Behind the Seeds Tour at Epcot
If you have ever been riding Living with the Land at Epcot, and you have see people walking around while you are riding the attraction, those people are taking part of one of the most unique tours on Disney property called the Behind the Seeds Tour.
My lovely wife (Parkhopper Sarah-Irene) gave me this tour a birthday present, and it was every bit as fascinating as it was fun! We took a tour after lunch, which even in October was a little warm in the sun, but it was not too uncomfortable. We arrived at the desk located next to the entrance for Soarin’ in the Land Pavilion in plenty of time to get checked in a do one of our favorite Disney pastimes: meet other Disney guests!
Once the group of 12-16 of us was gathered together, we stepped backstage (another COOL bonus) and started the tour. We took turns going around the group and introduced ourselves and also got to know our guide a little better. And then we stepped through a door and were inside the greenhouse and began the tour of this amazing facility!
The tour goes in the opposite direction of the Living with the Land attraction, so if you can imagine it backwards, you can easily keep up with our many stops along the way! We started the tour outside the laboratories running several experiments and were told that Walt Disney World worked with several outside companies to experiment with different types of crops and growing techniques throughout the building. As we watched, some of the scientists performed their work and waved at the onlookers.
We then moved around the greenhouse and started to walk through the amazing vegetation grown throughout the facility. From tomatoes and lettuce to coffee, peppers, and all sorts of melons it’s overwhelming to thing all this goes on inside of a theme park! We were also told that much of the vegetation we were seeing is used throughout the parks; most of which was grown and used at the Garden Grill located just upstairs in the Land Pavilion (nice tie-in).
We had the opportunity to sample some of the seedless cucumber, not being a fan; I tried it anyway and was very pleased at the taste. My wife, who does love cucumber, commented that had a very unique flavor was unlike any she had ever had before. At one of the earlier stops, we learned how Disney raises and releases certain insects to help with vegetation inside this area as well as throughout the parks. The kids were given the opportunity to release a small container of lady bugs to eat the bad insects and keep the plants healthy.
We moved over to the hydroponic growing area where several plants were being grown in different ways hydroponically. One of the funny moments of our tour was when I realized that the darker lettuce was growing in the shape of a Mickey, a fact unnoticed by my tour group until I mentioned it. It got a laugh and TONS of pictures. Speaking of Mickey Mouse, did you know that several of the vegetables and fruits grown inside of the greenhouse are grown in the shape of a Mickey? They grown cucumbers, pumpkins, and watermelons into Mickey shaped molds to achieve the look and it doesn’t affect the taste at all!
We kept moving through the greenhouse watching the boats carrying the guests of the Living with the Land attraction going by…it was interesting; we had become part of the attraction!
We then entered the Aquaculture area where we saw not only giant tanks of tilapia and bass, but also sturgeon, ells, and shrimp. It was also great to see people’s reactions to the baby alligators housed here as well…especially at feeding time. Being a Florida resident, gators are rather commonplace to us, but inside those holding tanks, they sure are cute when they’re young.
We continued on and finished where the coffee plants and chili peppers abound. We saw where they grow the ghost chili, the hottest pepper in the world! And at this point in the tour, we did an about face and retraced our steps back out. When we had reached where our tour began, we went through another set of doors and came out near the FastPass area of Soarin’. A little tired, but very satisfied with the last hour.
This tour is great for people who are interested in gardening or learning how to become more self-sustaining. It’s also a great tour for the more ecologically minded. Disney is trying to be more “Green” and is very willing to share their thoughts and ideas with you.
We had several stops along the way for those on the tour who needed to rest and it moved at a very leisurely pace. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly and very patient with the younger ones! Speaking of kids, there are several places on the tour where Disney has tried to make it very accessible to children, but it is what it is: a walking tour in an over-sized garden. Only you can decide if your kids will benefit from the Behind the Seeds Tour, but it is very informative and would a great tour to take a later do a report on what was learned…even if it’s just for the parents and not for school.
Epcot theme park admission is required and is not included in the price of the tour. The tour costs $18.00 per adult (ages 10 and up) $14.00 per child (ages 3-9 yrs). Discounts are available for AAA, DVC members, annual passholders, and active military. You can call Walt Disney World at (407) WDW-TOUR or (407) 939-8687 to register for your tour. Behind the Seeds Tour is wheelchair accessible and also accessible for people with hearing disabilities.
