Epcot is celebrating its 30th anniversary today! It’s hard to believe, I know. Although I will be aging myself, I admit that I remember when it opened. I will also admit, I was one of those kids who thought it would be boring due to its educational value. Now 30 years later, it has become one of my favorite parks and a must do on every trip.
Initially, the park was called EPCOT Center. The “center” was dropped in 1996 and it is now just referred to as Epcot. It is the third most visited park in the United States with approximately 10.5 million visitors each year. Epcot, which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, was actually the vision of Walt Disney himself. Prior to building the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Walt was interested in creating a Utopian community of the future. However, he was not granted permission to build it until after the Magic Kingdom was completed. As you may know, Walt Disney died prior to the completion of the Magic Kingdom and the Walt Disney Company halted plans for EPCOT for several years. 
The park consists of two sections, Future World and World Showcase. In Future World, you will find several pavilions with each dedicated to different aspects of technology and innovative attractions. World Showcase is home to 11 different countries around the world. Each country is represented by shops and restaurants. They are also staffed by citizens of the country itself through the Cultural Representative Program. Some also include rides, shows or live entertainment providing yet another glimpse into each country.
With the way technology changes these days, Epcot has had to go through many changes as well. To keep up to date or ahead of modern technology, Imagineers and executives are always trying to find new ways to update the park and keep guests interested in visiting.
In honor of the special anniversary, Disney has brought back some fantastic retro merchandise including shirts, books, toys and much more.
Over the next several weeks, we at Wishing Well Travel will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Epcot too by sharing some of our favorite memories or thoughts about the Park. We hope you will enjoy this look back in time at the park that is always looking toward the future!
Haley has been a Disney Travel Specialist with Wishing Well Travel since 2012, you can contact her at Haley at wishingwelltravel.com, find her on facebook or Request a Quote from her online.
