Have you thought about taking one of the tours at Walt Disney World? We decided to try one of the shorter ones to see how the kids (ages 6 and 4) would do. Since my family loves spending time at The Land in Epcot, we decided to try the Behind the Seeds tour. This tour is offered every day and is a short 1 hour walking tour. The Behind the Seeds tour offers guest a behind the scenes look at the Living with the Land attraction. The cost is very reasonable $25 for adults and $20 for children plus tax. If you have a Disney Rewards Visa you can get a 15% discount off of this tour.
We began the tour inside one of the research labs. Here we were shown a short video on the effects of bugs on crops. All around us in the room were glass containers with many of the insects shown in the video. We were taught about the “good bugs” and the “bad bugs” for crops and how the good insects are used to eradicate the bad ones. During this time the children in the group were each given a vile of ladybugs. They would be given the opportunity to release them a little later in the greenhouse. For those without children you can also take a vile to release your own ladybugs.
Our next stop was the greenhouse. Our tour guide went over all of the different techniques that Disney is using to grow crops at the land. We also learned how to create our own hydroponic garden at home. They have a demonstration tank set up for this and give everyone an instruction sheet to take home. After this, our guide had everyone with a vile of ladybugs release them onto the plants so that they could get to work on helping to keep the plants in the land healthy. Also, during this time we were all given a taste of the amazing cucumbers that are grown using the hydroponics. The cucumber we sampled was extra special because it was one of the ones that they grow in the shape of Mickey. The cucumbers were delicious!
Next, we continued on to the Aquaculture area where we saw giant tanks of tilapia, bass, sturgeon, ells, and shrimp. The kids were very interested in the tank with several baby alligators. Here we were allowed to feed the fish in the giant tanks. The kids were delighted to take part in the feeding. The last part of the tour took us to where the coffee plants, spices and chili peppers were grown. We saw where they grow the ghost chili, the hottest pepper in the world! The guide passed around a container with several spices and we were all asked to identify the food/spices that we have eaten or used while cooking.
This tour is a fantastic treat for everyone! I highly recommend this tour. The Behind the Seeds tour at Epcot’s Living with the Land Pavilion is educational and fun and the tour guides are very knowledgeable. During this tour you can take amazing pictures, find hidden Mickey’s, taste fresh food, feed fish and replenish the crops with lifesaving insects.
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Written by Tabitha Candebat: Tabitha’s obsession with a little mouse named Mickey began at age 4 when she received her first set of “Mouse Ears”. With over 50 trips to Disney World, she loves to share her knowledge and passion by s Planning Disney vacations for other guests. Catch the Disney fever with Tabitha! Email, Request a Quote or Call her at (504)296-6637 today! It’s time to book your next Disney World vacation. Be sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter.