This is one of my favorite exhibits to visit while in Epcot! It's located in the Japan Pavilion…read more Hidden behind the beautiful Japanese castle gate is this gallery that offers a amazing adventure! The gallery offers a peaceful break from the crowds and gives you a chance to experience a different side of Disney. The current exhibit is Kawaii: Culture of Cute Things from Japan, a fun and interesting exhibit! Bright, colorful displays are full of pop culture references, but also explain how kawaii culture became such an important part of Japanese society. I really enjoyed learning more about the history behind something I usually connect with things like Hello Kitty, anime, and character designs. The gallery is air conditioned and a lot of fun to explore, making it a perfect place to slow down for a few minutes during a busy Epcot day. After visiting the gallery, I did spend some time walking through the rest of the pavilion and browsing Mitsukoshi Department Store for Japanese snacks and souvenirs! The whole area is beautifully themed and has a immersive feel. I recommend stopping by Bijutsu-kan Gallery if you're exploring the Japan Pavilion. It's educational and memorable, one of the best exhibits for me at Epcot and is always a must visit!

This gallery was located at the southern end of the Mitsukoshi Department Store. It was a pretty…read moresame exhibit in a single room, fairly easy to miss! What I saw during my most recent visit was an exhibit on Kawaii: Japan's Cute Culture. If you're a fan of stuff such as Hello Kitty, you should come check this out.

While I was shopping in Main Street, U.S.A at Magic Kingdom, I found the Crystal Arts shop! The…read moreCrystal Arts shop is operated by the Arribas brothers. It's a boutique that is dedicated to exquisite glass and crystal pieces. One of the coolest features about this store is the in store glass blowing demonstrations. Artisans shape molten glass into delicate figurines, vases, or even etched nameplates. You can watch as the artisans creates, bend, twist, and color the glass! It's quite fascinating to watch! The store also offers custom engraving on many of its pieces! Crystal Arts offers several hands on experiences as well. There is a Hidden Mickey Tiaras & Scepters activity. You can design your own tiara or scepter by choosing from different metal bases like gold or silver. You can then choose a variety of gemstone accents or even birthstones! There is also a newer experience called the custom enchanted pumpkin carriage. You can select the colors and a glassblower creates your own tiny glass pumpkin carriage while you watch! Inside the store, you'll find beautifully crafted glassware from the Cinderella castle themed to Mickey and Minnie designs. There are some exclusive collections like the special Disney Vacation Club member glassware and Disney's Annual Passholder as well. This is a unique and fun experience. It's also a great way to take a break from the theme park rides!

A fascinating place to stop in and look around. I mean who doesn't want to see a $37k hand made…read morecrystal castle and custom made Disney themed tiaras?? They have mostly crystal pieces, however they do offer some ceramic and porcelain pieces from various designers as well. If you catch the artisans while they are working it's a whole other kind of show. There is a section for glass workers to sit and design pieces by hand and watching them work is always enjoyable. It really helps one to appreciate the talent and effort going into each piece. They etch a glass with names, dates, etc as well. We've gotten similar ones in other locations throughout the parks and they make great keepsakes. Overall: A Great place to stop and check out all the unique pieces and talented artists.

During our trip in December 2024, we stopped by this tribute store and enjoyed the holiday theming…read more Loved the little areas for photos, and even a nice selection of souvenirs to pick up as well. Especially loved seeing items for Hanukkah as there isn't much throughout the parks. Definitely return here if we do another holiday trip to Universal Studios Orlando.

This tribute store has been around for a few years now and one of the coolest things about this…read moreplace is the constant changing of the design and theme as well as the storyline behind it. This year for Halloween horror nights, it's based around entering a comic book (which they sell) and living in the stories being told. The themeing is phenomenal and each room has different shirts and art as well as trinkets they are selling all centered around the story and the horror nights event of the year! They always have a wide variety of themed snacks, this year they have cakes based around stranger things and smores that are red and themed after Chucky the doll! I love how friendly everyone is when it comes to the team members working here and they helped me find everything I was looking for while I was here! I tried the chucky s'more and it was heavenly! Little pricey at $7 for the size but you are paying the theme park premium so it's understandable. Can't wait to see next tribute store theme!

