Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division.
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Thing is, EPCOT wasn't supposed to be an amusement park. It was originally proposed as a fully fledged “city of the future,” or, more precisely, an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). The backstory: Walt Disney was often frustrated with modern city living.
Magic Kingdom was the first theme park to open in the complex in 1971, followed by Epcot (1982), Disney's Hollywood Studios (known then as Disney-MGM Studios) (1989), and Disney's Animal Kingdom (1998).
Construction for EPCOT Center began in October 1979. Its immense scale was regarded as the largest construction project in the country. Over 10,000 workers were ultimately involved in bringing this theme park to life.
With plans near finalized, the company broke ground on the EPCOT Center project on October 1, 1979. Card Walker, Florida governor Robert Graham, and former governors Charlie Kirk, Reuben Askew and Haydon Burns participated in the ceremony beneath a near full-scale Spaceship Earth replica.
Let's get one thing out of the way: there has never been a country that was removed from Epcot. All the countries that were originally there opening day — or added later on — remain in the park. The closest we get to a “removal” is perhaps Israel and Africa.
Previous rumors of Disney completely pulling out of Florida have been unfounded. In April, a satirical story about Disney's plans to relocate its Disney World theme park to a 1,000-acre parcel of land in Atlanta, Georgia, made the rounds prompting people to ask if Disney was leaving Florida for Georgia.
Epcot is home to some of the best restaurants at Walt Disney World, offering everything from character meals to out-of-this-world immersive experiences to international fine dining. There's something for every taste and budget, with casual stands, quick-service eateries, and table-service options.
However, Disney directors eventually decided that it was too risky to venture into city planning now that its biggest advocate was gone. Roy persisted and took the reins on the project, coming out of retirement, but he could not convince the board to build EPCOT.
Epcot Forever has returned to World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT. This temporary show is a treat for Disney fans. Epcot Forever was a previous Epcot fireworks show that returned on April 4th, 2023, and is running in the interim while Harmonious barges and equipment is being slowly transformed out of the Lagoon.
If you're into rides more than general theme park merriment and atmosphere, we suggest skipping Epcot, as it doesn't offer as many thrills. However, families, foodies and world's fair enthusiasts will likely enjoy their time at this concept park.
Epcot is divided into four main themed areas, known as neighborhoods: World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature and World Showcase. A secondary park gate is located between the France and United Kingdom pavilions of World Showcase and is known as the International Gateway.
#1 – The Best Disney Park – Magic KingdomComing in at number one is the original 1971 Walt Disney World park, Magic Kingdom! Home to the most magical castle on Earth and some of the most classic attractions in theme parks.
Spain PavilionThere also would have been an additional attraction as well as shopping and dining experiences. The market place would have featured both the new and old of Spain. The pavilion was never built because Disney was not able to find a sponsor. Efforts to sign on Spain has been tougher.
The Soviet Union fell in 1991, leading to economic turmoil. The government of Russia decided not to move forward with sponsoring the pavilion at EPCOT.
Spain PavilionThere also would have been an additional attraction as well as shopping and dining experiences. The market place would have featured both the new and old of Spain. The pavilion was never built because Disney was not able to find a sponsor.