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What To Do In Epcot With A Toddler

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When researching Disney World vacation planning tips people with a toddler often focus on the Magic Kingdom. Epcot is often seen as more of an adult park and gets ruled out because people are unsure of what to do in Epcot with a toddler. The fact is though that there is actually a lot to do in Epcot with a toddler.

What to do in Epcot with a Toddler

What to do in Epcot with a Toddler

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I have always been a huge Epcot fan. There has always been something about that park that called to me. In fact I have loved it so much that I got married there. It’s probably no surprise then that my son Nick also loves going there and has since his first trip at two and a half.

Epcot (which originally stood for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) is a park dedicated to teaching us about our past, future, and cultures. This may not sound very exciting, especially for little kids, but this is Walt Disney World. With Disney you know it’s going to be fun.

Epcot is broken up into two different sections. The front area with Spaceship Earth (or the big ball as Nick calls it) is future world and the back area that features countries from around the world is World Showcase. Both areas have lots for kids of all ages to see and do. Let’s take a look at the things to do at Epcot with toddlers including rides and activities.

Future World Attractions

Spaceship Earth

The big ball that you can’t help but miss as you enter the park is home to the slow moving time travel ride called Spaceship Earth. This is one of my favorite rides, and Nick’s as well, in all of Walt Disney World. The focus of the ride is about how humans have communicated from the start of time through the future.

Kids love the end of the ride where you use an interactive touch screen to look at what your future could be like. Kids especially love it when they see their picture put on a character that is on the screen. The ride will take your picture for this part at the start of the ride. Make sure that your toddler is in a seat by themselves and have them sit up real tall when you’re told to look up for your picture. If the ride isn’t able to capture the picture then a cartoon face will appear on the computer screen instead.

It is important to note though that some ares of this ride can get quite dark, so you may want to bypass this one if your toddler is really scared of the dark.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends

What to do at The Seas with Nemo & Friends with a Toddler
The Seas with Nemo & Friends could keep your toddler busy for hours on it’s own! This building is actually home to several different attractions.

You start by riding the actual ride. For this you will board a giant clam shell and tag along as Marlin and Dory look for Nemo. During the ride you’ll visit all of the the different characters from Finding Nemo.

When you get off the ride you’ll find yourself in “The Seas” which is a very large aquarium. In fact it used to hold the record for the world’s largest salt water tank. Although it lost that record in 2005. The aquarium is also home to more then 6,000 sea creatures. There are two floors of exhibits and viewing locations where you can watch and learn about many different animals that are found in the ocean.

Before you leave The Seas with Nemo & Friends be sure to see the show Turtle Talk with Crush. This is actually a very cool show. It is a chance for kids to not only see Crush, but they have the opportunity to actually talk and interact with him.

Living with the Land (Inside of The Land Pavilion)

Living with the Land Boat Ride in Epcot
The big headliner attraction in The Land Pavilion is Soarin’, but that’s not on our list of what to do in Epcot with a toddler since it does have a height requirement. Instead, once you’ve entered The Land head downstairs to the Living with the Land boat ride.

Rides for Kids in Epcot

Living with the Land is a nice and relaxing boat ride that explains how people live and work with the land.  You start by traveling through different land scenes (rainforest, dessert, etc.) and learn about how they work and their importance. Then you’ll travel through large green houses to learn about food production and about how scientists are researching new ways to grow crops. It’s really quite interesting because they are actual working green houses and the food there is served in Disney restaurants.

Journey into Imagination…with Figment

Journey into Imagination Ride Vehicles
While I will always miss the original Imagination ride from my childhood this newer version has always been a hit with Nick. It still features everyone’s favorite purple dragon Figment. The basis of the ride is that you’re at the Imagination Institute to go through some tests on your five senses, but things don’t go as planned when Figment joins the tour and takes over.

It is important to note that some areas of this ride are very dark (in fact at one point completely dark) and it can also get quite loud. Nick is very sensitive to loud noises so I have always covered his ears in the loud parts (yes, I know the ride that well). If your toddler is also sensitive to noise I highly recommend bringing a pair of headphones with you. We did on our most recent trip to Disney and my only regret is that we had never gotten any for Nick sooner! They were awesome.

ImageWorks: Activites for Toddlers in Epcot

At the end of the ride you’ll enter ImageWorks. This is a fun play areas where there are interactive activities that your toddler can play with. Nick’s favorite one is the instrument floor where kids jump on lighted squares to make different instrument sounds.

Liquid Layer (Water Play Area)

Toddlers can Cool off at the Liquid Layer in Epcot
OK, I have to admit that I’m the mean mommy that doesn’t let her child play in these. I hate being stuck in wet clothes and even just seeing those soaked kids give me the shivers. Still I know that they are normally a big hit with kids. Especially in the summer months when you need to beat the heat!

There are actually several water zone play areas in Epcot for your toddler to play in. The main one is on the bridge connecting Future World to World Showcase. There is also a somewhat smaller one in Future World near Mission Space. That’s a great one if you’re baby swapping for Mission Space or Test Track.

It is important to note that in these play areas the water is constantly being recycled. That means that little ones that aren’t fully potty trained should be in a swim diaper to play there. These swim diapers were always my favorite to use when Nick was little.