The Winter Park Historical Museum is a small free museum located across the railroad from Central…read morePark. It is operated by the Winter Park Historical Association and resides in a former railroad freight depot. There is a one room exhibit hall that features changing exhibits. The goal of the museum is to engage people in the history of Winter Park. The current exhibit is about the hotels and motels of Winter Park throughout the city's history. The exhibit highlights include the luxury hotels of the late 1800s, like the Seminole Hotel, built in 1886 on Lake Osceola. It was a place that attracted northerners and had luxuries such as steam heating and gaslights. President Grover Cleveland was a visitor but it burned down in 1902. Also included in the exhibit is information about the roadside family motels, tourist courts and the boarding houses used by the workers who built Winter Park. The museum offers programs throughout the year. It is staffed by a volunteer so if you want to know more about the history of Winter Park you can actually speak to someone about it. It also has a small gift shop. If you are in the area it is worth stopping by.

If you wanna check out the beginnings of your neighborhood, the best place to start is the Winter…read morePark history museum on 200 New England Avenue. The current exhibit is motels and hotels. There is a volunteer who will answer your questions. This used to be the lobby for the Atlantic Railroad. There is free parking on the street and donations are recommended.

This was an interesting part of our day trip!…read more Checking out this museum was a lot of fun! There were plenty of old artifacts to check out. The most interesting to me was the old hospital setting with medical supplies (donated by Orlando Health). It was so cool to see the old arrowhead collection too! Definitely worth the trip to historic Winter Garden

A free museum! I'm all for it. David was the greeter and it was cool even though the museum is…read moresmall it's jam packed with tons of history about historical Winter Garden. They have a super cool tractor trailer and fire truck out front which I loved to see. The artifacts and things were in very great condition, and David had so much wealth and knowledge of not just Winter Garden and Florida but of other states as well- he's 91 and is full of so much knowledge. I would check this out if I were you. Just find parking on the street and go on it- be sure to donate as well since it is free and fun by volunteers. I want to go back next time when I have more time I was limited on time when I went back I did like the variety in the museum.

Liquid chocolate, festival merch, demos and talks. This space is a perfect venue for all things…read morefood and wine. We stopped in here for mainly two things: ghiradelli liquid chocolate and commemorative merch. There was plenty of other things to see and do here though! Several informational videos were playing on loop with seating for viewers. There were regular talks and demos happening, most of which were complimentary, you just needed to wait in line. They also gave a small Cafe for food and drink refuel. The art shop was an especially cool shop. They have all the art for the festival in one place. Overall: A Great space to check out food and wine jazz ... Plus it has air conditioning! ;))

So this is the official place you go to before you embark on your International Food and Wine…read moreadventure. around the world. Formerly located at the old Wonders of Life Pavilion, and now will be in the Forest World of Epcot ( formally part of Future World). I recommend going to the Festival Center before the food booths open up at 11 AM, the festival center opens at 10 AM. At the center, you can pick up your passport, the ratatouille scavenger hunt, artwork, some cool merchandise, and those coveted 250 dollar VIP gift card laminates. Yelp! Tip- the gift card in those laminates fall out easily, and mine FLEW-OUT during Test Track. The Festival Center was extremely accommodating to helping me get a new one since I DID NOT have my original receipt. It took them about 15 minutes in the back, albeit the longest 15 minutes of my life, to find my original purchase in the Disney database. I also took the Mix It, Make It, and Celebrate It! class which I loved, an interactive class with the Chef were you make the food together. The Beverage Seminar with French Champagne was TOP NOTCH. My only complaint was the Food Demo class, as usually Disney ALWAYS gives you a glass of wine with your food, and they cheaped out this year by not doing that. However, guests do notice these little changes, and for the same price as last year, bring back the glass of wine with the class please since this is an International FOOD and WINE festival. Don't forget to check all the Ghirardelli chocolate sculptures, and to get your free piece of chocolate, and that word FREE doesn't come often at Disney!!

