Epcot

 

The second gate at Walt Disney World is a place where humanity is celebrated. Here, guests travel the world, learn of nature, see advanced technology, and the like. This "permanent world's fair" is part entertaining, part educational, thus making it a unique experience for all.

Believe it or not, Epcot was originally planned to be a city. When Walt Disney was planning Disney World in the 1960's, he wanted EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) to be a city of the future. However, after his death, imagineers struggled to conceive how they would build a city, so instead, they built a theme park, which opened in 1982. Over the years, the park has evolved to include new attractions and new themes celebrated.

Here are the top five things to do in this park.

#5 The American Adventure

Location: World Showcase, the American Adventure Pavilion
Height Requirement: None
Opening Year: 1982
Scope: C-Ticket
Located in the back of the park, this 30-minute show features screens, animatronics, and music to retell the story of American history. It is located in a large, colonial-era building with a Native American exhibition and a large foyer.

The show is hosted by two important historical figures: Benjamin Franklin, representing the 18th Century, and Mark Twain, representing the 19th Century. They take the audiences on a journey through time, starting at the arrival of the pilgrims and leading up to the Revolutionary War. They then go through historical events like the Civil War, the Gilded Age, and the Great Depression. The journey ends around World War II, after which an inspiring montage featuring figures like Walt Disney, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Neil Armstrong. It ends with an inspiring moment with Franklin and Twain on the Statue of Liberty, commenting on America in the present day, how it has problems, but if the people come together, they can be solved.

#4 Soarin' Over the World

Location: World Nature, Land Pavilion
Height Requirement: 40 in.
Opening Year: 2005
Scope: E-Ticket
This hang-gliding attraction allows guests to fly around the world and feel as if they're flying. As they go, they will soar over many iconic world landmarks, such as Monument Valley, the Great Wall of China, the Matterhorn, and others. There is even a finale flying over Epcot.

#3 Mission: SPACE

Location: World Discovery, Space Pavilion
Height Requirement: 40 in.
Opening Year: 2003
Scope: D-Ticket
In this interactive motion simulator, guests work together in a mission to outer space, recreating NASA astronaut training. Here, guests are either commanders, pilots, navigators, or engineers as they attempt to complete an important mission.

This ride has two "teams," both with different levels of intensity. Orange Team is the original mission, but it's more intense. Here, guests must travel to Mars. For those who want a more gentle experience, they should go to the Green Team, the less intense mission. Here, guests take a trip around the Earth's orbit, but must work together to make it down when they must return through a tropical storm.

#2 Spaceship Earth

Location: World Celebration
Height Requirement: None
Opening Year: 1982
Scope: E-Ticket
Located in the iconic ball at the entrance of the park, this is an omnimover dark ride where guests travel through time, learning how the present day was created. Plus, this includes an interactive element where guests can create an ideal future.

Guests board "time machines" and see the story of human communication as it unfolds. It starts out in the Stone Age, where humans first learned how to communicate in order to survive. It then goes through other time periods like Ancient Rome, Medieval Arabia, the Renaissance, and then to the modern age. Then, as the vehicles descend a lift, guests answer some questions to create a future, which will be shown in an animated video after all of the questions have been answered.

#1 Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Location: World Discovery, Wonders of Xandar Pavilion
Height Requirement: 42 in.
Opening Year: 2022
Scope: E-Ticket
This groundbreaking ride introduces an "omnicoaster" with vehicles that turn to let guests focus on certain points. Plus, this ride features a different soundtrack every time you ride, as well as a reverse launch.

Guests come into Epcot's first extraterrestrial pavilion, the Wonders of Xandar Pavilion. Here, the people of Xandar have come to Earth to showcase their culture, technology, knowledge of the universe, and similarities with Earth. Then, at the peak of the tour, the guests travel aboard a Nova ship to see them use a complex device called the Cosmic Generator, which allows them to travel through space. However, things go sideways when the device is stolen by a Celestial named Eson, who dislikes how humanity has turned out, so he plans to use it to go back to the Big Bang and redo the planet in his image. Luckily, the Guardians of the Galaxy come in to save the day, and the guests get to join them as they attempt to save Earth and retrieve the Cosmic Generator.

Honorable Mention: World Showcase Pavilions

Location: World Showcase
Height Requirement: None
Opening Year: 1982
Scope: B-Ticket
Located around a lagoon on the southern half of the park is the World Showcase, where guests can see eleven pavilions, each based off a real-world country. Going clockwise around the lagoon, they are Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the United States, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Each pavilion is authentic to its culture and features people from those countries working there.

Aside from this, every pavilion has something different. This features dining, shopping, and even some attractions. This includes exhibitions, shows, and even some rides, such as the Gran Fiesta Tour, Frozen Ever After, and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure.

And that closes the book with my top five. Thanks for reading and make sure to check out my book, Magecraft: Legend of the Last Snawfus, now on Amazon!

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