Magical Quests Blog

There is so much to do and see at the Walt Disney World theme parks besides the rides, and EPCOT just might have the most edutainment packed into one place. From aquatic animals and extensive greenhouses to a trip around the World Showcase, there’s something for everyone at EPCOT.

World Nature (Previously Future World West)

Welcoming guests since opening day in 1981, The Seas Pavillion, also known as The Seas with Nemo and Friends, is the second largest aquarium in the United States (and the ninth largest in the world) with 5.7 MILLION gallons of tank water. Inside SeaBase Aquarium, you can see over 60 species of fish, sharks, turtles, rays and manatees. Little ones can climb around in Bruce’s Shark World play area or check out the show Turtle Talk with Crush – a fun and interactive chat with your favorite sea turtle from Finding Nemo. For guests ages 10 and up who are open-water SCUBA certified, the recent return of EPCOT DiveQuest is a unique add-on experience that allows you to get up close and personal with the sea life at SeaBase Aquarium. Those of us who will remain on dry ground can catch a diver lock-out demonstration at 10:30am or 4pm. The timing of this 10-minute demonstration is subject to change; please check with a Cast Member in the aquarium for that day’s demonstrations. More Information about DiveQuest can be found here: Magical Quests – EPCOT DiveQuest

The Land Pavillion is the largest pavilion at EPCOT and covers over 6 acres! Within this pavilion guests will find one of the most accessible, family-friendly rides in EPCOT – Living with the Land. While this blog is technically about non-ride attractions at the park, I would be remiss not to mention this slow-moving educational wonder of Walt Disney World. Guests will board a slow-moving boat (transfer is only required for those using ECVs, power wheelchairs can fully board), and meander through various landscapes in the United States before entering the real highlight of the ride – the greenhouses.

As you float through the four abundant greenhouses (covering 2.5 million square feet of space), you’ll listen to a narrative about the plants growing here, as well as innovative ways the horticulture team at EPCOT is cultivating tasty fruits and vegetables to be used across property – from tomato towers to Mickey-shaped pumpkins! During Festival of the Holidays, this attraction turns into Glittering Greenhouses and is decorated root to blossom in lights and holiday décor, often seeing wait times skyrocket to 60 minutes or more, versus what is normally a 5 to 10 minute wait. For guests who are really into gardening, I can’t recommend enough the Behind the Seeds Tour – an hour-long ticketed tour through the greenhouses with an expert Cast Member leading the way. More information about the Behind the Seeds Tour can be found here: Magical Quests – Behind the Seeds

Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is an interactive walkthrough experience, and great for every age group. Facts about the water cycle are featured on the journey as guests engage with water in fun and unique ways. Search for the characters from Moana’s story throughout the exhibit – there are actually 16 hidden characters featured in the rock work, and I have yet to find all of them. This attraction is a relief to walk through on a hot day to cool off, or at night to check out the enchanting hues of blue and green that come alive when the sun goes down.

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World Celebration (Previously the Fountains of Nations location)

Recently revamped to include abundant space to sit and relax, World Celebration sits directly behind Spaceship Earth (a family-friendly, all-ages attraction) and gives this area a true “park” feeling. Guests can grab a coffee at Connections Café or a classic treat at the Festival Favorites Kitchen, and then relax in one of the dozens of shaded Adirondak chairs, high bar stools, or garden ledges. There are charging ports nearby, and guests can listen to ¡Celebración Encanto! or catch a performance by theJAMMitors drum ensemble in this area. This is also a great place to meet characters — guests can pop in to say hello to Mickey & Friends at Communicore Hall, and there is also a lovely statue of Walt in these gardens which makes for a great photo op.

World Discovery (Previously Future World East)

This is the one area of EPCOT that may leave non-thrill seekers looking for a merchandise shop to hang out in for a bit. There are three attractions in this area with height requirements, two of which come with intensity warnings as well. Guests who are prone to motion sickness will want to avoid both Mission Space and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and Test Track (while family-friendly) has a 40-inch height requirement. (Also, guests who experience claustrophobia will want to skip Mission Space.)

If you have little kids with you that can’t ride these attractions, there is an indoor playground in the exit area of Mission Space called Space Base, with comfortable seating for adults. Guests can access the exit area without going through the queue or ride, and this is honestly just a great place to get out of the heat and sun if you don’t feel like walking around while friends or family ride another attraction. If you are into fast cars, the exit to Test Track showcases vehicles from the current sponsor (General Motors).

World Showcase (Since 1981)

While the front of the park has seen a major face-lift over the last few years, EPCOT’s World Showcase retains most of its nostalgia from the early days, with a few recent, exciting upgrades and expansions. Each pavilion throughout the World Showcase will have tasty (close-to) regional cuisine, as well as cultural representations and history from their respective country. In Norway, visit the Gods of the Vikings House in the Stave Church replica, explore the House of Good Fortune store in China, or walk the “Romantic Road” path in Germany through the miniature train set (always a fan favorite). As you stroll along the promenade you could be drawn in by the sounds of Mariachi Cobre in Mexico, the Voices of Liberty in America, or the rotating band at the Canada Mill Stage between Canada and the UK.

My personal favorite World Showcase pavilion is Japan, and one of the highlights is the Mitsukoshi Department Store. This location is a smaller-scale replica of the real Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, which has roots in Japan all the way back to the year 1673! This location has everything from kimonos to bonsai trees, and chopsticks to Japanese candy. Visitors to Japan can also participate in (or just watch) the Pick-A-Pearl Experience, where guests can purchase an oyster to be opened by a Cast Member during a unique ceremony, revealing your new pearl inside. (Approx. $20 after tax – price is subject to change).

