Many people believe that Epcot is not a place really geared around children and more of a theme park for adults. I don’t necessarily disagree with that, BUT there are many things for children to enjoy at Epcot as well. Throughout the year there are a number of festivals that include the Music & Arts Festival, Flower & Garden Festival, Food & Wine Festival and Christmas around the world.

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Entering the Park – You can get to EPCOT a number of ways. You can drive in and park (in which case I would walk to the entrance because it’s not that far), you can take the monorail from the transportation and ticket center (meaning you can go straight from Magic Kingdom, the Polynesian, the Contemporary, or Grand Floridian without getting in a car or bus) walk over from the Boardwalk area, take a boat in from your resort or you can take a bus from any of the resorts.

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Once you go through security and go through the entrance you will notice the huge Spaceship Earth that is so popular to take pictures in front of. That is a ride that any child of any size can ride as there is no height restriction. If you do this ride at the end of the day there isn’t as much of a line as people are leaving the park. The line moves fairly quickly though.

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Future World - to the right

 

• Character Meet n Greet - When you enter the right side there is a character spot to meet Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. This line can get very long so if there is a must for your family I would go ahead and make a fast pass. There are other characters that rotate on the other side which in the past have included Joy, Sadness and Big Hero 6 characters. They do not have an option for a fast pass so you will just have to wait those out.

• NEMO – One of my favorite rides to go on with my little one is The Seas with Nemo & Friends. This is a ride with no height restrictions so that means literally anyone can ride. At the end of the ride you are immersed in a huge aquarium. There are several different areas both upstairs and down stairs to see sea life of all shapes and sizes. What is great about this is that it is indoors so whether it is raining or just really hot outside it’s a great space to spend time in. Also in this area there is Turtle Talk with Crush which is an interactive question and answer session with your favorite tubular turtle.

• The Land – Also on the right side of future world there is THE LAND. In this area is where you will find Soarin’ (40’’ height requirement) as well Living with the Land (no height requirement) this is good if you have children of different ages. It is also inside with a garden grill area to grab some food while you may be waiting on someone to ride Soarin. Soarin NEEDS A FAST PASS. This line is extremely long at all times during the year. Living with the land is very interesting in that it shows you how they harvest foods there even for the restaurant, all during a boat ride.

• PIXAR 3D Film– Finally one of my newer favorite things to stop by and do there is the Disney Pixar Short Film Festival. You go into this room with tvs and they tell you a little back story of how Pixar was created and how they came up with the idea of Toy Story and other films. Then you go into this theater with your 3D glasses and they have 3 short films that are super cute! I thought my toddler might get bored but she was into every minute of the entire show. Again another indoor area to beat the heat for a few minutes.

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Future World - to the left

• Mission Space & Test Track–Future world on the left side is more for older kids as Mission Space and Test Track both have height requirements. These are fast adventures and thrill seeking rides. Mission space has two different levels one that is not as intense as the others if motion simulators aren’t your thing then you may want to go with the green side.These are rides I would also try to get fast passes for if they are high on your priority list.

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World Showcase - World showcase area does not open until 11am each day so it is nice to go ahead and get everything out of the way in Future World in the morning because you can’t go to the World Showcase anyway.

• Splash Pad/Fountain Fun– As you begin walking into the world showcase area you will pass a splash pad area. This is such a fun way for children to cool down and run off some energy through the water. This is another reason why I ALWAYS pack a swim suit/change of clothes with us because you just never know when you will find water for the littles to play in.

• Kidcot Stations  – At each country around the World Showcase there is a Kidcot Station. At these stations your kids can decorate a card stock Duffy the Bear for free. Each station has cast members from that specific country giving your child the chance to meet someone from another country. They usually write the child’s name or put a symbol from their language on the back of the bear and then stamp the stick with their country’s emblem. This is a fun way for the kids to learn about different countries in a unique way.

• Frozen & 3 Caballeros – In Norway (to the left when you enter world showcase) you will find the Frozen Ever After ride and a pavilion to meet Anna and Elsa. This is the only place you can meet and greet with Anna and Elsa at this time in any of the 4 major parks. Also to the left in Mexico you can do on a boat ride called The Grand Fiesta Tour, starring the Three Caballeros. In Mexico Donald Duck is always waiting to do meet and greets right outside. There are lots of entertainment options around the world showcase including drummers, characters, acrobatics, etc to see while walking around and not to mention delicious food choices better than you will find at any of the other theme parks.

 

Festivals with Children

• As far as the Festivals the

  • Music and Arts festival (starting in January) is so much fun where they bring in different Broadway stars from their Disney Broadway shows to perform famous hits from their Broadway spectaculars and they also have TONS of art displayed all around the park for you to bring home.

  • During the Flower and Garden festival (in the Spring) they set up additional playgrounds throughout future world for little ones to play on and they have a butterfly garden. This is in addition to the fabulous garden displays surrounding you all around the park. Also if you go to the welcome center, they have giveaways and games for kids, as well as samples of different things such as different seeds to grow in your own home!

  • The Food and Wine Festival (late August- November) is by far a fan favorite. I would suggest going during the week and getting there as soon as world showcase opens at 11am because the later it gets in the day and the weekends get SUPER crowded, to the point where it isn’t very enjoyable.

  • Finally during Christmas around the World you can see how Christmas is celebrated in different countries as well as Hanukah and Kwanza. You can even meet Santa and Mrs. Claus in the American Pavilion where you can take your own picture or have one of the photographers there take them. They are seriously the BEST and the only Santa my daughter has even taken pictures with.

 

Don’t forget to stay for Illuminations at night, EPCOT’s fireworks display.

So next time you are thinking of skipping EPCOT because it’s boring for the kids or there isn’t enough to do with them, think twice and enjoy the day of fun, learning and great food and drinks.

If you have any specific questions concerning your own vacation feel free to reach out I would love to help you! In the meantime check out our ETSY shop here for custom matching family vacation shirts or birthday shirts for your trip! Use coupon code THANKYOU for 10% off