New Kidcot Activity Added to Walt Disney World’s Flower & Garden Festival

Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World is a popular event taking place at the park all spring.  The park is filled with beautiful flowers and topiaries as well as various experiences throughout the park including culinary, educational and demonstration experiences.  Disney has also added a themed Kidcot activity for the younger guests to enjoy while at the festival.  This is new Kidcot activity allows kiddos to get a Flower and Garden Field Guide.  They use this guide to look for the berries and plants at each pavilion as they move through the park.  It is a fun way for the kids to be involved in the experience and learn a lot about the different plants in the various exhibits.

Haven’t heard of Kidcot?  Kidcot is a series of activities all around Epcot, particularly in the World Showcase area, where kids get paper Duffy Bear cutouts that they can color and decorate. They can even have their name written on them in the native language at some pavilions.  They can get their Duffy Bears stamped at each pavilion to earn their passport stamp, too.  There are locations at each of the pavilions in the World Showcase, and they are a great way to let the kids have fun for a little bit as you move from country to country.  They also make really fun souvenirs!

Check out our article 6 Reasons We Love Going Back to Epcot below!

By Sarah Chapman

As someone who is lucky enough to visit Walt Disney World multiple times a year it is obvious that I feel like all of the parks, resorts, and activities have a factor of “revisitability.”  However, I think of all of the theme parks Epcot in particular stands out as a place I could go time after time.  Here are 6 reasons why I love going back to Epcot:

6. The Attractions

I may be a bit of a nerd and also a Disney purist, but I love the mix of attractions at Epcot.  I feel like it offers something for everyone.  I’m often told by travel clients that they do not want to visit Epcot on their vacation because their kids are too young, or there is nothing to do there, or their teenagers don’t want to go.  I immediately go into salesman mode since Epcot is tied with Magic Kingdom as my favorite park.  Epcot offers slow moving dark rides that appeal to children (The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Gran Fiesta Tour, Frozen Ever After), there are thrill rides to appeal to older kids and adults (Test Track, Soarin’), you can meet characters throughout Epcot, there are shows and movies, and then there are the classic attractions that really illustrate the spirit of Epcot like Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, American Adventure and Ellen’s Energy Adventure.

5. The Atmosphere

When I visit Epcot I feel like I am going to a park—not a theme park, but a park.  With all of the landscaping and details, especially in the World Showcase, it is a place where I can be perfectly content just strolling around or sitting and watching the world go by.  Certain times of year, like during the International Flower & Garden Festival , Epcot becomes even more beautiful.  Any time of year is a great time to visit.  The layout of the park means that it can feel uncrowded even when visitation is heavy, and there are all kinds of nooks and crannies where you can find a quiet place to rest and relax—maybe enjoy a drink.  I love the atmosphere of Epcot and I have visited several times and not set foot on a single attraction—so I can visit again and again.

4. The World Showcase

While I love Future World, I think World Showcase gives a great reason to revisit Epcot.  As I mentioned, the atmosphere in itself is a reason to visit the park.  When you factor in the shopping that you can do through each country you really get a sense of visiting that particular area.  Each pavilion has at least one shop, most have multiple stores, where you can find merchandise specific to that country.  Of course you can find your Disney themed merchandise as well, but it is always fun to look for a souvenir that is significant to that country’s culture.  It seems like each visit I come home with something different related to one of the countries.  On my latest visit it was a wind chime from Japan after enjoying a dinner al fresco in the garden there.  There is beautiful jewelry in many of the countries, the carved wooden figures in Mexico and in the Outpost area, perfumes, and even candies.  For kids they have the Kidcot stops in each country along with the Agent P missions that keep them coming back to save another country.  There is never enough time to go through all of World Showcase and really take in all of the details making Epcot the perfect park to revisit.

3. The Entertainment

Here again, Epcot offers so much it is hard to catch everything in a single visit.  I love going back to catch some live entertainment that I missed.  Future World has the Jammitors who come out to perform—my whole family loves watching them.  And you can also catch some shows on the stages in Future World at certain times of year.  World Showcase is where the entertainment really shines.  Almost every country has a great culturally significant show.  We love watching the Mariachi Cobra perform outside Mexico, in China the acrobats always amaze us, the comedy shows in Italy, France and the UK make us laugh, and the live bands are fantastic.  I think my favorite entertainment that I try not to miss on any trip, however, is the Voices of Liberty in the American Pavilion.  Their performances are breathtaking!

2. The Festivals

One major reason that I love coming back to Epcot is all of the festivals they offer which are beginning to be pretty much year round.  Starting in January there is the International Festival of the Arts—bringing performing artists, visual artists and culinary artists together to offer a unique experience to guests.  Then there is my personal favorite, the International Flower and Garden Festival.  This is Epcot at its most beautiful filled with signature topiaries, colorful plantings, workshops and of course the farm fresh food booths.  After a summer break the ever popular International Food & Wine Festival kicks off with food booths from around the globe offering signature dishes and drinks in small portions so that you can sip and savor your way around the World Showcase.  During Food & Wine you can also take part in many special workshops.  During the Holiday Season World Showcase is filled with storytellers representing the holiday traditions of each country along with booths selling holiday themed food and beverages.  During each Festival you will find evening entertainment like the Garden Rocks concerts, the Disney on Broadway concerts, Eat to the Beat concerts, and the Candlelight Processional.  These festivals keep me coming back to Epcot year after year and season after season.

1. The Food & Drink

I really don’t think I need to go much further.  Epcot is the best theme park for dining, hands down.  The plethora of options for great food in the World Showcase alone makes me add the park hopper option just to be able to return to Epcot for dinner each evening to try them all.  Not only are the table service restaurants fantastic with ethnic cuisines, you can also enjoy the quick service throughout the park.  I love each of the quick service options in World Showcase, but the Sunshine Seasons in Future World is another great option with a lot of variety.  If character dining is what you are looking for Epcot has it.  Garden Grill is one of my favorite “Mickey” meals because it is served family style and you can avoid the hectic chaos of a buffet.  Akershus in Norway is a great Princess meal option (and a great value compared to Cinderella’s Royal Table).  I often find myself trying to make more time to get to Epcot because I missed this snack or that dessert . . . I just can’t get enough!  And when there is a Festival taking place as described in #2—forget it!  All bets are off and I’m going back over and over to try new things and for old favorites.

Do you love Epcot?  What makes you go back over & over?