The Land
Epcot

INTRODUCTION

A view from the air, learn about the environment, the foods we eat and creative ways to feed future generations.

The Land is an impressive pavilion that sprawls across six acres, houses three attractions, has a unique sit-down restaurant, a new fast food court and more.  

Soar over the golden state! Squash plants suspended in air, a living redwood that fits in the palm of your hand, and corn plants that have been specially bred to resist damage from a deadly pest can all be found at The Land ! 

ATTRACTIONS

Soarin' - Officially opened May 5, 2005! The attraction sends guests on a sweeping flyover above the wondrous Golden State for a birds-eye view of the rich landscape and topography. "Soarin' Over California" will be the newest addition to The Land pavilion at Epcot, complementing the popular pavilion's agriculture and ecology theme.

The unforgettable experience combines cinematic artistry and state-of-the-art motion base technology. Guests are literally lifted 40 feet inside a giant projection screen dome and completely surrounded with the beauty and wonder of the state of California as their elevated theater seats take them on a scenic tour over the Golden Gate Bridge, the Redwood forests, Napa Valley, Yosemite and more. The free-flight experience intensifies as guests feel the sweeping winds and smell fragrant orange blossoms and pine trees around them.

For more details on Soarin' --
Attraction Fact Sheet
Photos
Reader Reports

Living with the Land - a gentle 14-minute boat ride through unique indoor plant growing areas.  An introduction shows tropic, desert and prairie biomes that existed before humans arrived.  The automated narration explains all about the four greenhouses and the aquaculture facility.  

The boat glides on into The Land’s experimental growing areas:

• The Tropics Greenhouse - crops such as rice, sugar cane, peanuts, cacao, and bananas are usually grown under the 60-foot dome.   These crops can be found in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America and the southern United States.

• The Aquacell -  crops include fish, alligators, catfish, tilapia, sunshine bass and American eel.

• The Temperate Greenhouse - featuring the concepts and technologies of sustainable agriculture, including intercropping, integrated pest management and specialized irrigation systems that reduce waste and increase crop production.
  

• The Production Greenhouse - where tons of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and other vegetables are grown for use in The Land’s Garden Grill Restaurant and other Epcot restaurants. Land scientists utilize growing systems that are kinder to the environment and improve productivity.
  

• The Creative House , showing imaginative ways to grow crops -- without soil, hanging in the air, even on a space station. USDA scientists currently are working at The Land to develop fruit with a longer shelf life.

The Circle of Life - a wide-screen movie about the environment and our relationship with the land, hosted by the stars of The Lion King.  All set to build Hakuna Matata Vacation Resort, Pumbaa and Timon are damming rivers and cutting down trees.  Simba steps in to remind them, and us, to take care of our environment.  The photography in this movie is outstanding and not to be missed.  Scenes were filmed in over 30 nations.

Epcot Attractions At A Glance

DINING

The Garden Grill Restaurant is a unique, circular sit-down restaurant that actually rotates slowly. As the restaurant glides you will be able to look out into the main hall of The Land Pavilion and also catch glimpses of Living With the Land boat ride. The Garden Grill serves lunch or dinner with Farmer Mickey and Farmers Chip and Dale.

Sunshine Seasons - features an open kitchen, five stations and a centralized cashier (think Pepper Market or All Stars/Pop Century Food Court). The wood-fired grill serves rotisserie items, the Soup and Salad station features the freshest herbs and vegetables from The Land greenhouse!

The Asian Wok Shop offers noodle bowls and stir fry. Foods here have a light healthy approach. Look for Black-forest ham and salami, turkey mufuletta and grilled veggie Cuban sandwiches at the Sandwich Shop. Finally, there is a bakery.

Character Meals
Epcot Restaurants At A Glance
Menus From Around the World
Vegetarian and Other Special Diets

ENTERTAINMENT

There is no special entertainment found in The Land.  For more information on Epcot Live Entertainment, visit Steve Soares WDW Entertainment Website.

TOURING TIPS

Both Soarin' and Living with the Land boat ride are FASTPASS attractions! BE prepared for long waits for Soarin'!

Living with the Land  is a slow-loading attraction.  Lines will build about midmorning and don't lighten up until much later in the day.  See this early in the morning or after dark.

The Circle of Life theater is rarely crowded so you can enjoy these attractions at your leisure.

Behind the Seeds Tour  - a special guided walking tour of the greenhouse areas.  Land scientists or a member of the College Horticultural team meet groups of up to 12 throughout the day for a 60-minute tour of the growing areas and research labs.  You can ask questions and take a closer look at environmentally friendly technologies such as integrated pest management.  You must sign-up for the tour,  at the Green Thumb Emporium on the pavilion’s ground floor.  Arrive early since the tour will book up before noon.  This tour costs $8 per adult and $6 for children 3-9.  It is well worth the cost.   

Hidden Mickey Sightings:

 

Assistive Listening Devices from Guest Services Can Be Used in The Circle of Life.

Reflective Captioning Available for the Circle of Life.

KIDS AND CHARACTERS

The Garden Grill restaurant has character lunch and dinner. 

Epcot Characters At A Glance
Character Meet and Greet FAQ!

SHOPPING

Green Thumb Emporium - Environmental kitchen and garden gifts. Kitchen Kabaret items sold here in the 1980's have become sought after collectibles!  

 

INTERESTING FACTS

The Land's entry mosaics are each 134 feet long with 150,000 individually shaped pieces of marble, granite, slate, glass and gold to represent the layers of the Earth that lead to the Great Hall.  A husband and wife team created the mosaics.  

The pavilion encourages you to "think environmentally," right down to sayings printed on the walls near the queue for "Living With the Land" -- for example, "Once Our Natural Splendor Is Destroyed, It Can Never Be Recaptured" (Lyndon Baines Johnson); and "We Have Not Inherited the Earth From Our Forefathers, We Have Borrowed It From Our Children" (Kashmiri Proverb).

As you enter the building, look out to the ceiling where 5 balloons hang.  The middle one represents Earth.  The four surrounding balloons represent the seasons:  Yellow for summer, Orange for Fall, Blue for Winter and Green for Spring.  Under the Earth balloon are clouds and a lightning bolt....as it rains, the water goes into the fountain below and then recycles through the pavilion.

The Environmental Research laboratory at the University of Arizona assisted Imagineering in establishing areas within this pavilion that, but using advanced agricultural methods such as hydroponics, grow vegetables served at its centrally located dining area.

The background music outside The Land Pavilion is the original Epcot background music.  

Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom can fit inside The Land Pavilion.

Prior to the addition of Soarin' you could hear background music in the pavilion that included: "Allegheny Moon" "Blue Moon" "Carolina Moon "Got the Sun" "How High the Moon" Moon Medley "Moon River" "Moonlight Bay" "Moonlight Becomes You" "Moonlight Serenade" "No Moon at All" "Old Devil Moon" "Paper Moon" "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" "Sing in the Sunshine" "Sonny" "Sunny Side of the Street" "Sunrise, Sunset" "Sunshine on My Shoulders" "Wait ’Til the Sun Shines Nellie" "You Are My Sunshine" "You are the Sunshine of My Life"

The Land "History"