In my opinion, the best entertainment in the World Showcase is also in Japan: the Matsuriza drummers! This act showcases the power of taiko drumming and always draws a crowd when they take the porch outside the replica of the Horyuji Temple.

Most of the pavilions have a corporate sponsor involved with financing the building of the pavilion, but Morocco was funded, designed, and built by artists and artisans from Morocco and is the most accurate representation at the World Showcase. Walking through the Morocco pavilion really feels as though you’ve been transported to a different part of the world, with winding alleys and a bazaar tucked inside. The pavilion houses a replica of Koutoubia Minaret, a prayer tower that is part of Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh. Guests can also learn about ultra-marathon runners who trek across the Saharan Desert in the Race Against the Sun exhibit, or take a peaceful moment inside Fes House, a replica of a typical Moroccan home.

In my opinion, the pavilion with the most well-rounded attractions and dining is France. This pavilion was expanded in 2021, with the opening of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction, as well as a new restaurant, Le Creperie de Paris (which also has a quick service window).  Guests can also check out the Beauty and the Beast Sing-A-Long (which shares a theater with Impressions de France), meet Princess Belle throughout the day, pop into Les Halles Bakery for a delicious baguette or latte, or catch the mime street performer. For those with elevated tastes, Monsieur Paul serves gourmet French cuisine on a prix fixe menu, starting at $195 per person (tax + gratuity not included). There is so much to experience in this pavilion, even if you just grab a Grand Marnier Slush and people-watch while enjoying the background music of “La Vie En Rose.”

EPCOT is known for its International Festivals throughout the year, and nowadays most weeks have a festival happening, aside from the summer months. Each unique festival has different entertainment, seasonal kitchens, and themes to match.

EPCOT International Festival of the Arts might be my personal favorite festival (with Flower and Garden coming in as a very close runner-up) because of the unique entertainment, interactive exhibits, and of course, the many artists showcasing their talent. While there are some Festival Kitchens that pop up at this event, the real showstoppers are the musicians, acrobats, painters, and Disney on Broadway performers that bring this festival to life. Guests can watch artists complete “live painting” and participate in a paint-by-numbers mural. One of my favorite things to see is the chalk art illusions that guests can place themselves in for a fun photo-op! Blink and you might miss it – this festival only lasts for about 6 weeks from January 16 through February 23, 2026.

EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival is easily the most beautiful time of year at this park, with gorgeous gardens and towering topiaries scattered throughout. Each garden has unique theming, from prehistoric plants to the peaceful Shishi Odoshi garden. Some gardens even include ingredients for the dishes offered at the Festival Kitchens. This event runs from early March through early June (March 4 – June 1 in 2026).  Check out my blog about my favorite things to do at this floral festival!

EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival has been a fan-favorite for many years and this event is a must-do for anyone who considers themselves a foodie. Stroll along the World Showcase Promenade and sample cuisine from the year-round pavilions, as well as the pop-up Outdoor Kitchens that represent other areas of the world – from Hawaii to the Swiss Alps, these festivals offer even more opportunities to try tasty treats from around the globe. The Eat to the Beat Concert Series is always a big draw at this event, with acts like Boyz II Men, A Newfound Glory, and the Beach Boys taking the stage this year. This is the longest festival, which ran from August 28 – November 22, 2025, with similar dates expected for next year.

EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays is the one festival that I have yet to attend! This is the shortest festival, running from the day after Thanksgiving to the day before New Years Eve (November 28 – December 30 in 2025). Throughout the World Showcase, guests will hear storytellers sharing holiday tales from their respective country, or different Santas as they are represented in that area of the world – think, Barn Santa in Norway, Father Christmas in the UK, and Pere Noel in France. The Holiday Cookie Stroll is a fun way for guests to try sweet treats from these locations, collect a stamp for each, and earn a prize for completing the stroll. (Spoiler alert – the prize this year is a festival spatula with mini M&Ms! Great for the baker in your group!) Check out my Christmas blog for more holiday fun across all of the Walt Disney World parks and resorts!

The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow was Walt Disney’s last major idea, and those close to him say that he was using the grid-like ceiling of his hospital bed to map out the schematics for EPCOT in his final days. He famously said that “EPCOT would always be in a state of becoming,” and you can see that to be true nearly 45 years after the park first opened with the recent transformation of Future World East and West, the expansion of the France Pavilion, and new or upgraded attractions elsewhere like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and the latest version of Test Track.

I honestly have not even scratched the surface at this park, and truthfully – EPCOT is the reason I always have a Park Hopper added to my tickets, so I can pop in multiple times during my trip. With so many food and drink choices, the art and culture throughout the World Showcase, and the classic edutainment at the Land and Seas pavilion, there is an endless amount of fun to be had Besides the Rides in EPCOT.

Let’s plan your next edutainment-filled Magical Quest today!

References:

Japan’s First Department Store: Why Nihombashi Mitsukoshi is a Must-Visit Landmark in Tokyo | LIVE JAPAN travel guide

List of largest aquariums – Wikipedia

How Walt Disney World’s Farm Grows the Most Magical Produce on Earth – Farm Flavor

EPCOT (concept) – Wikipedia – Reference Links