Epcot Flower & Garden Festival Kicks Off This Week

This week the Epcot International Flower Garden Festival officially opens. It’s one of Epcot’s longest events, in the length of time it’s going on at the park. So from year to year it might not seem like a lot changes. This year, though, it’s got something special up its sleeve. One of Disney’s big films of the year is “Oz: The Great & Powerful,” which tells the story of how a man from the American Midwest became the wonderful, terrible Wizard of Oz. It opens on March 8, two days after the kickoff of the Flower & Garden Festival, and … Continue reading →

17th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

I’m breaking with my own tradition here: usually I wait to post about the Epcot Food & Wine Festival until closer to when it will actually start. We’ve got just over a month until it kicks off, so why am I writing about it now? I’m doing so in case anyone reading this is interested in going, and wants to sign up for one of the seminars or other special events. As of right now, some are sold out but others still have spaces available. Slots are going fast, so sign up ASAP if you’re interested. Here’s a quick summary … Continue reading →

Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival 2012

Disney fans have one big sign for the coming of spring, and it has nothing to do with a certain ceremonial groundhog. Nope, it’s something much more floral. Once the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival has kicked off, we know that spring is coming. Of course this is a bit of a cheat; as I said last year, the festival takes place in Orlando. That means it’s nice and warm for them year round. Oh, I know that some Orlando residents complain of the chilly 50-degree weather they sometimes get in the winter, but the rest of us living … Continue reading →

Test Your Driving Mettle at Epcot’s Test Track

Disney World sure is the park for auto buffs. First it has the already-profiled Richard Petty Driving Experience, and it also contains Epcot’s Test Track. I guess Disneyland might start to compete a bit with Cars Land, but until we know more about that attraction it’ll be hard to tell. An amusement park might not be a car nut’s ideal vacation, but if they’re already there for other reasons, at least they’ll have more to do than at another park. I almost profiled Test Track as another Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney feature, but kids 7 and older are allowed … Continue reading →

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2011

The Epcot Food & Wine Festival is just around the corner, so that means it’s time to look at what events are on the schedule this year. The festival runs from September 30 to November 13, and you can bet that those weeks are the ones I most wish to visit Orlando. Some of the F&W special parties require ticketing in advance. For a list of the most exclusive for which, if you’re interested, you ought to book now, check out my previous article here. Other events, while they do require that ahead-of-time admission, happen often enough or are large … Continue reading →

Fun for Grown-Ups at Disney: Epcot

Given that Disney World is a family friendly park there aren’t a lot of places there that are exclusive for adults. Today I’ve decided to focus on somewhere that, although it contains plenty for kids as well, would also make a fun day out for grown-ups. Many of the Epcot attractions I’ll look at might also appeal to some kids, but I tried to choose things that would better hold an adult’s interest. When I think of Epcot the World Showcase comes first to mind. Epcot is home to pavilions dedicated to 11 different countries from across the globe. Each … Continue reading →

Tickets for Special Events at the Epcot Food Festival

I think I’m finally starting to get the hang of one important element of Disney blogging: mention all Disney Parks events way in advance. Not only that, mention the dates tickets go on sale a healthy time before they do so. That way anyone interested has plenty of time to prepare to buy, if they’re so inclined. I’m really trying to keep my ear to the ground this year to find out exactly when tickets go on sale for the filming of the Christmas Day Parade. We’ve still got a while until that happens, however, but don’t worry: I’ve got … Continue reading →

Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

While some of us are still shivering in the cold, being blown about by frosty winds, or sighing glumly at the piles of snow in our yard, spring is in full swing in Orlando. Yup, it’s that time again; Wednesday is the kickoff of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. I have multiple family members that for whom coming to see fanciful hedges trimmed to resemble and adorned with flowers to represent multi-color Disney characters would be enough of a reason to visit Epcot this spring. The living rainbows sure to be on display at Bambi’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden … Continue reading →

La Hacienda at the Mexico Pavilion

One thing that definitely has me wishing I lived in Orlando: the restaurants at Disney World. I’m sure I’m biased, thinking that Disney’s magic would also somehow carry over to its culinary experiences, but whenever I hear about all the restaurants at Disney World I practically salivate. Mine is the unfortunate story of a girl who loves new and exotic food experiences (I wouldn’t say I’m a foodie, because I’m not particularly bothered about how fancy the food is) but doesn’t love urban life. I’m happiest when in bucolic surrounds, but obviously there just isn’t usually a great variety of … Continue reading →

“Spirit Beasts” at Epcot

Coming from a literary background, I love examining the interconnectivity between stories. I am especially addicted to studies on how stories function and overlap in different forms, be it literature, film, television, art, or anything else. For example, Disney’s now-defunct “Dreams Come True” exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art, which explored the connection between Disney’s movies and their fairy-tale sources. I’ve lamented a few times the fact that the exhibition only appeared in New Orleans for five months, and Disney has no plans at the moment to run it anywhere else. Now Disney’s teasing me again. The official … Continue reading →