child, I didn’t appreciate Epcot, but now, as an adult, it’s definitely one of the most fun parks to visit while at Disney World. My trip was timed perfectly with Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival. The flowers were in full bloom and there were tons of different Disney character topiaries, but most importantly, there were little kiosks in most of the different countries featuring delicious food and drink that these locations are known for. Well, ok… sign me up.
Before I left, I tried Googling the festival, but to be honest, there wasn’t a lot of information on it out there. I couldn’t find if I needed to buy a food passport like they have at the Food & Wine Festival or what types of foods would be offered. So, I put this guide/look book together for anyone who might be going to get out a little more information on the festival and what’s offered! You’ll notice this blog post is mainly photos, but I think that the pictures tell the story of Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival better than my words can this time!
The Flowers & Topiaries
Epcot is always beautiful, but seeing all of the gorgeous flowers and Disney topiaries made it extra pretty!! It really made it feel like springtime! I loved taking photos of and with all of it! Our friend, Best Day Evear, makes the prettiest ears if you’re looking for some cute photos during your Disney trip. She has them categorized so nicely on her website too! So, whether you want ears for the Flower & Garden Festival or Star Wars-themed ones, you can find them on her website!
While in the main Epcot area, we did take time to ride a few rides and do the typical “Disney stuff.” The rides were obviously a bit different due to COVID-19 protocol, but all-in-all, it was pretty much the same! Everything was still lots of fun and the lines weren’t as long! 🙂
The center “hub” of Epcot near the big Epcot ball that used to be where everyone walked through to get to the different areas is all blocked off, as Disney is busy constructing the longest roller coaster in the world!! It’s going to be a Guardians of the Galaxy-themed coaster, which is pretty exciting!
Just a warning, you will find yourself majorly distracted by all of the brightly colored-floral arrangements and topiaries. I got so many ideas for what types of flowers I want outside my house this year and probably took about 1000 photos!
Eating & Drinking Around the World
THIS was the fun part!! Though it’s always fun to walk “around the world” and visit all of the countries, what made it extra special were the kiosks in almost every single country with chefs cooking up tapa-style dishes! These little meals were anywhere from $4-$8 and were the perfect size– a pretty reasonable price for Disney! The drinks were smaller than one might like and around $10-$14 for the ones with alcohol, but it made it perfect for tasting all of the different kinds!! I’m going to post some of the menus from the different countries below so you can see exactly what was offered! I wish I could’ve tried ALL of it, but we wouldn’t have been able to walk around all day! LOL! We ended up eating or drinking at 5 or 6 of them!
My favorite food was probably the perfectly-cooked scallops from Canada! My favorite drink was the limoncello margarita from Italy. Italy also had an amazing chocolate-dipped Cannoli. OMG. SO good!
The Menus
I would highly recommend going to Epcot during the Flower & Garden Festival. Being able to taste all the foods & drinks from the different countries without getting full meal or paying a fortune is such a great thing! It’s like having little appetizers all day and eliminates the need to stop and sit down for lunch or dinner!
My husband isn’t huge into amusement parks or Disney, but he did really enjoy Epcot and all the different foods and drinks! Plus, we rode Soarin’ and Test Track– two of our favorite Disney rides!♡ I’m thinking Food & Wine Festival next time I go… 😉
xo,
Ash
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