Sippin Gypsy Travel Diary: EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival 2018

Cheers Sippin Gypsy Team Gin! This post comes to you while enjoying my Gin and Lavender Lemonade inspired by the beautiful topiaries, flowers and tasty finds at EPCOT for their annual Flower and Garden Festival.  You can find all of my tips and experiences in Orlando and Central Florida HERE.
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EPCOT is one of my favorite Walt Disney World parks.  I appreciate the events they host throughout the year and the chance to get outside and sip and stroll!  For almost all of the festivals EPCOT now hosts, there are themed booths that offer small bites and cocktails, wine or beer that reflect on the country or theme of that booth.

What's especially enjoyable about the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival is the chance to see truly amazing creations made entirely of plants and flowers.  Beloved Disney characters tastefully displayed as well as lush and simply stunning garden beds...the air is so fragrant!

As a resident and pass holder, I find it easiest to take in EPCOT's festivals a little bit at a time.  We go for a few hours in the afternoon or evening to try a few different things each time.  But if your travels only leave you one or two days to enjoy Disney World and EPCOT, come hungry!  
EPCOT is divided into two halves.  The first half: Future World takes you through the pursuit of space exploration with Mission Space, improving technology in Test Track and Spaceship Earth as well our obligations to being good citizens of our planet in preservation and conservation in The Land and Soarin' and The Seas with Nemo and Friends.  I try to get Fast Passes for Soarin' and Test Track if possible.  They are fun experiences and different from what you could find at other theme parks.
The second half of EPCOT is World Showcase.  This is truly what hosts the Flower and Garden Festival as well as representations of beautiful countries around the world.  Each country nestled on the lake takes you into iconic locations of that country, a Mayan Temple in Mexico, A Stave Church and village in Norway (as well as Anna and Elsa from Frozen), Zen Gardens in Japan and a Marketplace in Morocco to name a few.  Each of these countries offers shopping, food and beverages with goods indigenous to that country.  As you travel around EPCOT, no need to book a reservation for a full sit down meal.  The small bites offered at the additional countries will fill you up by the end of your trek around World Showcase.  I love going with friends, then each of us can order something different and try a few bites of each other's plate to enjoy more flavors and variety.  Canada, France, Germany, China and America typically have a balance of substantial plates that include meat.  Its easy to fill up within the first four stops...but take your time.  Too often I've been too full to enjoy something across the lake because I ate too much in the first few stops.  EPCOT offers a guide book to let you know what is offered at each stop.  Use this to help pace yourself.
I do love Sippin and Strollin, and EPCOT makes the beverage more than accessible.  Take it slow and hydrate often.  The warm Florida sun can help that 4th wine tasting or 3rd cocktail hit you a little faster or harder than expected.  I bring a bottle of water or two with me and do my best to drink water in between my walk from country to county.
EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival is enjoyable for the whole family.  Your younger family members will certainly like seeing their Disney Friends created out of flowers and plants.  Older children may want to move faster through the countries.  Every time we go for lunch or dinner, we all commit to trying something different that we hadn't had before, then I allow my boys to head off and go back to Future World while we adults take our time in World Showcase.  

I hope your travels leave you time to enjoy EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival.  Cheers!