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Walt Disney
World's Epcot Center Information
 E.P.C.O.T.
(Experimental Prototype
Community of Tomorrow)
is an acronym for a vision
brought to the table by Walt Disney himself back
before 1970. Epcot was originally supposed
to be a futuristic utopian city that explored
conceptual ideas for human growth and
development and technological advances in energy
and other facets of human existence. This
city would be home to 20,000 habitants and would
include People Movers like the monorail system
in Magic Kingdom, and underground tunnels for
automobiles to promote pedestrian safety above
ground. This vision left the possibility
of promoting all of these new technological
advancements very limited to the public if not
for a massive venue of display, so that idea
subsided and the Epcot you see today was thought
to be the best alternative.
Since it's grand opening on
October 1st, 1982, Epcot Center has done a great
job in keeping up with the times by adding a
host of new attractions. Epcot is divided
into two sides. Future World, which became
the enhancement of Walt Disney's original idea
is a wonderful place where guests are given the
ability to take a peek into technological
advancements in construction, computers, and new
and resourceful ideas in in-home technologies.
Future world is broken into several Pavilions
which concentrate on various topics from energy
and conservatory methods to food and
agricultural management advancements.
The other half of Epcot is the
World Showcase, a large circle of pavilions
dedicated to different countries from Canada to
the United Kingdom, and from China to The
American Adventure, with many more countries in
between. These pavilions offer food and
beverages from their respectful countries and
all or most of the waiters and waitresses and
shop keepers are also from the countries they
represent. There are also some interesting
rides amidst the pavilions that go into greater
detail on stories and folk tales in those
countries.
Feel free to take a tour through the two halves
of Epcot Center
by clicking on one of the images
below.
With all there is to see and do
at Epcot Center, there is also a lot to learn.
There are all of the advancements of future
technologies, which inspire the youth of today
to be inventive for tomorrow. You also
have the bevy of cultures which come together in
the World Showcase, teaching everyone about the
histories, foods, and diversity of the countries
they visit. With over 300 acres (twice the
size of Magic Kingdom) Epcot Center has plenty
to offer everyone, young and old. It
continues to be an attraction dedicated to hope,
imagination, and invention; it also provides the
marvels of enterprise creativity, and ingenuity
which have helped and will continue to help
shape the world, and hopefully for the better.
 IllumiNations:
Reflections of Earth
At approximately 9:00 PM every
night Everyone in Epcot makes their way over to
World Showcase and gathers around the bank of
the World Showcase Lagoon, a man made lagoon
with a diameter of around 1.2 miles. This
is the location where IllumiNations:
Reflections of Earth takes place.
It starts with a score of wonderful and
inspiring music, followed by lights, water
fountains, and lasers all in sync with the score
itself. As the show progresses the fire
works commence, lighting up the entire bank of
the lagoon with wonderful flashes of colorful
light and sound.
The current version of the show
features a Millennium based theme, telling the
story of the earth and our growth over time.
The story is divided into three parts: Chaos,
Order, and Meaning. These are 19 torches
around the perimeter of the lagoon, symbolizing
the first 19 centuries. At the end of the
presentation, the illuminated globe opens to
reveal a 20th torch which symbolizes the
completed 20th century.
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