I went to Stein Haus when I was walking through the Germany Pavilion at Epcot, and as an individual…read moreshop it seems very specialized, which is part of why it stands out! As soon as you enter the store, you will know immediately what type of products are sold here, beer steins. And lots of them! There are shelves filled with many different types of beer stein designs, from the basic and very classic designs to some very decorative or ornate designs with lids and many other details on the art work. The selection is quite large! Based on my visit, this would be your go to location within Epcot if you are looking for a traditional German beer stein or something a bit more unique to bring back home! I really enjoyed the connection this store had to the rest of the Germany pavilion. In addition to being a part of the stores section of shops, the store itself was tucked away from view so as you wandered through, you found yourself entering the store. It's very close to the Holiday shop too, and I think that combined made the entire shopping area seem like one large market place instead of just two or three separate stores. There were many stein options available that were fairly detailed and could be considered collectibles. They included hand painted designs and specialty pieces. I did notice that there were several steins that seemed to be for decoration only and not for casual use at home! I'm glad I had a chance to stop inside Stein Haus! It was such a great experience to go shopping inside the store and look at all of the unique beer stein designs!

A more traditional store for the Germany Pavilion they sell steins, mugs, and other items. They…read morehave some fun traditional foods and candies here as well I'd suggest trying if you feel adventurous. It's a smaller location and it's quick to go through. They have a dedicated cast member to help you out and a register bay to check out any purchases. They are attached to two other stores, so you can pop into those while you are here. They are doing a good job of keeping traffic flowing one way with marked entrance and exit only doors. Overall: A A fun "authentic" style German store with great merch - check out all the fun steins.

Come for the A/C, stay because Ty Burrell just made climate change sound like a sitcom plot…read more Awesome Planet is EPCOT's way of saying, "We're still educational, dammit." Nestled inside The Land Pavilion, this 10-minute film opened on January 17, 2020, replacing the long-running Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable (1995-2018). You remember that one -- Timon and Pumbaa lecturing you about recycling while you tried not to fall asleep in the air conditioning. Disney retired it after two decades, deciding it was time to update the message and the visuals (and, let's be honest, cut the fart jokes). History check: before Circle of Life, the theater housed Symbiosis (1982-1994), which was pure 1980s EPCOT -- equal parts earnest science lesson and school field-trip snoozefest. Awesome Planet continues that tradition but with a 21st-century facelift: gorgeous IMAX-style cinematography, sweeping time-lapse shots, and narration by Ty Burrell (yes, Phil Dunphy from Modern Family, which somehow makes saving the planet sound both funny and slightly neurotic). The show is a mix of jaw-dropping aerial shots, underwater footage, and computer graphics that make you realize just how insane Earth really is. It hits the big notes: oceans, forests, deserts, storms, climate change. There's a section where you're basically watching Earth flex its muscles while you're sitting there with a churro wondering what you've done with your life. Is it a thrill ride? Nope. But it's pure EPCOT DNA -- infotainment with enough Disney polish to keep you from checking your phone. And the air conditioning? Let's be real, that's the real five-star feature in Florida summers. "It's a commercial for Planet Earth, but at least it's a good commercial."-- it's slick, beautiful, and makes you want to go recycle something immediately... or at least feel guilty about your plastic poncho. Bottom line: Awesome Planet is short, smart, and surprisingly moving. It's the quiet conscience of EPCOT -- reminding you that the most impressive attraction here isn't a ride, it's the rock we're all spinning on.

Awesome Planet is a show located in World Nature at the Land Pavilion. It's right next to the…read moreGarden Grill restaurant, and you'll see the show off to your right as soon as you enter the Land Pavilion. It's been a few years since I watched the show. It's a 10-minute film featuring the earth and the environment from across the globe! This show is for all ages. The film does use in-theater effects such as wind, scents, and water. It tells the story of life on our planet! If you're looking to take a break from the summer heat, this is a great spot to stop at. It's in a air conditioned building. The images are stunning! There usually aren't many people that queue up for this attraction. The theater is relatively large though with lots of seating! If you haven't watched this film yet, you should check it out while you're visiting Epcot!