On February 11 we were invited to cover a media event that started at Disney Springs. We learned all about Celebrate Soulfully, which is running in conjunction with Black History Month. We also had a chance to check out some of the other new offerings at Disney Springs, and wrapped it up by heading to EPCOT to experience The Soul of Jazz and the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts.
The morning started with an amazing performance by Motown in Motion. You can’t help but smile while they leave you with a jaw dropping performance. There are special performances three times a week. You can enjoy Motown Mondays, Jazz Thursdays, and Smooth Sundays. Trust us, you don’t want to miss these performances. Check out one live performer video on our Instagram page here!
We then had a self-guided tour to check out some of the artwork. You can find these in World of Disney and Art of Disney. These exhibits spotlight black artists and their artwork is truly amazing. There is wall art in more than one place and you’ll want to check all of them out. Also by the LEGO Store you will see the wall art titled “ The Village”. It’s inspired by the Disney and Pixar movie “Soul”. That art was created by Bee Harris.
For the celebration there are some extra food offerings. There is a new dish at B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co. and we were able to check it out. If you are from New Orleans tell us how it compares, the special new dish is Mardi Gras Smoked Crawdog. It features Smoked Andouille Sausage, and is topped with Crawfish, Lemon Caper Aioli, and Creole Pepper Sauce. I’m a vegan so I wasn’t able to try it, but from what everyone else said it was good and had a kick.
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Next we headed to Wine Bar George. There were some samples of their Mac and Cheese bits and two different drinks to try. While we were there we were able to get an interview with George himself. He talked about the two new wines and their origin.
If you enjoy sweets then you’ll love the next three stops. It’s always amazing when food can also be art. We went over to Amorette’s Patisserie where they had two gorgeous desserts to try. They are both mini cakes. One of them is dedicated to Princess Tiana, and the other is for Joe Gardner, the African American jazz musician at the heart of the movie “Soul.” Both were incredible, and they are already quite popular.
M&M’S at Disney Springs is the latest addition at Disney Springs. The second you walk in the store you can smell the chocolate, and the aroma is amazing! There is a lot of different personalization you can do on merchandise, so you can take home a one-of-a-kind souvenir. If you’re a candy fan you will definitely have chocolate overload. There’s a wall of M&Ms, that’s a dream come true for so many. There are 130 tubes filled with the different varieties. Check out our video of the colorful M&M’s wall via Instagram here!
Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew is another new addition to Disney Springs. If you have a sweet tooth Disney Springs is a good place to be because this is a brand new donut shop. The menu lists “The New Classics” and “The Funky Bunch”. You can also order sandwiches or snacks. They have a Purple Glazed Ube donut which is vegan, and I was very excited to try it. The donut was amazing and I enjoyed each bite. Everglazed is another place that is worth going in just for the amazing smells.
House of Blues is a favorite for many locals. Some people don’t even know that there is a restaurant there, they assume that it’s just a concert hall. There is also a gift shop that many people don’t know about. There is a lot of new artwork at House of Blues. There are also some new entrées that looked amazing. House of Blues is always a great place for a casual, sit down meal.
After we were done at Disney Springs we made our way over to EPCOT. We wanted to check out the new exhibit at the American Adventure Pavilion. As already mentioned, it’s called The Soul of Jazz. It features the history of jazz music, through the eyes of Joe Gardner from “Soul”. There is plenty of information, plus there are some instruments on display that belonged to jazz greats.
We wrapped up the day by experiencing the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. The newest festival at the park is packed full of things to do and see. Even without the Disney on Broadway Concert Series you will not get bored. One of our favorite parts is watching the artists create the Chalk Art. It is always a real treat to watch.
We’d like to thank Walt Disney World for inviting us to check out the latest goings on at both Disney Springs and at Epcot. We had a great time, and we know that you will as well.