Leaping Fountains

Kids Love Watching the Leaping Fountains in Epcot

Now, the leaping fountains are a bit different from the water play areas, and they are pretty cool. These fountains can be found outside of the Imagination Pavilion. They are made of water pads in multiple different planters. Spurts of water “leap” from water pad to water pad.

Kids have a bast following the water spouts around and waiting for the stream to jump out. While you certainly won’t get soaked at these fountains you can get a good splash as it jumps from one planter to another.


 

World Showcase Attractions

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros! (Inside the Mexico Pavilion)

Rides for Toddlers at Epcot
This boat ride is a hit with all kids. In this slow moving boat ride you help José and Panchito as they travel around Mexico looking for Donald Duck.

This ride is located inside the Mexican Pavilion and it’s all the way in the back left corner. Many people don’t even realize it’s there, so it often has little to no wait. In fact Nick is such a fan of it that we often get off and walk right back on. We sometimes do it three times in a row!

Frozen Ever After

Frozen Ever Aftr

If your toddler is a Frozen fan then this is a must do ride for you! Even if your toddler isn’t a Frozen fan this is still a fun ride for most little ones. Nick is in the not much of a fan group (although he does like Olaf), but he still enjoys this ride.

The story for the ride is that Queen Elsa is embracing her powers and creating a Winter in Summer celebration for all of the people of Arendelle. For the celebration she’s also opening her ice palace for everyone to see. Of course during the ride you’ll get to see all of your favorite Frozen characters!

The wait times for this ride can get quite long, so I highly recommend choosing this as one of your FastPass+ rides for the day. It’s also normal find that all of the Fast Passes allowed daily are given out weeks in advance, so snag your Fast Passes for this one as soon as you can!

Kidcot Fun Stops

Fun Things to do in Epcot - Kidcot Fun Stop
Every country in World Showcase has a Kidcot Fun Stop.  These have recently been recreated as Ziplock has taken over sponsoring them. Kids can collect their Ziplock “suitcase” at any of the locations as well as a special traveler’s card that is specific to each country. On the back of the card is a fun scene that kids can color. Each scene shows Mickey and Friend characters in that country. Kids can take the time to color each scene at the Kidcot Fun Stop area if they’d like. Once kids have collected all 11 cards they can collect a special Mickey postcard from any of the Kidcot Fun Stops!

Check out this post to find the specific Kidcot Fun Stop location in each country.

These stops are not only fun, but educational as well. When kids collect their cards, and color the scenes, they have the opportunity to talk to the Cast Members working the Kidcot Fun Stop stations and to learn about the country those Cast Members are from. All of the Cast Members that work at the lands in World Showcase must be a native from that land.

African Drums

Fun Things for Toddlers to do in Epcot
Between the China and Germany pavilions is a little outpost area. It’s not a specified pavilion of it’s own, but it has an African flare. At this location there are some large African drums that are set out that guests are allowed to play with and some kids that have fun playing them all day long!

On one trip when Nick was almost 3 he found that he really liked playing the drums. I mean really liked play them. In fact it was all that we could do to get him to leave them so we could go do something else!

Model Train Set

Model Train in Epcot
Just outside of the Germany pavilion is a huge model train set. Even those that don’t get all that excited by model trains can’t help but stop to admire it. Although if you have a big train fan like I do then you could be stuck there for hours!

The train tracks are placed within a large village that is made to scale for the trains. The village is so large that there is actually a bridge that stretches across it so you can get into the middle of it for a better look.

Friendship Boats

World Showcase Friendship Boats
The countries of World Showcase are set-up in a horseshoe shape around a large lake. This is a big reason why you do so much walking in Epcot. To help guests out Disney does offer boat rides from the front of World Showcase to countries in the back. One goes to Germany and the other goes to Morocco, but they don’t always run boats on both sides.

For kids that like riding boats this is a fun little adventure. It’s not always a fast adventure though, so skip riding the boats if you’re in a hurry to get to get to your next destination.

Sightseeing

World Showcase is a large area, so this is a great time to let your little one have a rest or (if you’re lucky) take a nap in the stroller. You can walk around for quite awhile without needing to take your child out of the stroller or even stop much. Take the time to walk all around the pavilions, go in the shops, and even try some amazing food.

Epcot for Toddlers

There are a lot of great adult things to do in Epcot, but that doesn’t mean young kids and their parents can’t have a great time there too.  These activities, on top of all the great character meet and greet locations around the park, can easily fill up your entire day there. Plus they’ll certainly take away the question of what to do in Epcot with a toddler.

More Disney World Vacation Planning Tips

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Cass@frugalfamily

Monday 2nd of June 2014

Brilliant tips - Thanks for linking up to the Parenting Pin It Party last week x x

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Monday 2nd of June 2014

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Susan W

Sunday 1st of June 2014

My kids are teens and Spaceship Earth is still a "must do" at the end of every day we spend at Epcot. Thanks for sharing at the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop!

Tammy

Sunday 1st of June 2014

I love Epcot. I have found out though its hard to see all the different countries with little ones. They don't want to eat the food. Thanks for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I've pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board

Elizabeth

Tuesday 3rd of June 2014

Haha yeah most kids aren't too adventurous with the food. There are a lot of great outside carts that will let you try food from the countries though. So you can munch on those things while you push a stroller around. This is especially easy to do during the Food and Wine Festival.