Sunshine State of Mind: Epcot

The 2017 International Flower & Garden Festival kicks off on March 1 at Epcot. Whilst the 2017 International Art Festival wrapped up a few days prior to our visit and there was some overlap of one festival ending and another one beginning. Some of the 100+ topiaries were already out and whilst it may not sound the most exciting display to see, it's only because you haven't seen the Disney version yet!

Disney characters will make up about 70 of the 100 toparies throughout the park. There will also be 200 floating mini gardens, dozens of flower towers, and of course, the colorful flower beds sweeping around the ponds.

Fresh, farm-market food and beverage flavors will debut at two new Outdoor Kitchens that will join 13 returning Outdoor Kitchens. Two new kiosks to check out are Northen
Bloom which will be showcasing food from Canada, and The Berry Basket which will serve.....you guessed it....dishes with berries! Many of these menu items will be available for snack credits if you are using the Disney dining plan!

The new generation of princess topiaries will welcome a brand-new Belle topiary from “Beauty and the Beast.” she will be located outside the France pavilion with the Beast topiary.

The following character topiaries can found throughout Epcot:

Anna and Elsa – Norway Pavilion
Bambi & Friends – Canada Pavilion
Beauty and the Beast – France Pavilion
Belle – France Pavilion (NEW!)
Bromeliad Dragon – China Pavilion
Buzz Lightyear – Mission: SPACE
Cruz Besouro (Cars 3) – Test Track (NEW!)
Donald, Daisy, Heuy, Dewey and Louie – Main Entrance
Fantasia – Future World West
Figment – Behind Spaceship Earth (NEW!)
Lady and the Tramp – Italy Pavilion
Mickey, Minnie and Pluto – Showcase Plaza
Panda – China Pavilion
Peter Pan, Tinker Bell & Pixie Hollow Fairy Houses – United Kingdom Pavilion
Phineas and Ferb – Odyssey Bridge
Ranger Mickey & Friends – Future World
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Germany Pavilion
Stitch – MouseGear (Fountain Side)
The Lion King (Mufasa, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Sarabi, Simba and Timon) – The Outpost
The Three Caballeros – Mexico Pavilion (NEW!)
Winnie the Pooh and Friends – United Kingdom
Woody – American Adventure

I can't wait to come back in a few weeks to really see the festival in full swing! There will also be exhibits, seminars and how to demonstrations. I really want to take the English Tea Garden tour. It's a free, 20 minute tour of the tea gardens of the United Kingdom Pavillion. (Tours are typically held Monday through Thursday at 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm, and Friday through Sunday at 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm and 6:15 pm, I am told the tours fill up quickly so it is best to sign up early at The Tea Caddy).

So there is a quick sneak peak of this years International Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. Let me know if you are planning to go!

I live 20 minutes from all the Orlando area attractions - Seaworld, Universal Studios and Disney.

My parents got us an annual pass to Disney and it's such a novelty to be able to go when ever we want. Last weekend we went to Epcot and I really wanted to explore the park, rather than just do the rides and wait in line all day.

There are two parts to Epcot, first half with the rides such as Test track and Soarin'

Then there is the world showcase. A big loop around the lake featuring some of the worlds countries. We had such an amazing time exploring the different countries. There was lots of cool stuff tucked away in the back that we didn't know was there.

There is a Coca Cola room where you can sample different coke products from around the world.

There were a group of guys doing the "Beverly" challenge. Beverly is the product from Italy and it is very bitter. The challenge is to see how many cups you can drink. Keep in mind the size of the cups - they are basically the size of a shot glass. The guy who won managed to drink 6. That's how bitter the drink is! My favorite is the Pineapple flavor one from Greece.