Wade’s, Ryan’s, Caitlin’s, Heather’s, Carol’s, & Shirley’s Guide to Epcot
Opened on October 1, 1982, Epcot was the third Disney theme park, the second park at WDW, & is the sixth-most attended theme park in the world. A conception of Walt
Disney, EPCOT stands for “Experimetal Prototype Community Of Tomorrow” (or “Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday,” according to Disney cast members).
In 1994, EPCOT Center was officially re-named “Epcot”—all lower-case, perhaps because Disney executives realized that EPCOT, the dream, bore little
resemblance to Epcot, the theme park.
The dedication delivered by E Cardon Walker at the park’s opening runs thus:
“To all who come to this place of Joy, Hope and Friendship: Welcome. EPCOT is inspired by Walt Disney’s creative vision. Here, human achievements are
celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all. May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and
inspire and above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man’s ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere in the world.”
Disney himself said, “EPCOT... will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry.
It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems.
And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise.”
Occupying more than twice the area of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot is the second-largest Disney park in the world.
Entrance
Future World
World Showcase
Entrance
Spaceship Earth, the park’s central icon dominates the view from the entrance.
Future World
Universe of Energy & Wonders of Life Pavilions
Mission: Space & Test Track
The Seas Pavilion, the Land Pavilion (not pictured), & Imagination Pavilion
World Showcase
World Showcase contains pavilions representing eleven nations. Listed clockwise as they are arrayed about the World Showcase Lagoon, they are:
Mexico
An attraction similar to it’s a small world—El Rio del Tiempo—is housed within the pyramid.
Norway
The Maelstrom is located in the Norway Pavilion.
China
A replica of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
Germany
Italy
The American Adventure
The attraction—The American Adventure—similar to the Hall of Presidents—resides within the Pavilion.
Japan
A floating torii gate (the symbol of Shinto &, by extention, the symbol of the Emperor &
the nation of Japan) rests in the waters in front of the Japan Pavilion.
Many claim that the five-tiered pagoda of Epcot at WDW is based on the pagoda at Kofuku-ji in Nara,
Japan. Some claim, however, that it is based on the nearby pagoda at Horyu-ji.
Morocco
France
United Kingdom
Canada
You have completed your clockwise circuit through each land of Epcot!
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