Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Orange. Enjoy the ride as we share everything you need to know about the 2014 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
It's that time again! The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is in full "bloom".
When: March 5 - May 18th 2014
Details: Outdoor kitchens, amazing topiaries, HGTV designers and demonstrations, Flower Power concert series and interactive play areas for children.
Grab a free Garden Passport before you start the day to keep track of which outdoor kitchen you have visited. Each outdoor kitchen has it's own unique stamp. Be sure to budget enough money for sampling the delicious culinary foods from each kitchen. This year there will be 11 outdoor kitchens. New this year is the Urban Farm Eats Outdoor Kitchen featuring sustainably farmed foods. You will be able to sample foods grown right from Epcot's The Land!
Last year I really enjoyed the Smokehouse pulled pork bbq sandwich and I am so happy to hear that the Smokehouse will be returning again this year! They have added a few new dishes such as drum roll....PIGGYLICIOUS BACON CUPCAKES!! I am looking forward to trying this one.
The amazing topiaries are my favorite! I could walk around Epcot for hours and admire the topiaries and take pictures of them. The Flower & Garden Festival really goes all out with these topiaries. It is hard to pick a favorite topiary because they are all great! The Fairy House topiaries of each fairy from the movie Tinkerbell to the amazing princess topiaries are my daughters favorites.
Tips for visiting the Flower & Garden Festival:
- Allow plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful topiaries
- Purchase a wristcard that you can load with money so you can walk around and sample the delicious foods and not have to keep paying and digging for your wallet in your backpack or purse
- Take a lot of pictures to capture the moment
- Plan to skip lunch and just sample the delicious foods from each country
- Allow extra time to let the kiddies burn some energy at the huge playground
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Capturing Magical Memories.
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ Disney with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers *You are here*
2nd Stop ~ Capturing Magical Memories
3rd Stop ~ I Am A Disney Nerd
4th Stop ~ Ashley Aspires
Final Stop ~ My Pixie Dust Diary
Kicking the loop off right this week, Hayden! I appreciated all the pictures. The topiaries are one of my favorite aspects of Walt Disney World. Do you have a favorite one?
ReplyDeleteI also love the topiaries. I also love how their colors seem to change as the festival goes on. It reminds you that they really are living things.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite topiary last year was the beautiful tea cups and tea pots near China I believe.
ReplyDeleteI love all the cool topiaries! We have been there in May after it all ended and there were still some up! I love looking at them!
ReplyDeletehttp://ashleystrawser.com
I love the topiaries, I cannot imagine the work that goes into these each year. Which is your favorite?
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing all the topiaries. We are hoping to one day make it to the Flower & Garden. What did your kids enjoy most besides the playground? I always worry that the Goof would find it too boring.
ReplyDeleteHayden - thank you for the post about the festival. Where do you purchase a wristcard from? ~ Dawn
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! We just got back from the festival this weekend. I wish I had known about the wristcards. Besides the Smokehouse, did you like any of the other food? I really loved the scones in the UK.
ReplyDeleteYou can find the wristcards at various kiosks throughout Epcot. It is really convenient for easy access to avoid having to dig through your purse/backpack each time you want to sample some yummy snacks :)
ReplyDeleteLove your pics! A Piggalicious Cupcake!!?? Oh MY! Was the Smokehouse Pulled Prok your fav thing you have eaten during this event? ~ Maureen TwoMomsandaMouse
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I really want to visit during this time. One day!! Where are the playgrounds? Are they just for the festival?
ReplyDeleteThe outdoor kitchens sound wonderful to this Foodie! Do you know if there are things for older kids to enjoy? As much as I'd love to do Flower & Garden Festival, I think my older boys might get bored looking at topiaries :)
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Hayden! Great post, and wonderful photos! That cupcake looks very interesting -- did you get to try it and was it good?
ReplyDeleteI can see why your daughter is drawn to the tiny fairies; what fun trying to spot them!! Terrific overview of this festival!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips for experiencing the festival! Totally agree about setting aside time for the play areas!
ReplyDeleteLove all the toparies at Epcot. Sad we missed some on our last visit
ReplyDeleteThat Piggylicious Bacon Cupcake is surprisingly delicious! And the topiaries are just spectacular!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a great time of year for photo ops! And that cupcake does look great!
ReplyDeleteThis looks phenomenal! I didn't know there were special food items during the Flower and Garden Festival! I thought that it was just for Food & Wine. Do you happen to know if this is a new feature of the festival?
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