The Flower and Garden, Work and Play Trip – Day 6

I slept in a little bit this morning, then headed to Epcot. My goal today was to finish getting pictures of the topiaries and take photos of as many of the gardens as possible. I made it to Epcot a little after 10 AM and headed straight to France for my favorite breakfast. At least once a trip, I stop at the counter service crepe restaurant to get a Bechamel, Cheese, & Ham Galette, and a Mimosa. I found a little table tucked in the corner of the pavilion to enjoy it before starting my picture-taking journey around the park.

After breakfast, I got pictures of the Banquet Garden in France and the Shakespeare and Tea Gardens in the United Kingdom. (as always, click on the image in each gallery for the full-sized version)

Then, I stopped in Canada to explore and take pictures of the pavilion and the Victoria Gardens. For the past several trips, the upper part of the pavilion has been blocked off because some of the buildings were being refurbished, so it was nice to see it fully reopened.

Next, I stopped at the Pineapple Promenade to get their festival beer flight before heading to World Celebration to relax in their new sitting area. This space outside Creations shop has comfortable chairs, tables, and places to charge your devices. It is not only a great space to relax and people-watch but also a nice place to work.

My next stop was Butterfly Landing, located in World Nature, near the Imagination building. This butterfly garden is always a fun place to visit. If you are lucky enough to take multiple trips to the Flower and Garden Festival, it is enjoyable to see it at the beginning and then again closer to the end, as the amount of butterflies dramatically increases as the festival goes on. I even had someone stop me and share a picture they took of me. I guess I had a little guy who stopped to take a ride on my hat and had been there most of the time I was in the garden.

Next, I decided it was time to try another one of the beer flights on my list, so I headed to Citrus Blossom inside the Odyssey building. This is another great space to sit and relax. It is indoors and a great place to escape the weather. I have sat out many rain storms here in the past.

I was starting to get a little hungry, so I stopped by the Outdoor Kitchen in Mexico for a Sope de Chilorio. Then, I headed on to China for a Honey Jasmine Lager Beer. I found a bench overlooking the Panda topiaries and relaxed for a while. Both of my snack items were tasty and hit the spot.

My next stop was in Germany to check out the miniature train village. This village is modeled after a mid-century Bavarian town, and it has homes, shops, churches, villages, countryside, and several trains that run through it all. I noticed it was also decorated for the Flower and Garden Festival. The banners hung throughout the town had the festival logo on them. Make sure to take some time to stop by here next time you are in Epcot; you won’t regret it. While in Germany, I also visited the Minature and Gnome Gardens.

After enjoying the trains, I decided I wanted to head over to Hollywood Studios, so I slowly made my way out of Epcot, but not before stopping in Morroco to watch Atlas Fusion. They are a fun band to listen to. Their belly dancer is terrific to watch, and she does a great job getting all the kids watching the show to get involved and dance.

A few more pictures of the festival Gardens and Topiaries.

After leaving Epcot, I got on the Skyliner to head to Hollywood Studios, where I met a really nice family on their first vacation to Disney World. They spent most of the ride picking my brain about my must-dos and favorite places to eat. One thing I love about these trips is meeting new people, especially first-time visitors. It is fun to give some tips or advice from my perspective.

Once I entered Hollywood Studios, I mainly wanted to grab a drink, walk around, and soak up the atmosphere, so I headed straight to Sunset Boulevard. Shortly after arriving, I realized it was almost time for the final daily showing of Beauty and The Beast. This is one of my all-time favorite shows here in Disney World, so of course, I had to go. I grabbed a drink from the Sunshine Day bar and headed to the theatre, where I got a great seat to watch the show.

Beauty and The Beast – Live on Stage. Sorry for the picture overload, but did I mention how much I love this show?

After the show, I saw that Toy Story Midway Mania was only showing a 20-minute wait, so I rode that and then found a table on Sunset Boulevard to relax, listen to the background music, and people-watch. The atmosphere in this part of the park is one of my favorite places. It is themed after 1940s Hollywood, complete with Art Deco buildings and a fantastic music soundtrack. I could honestly sit anywhere along this street all day and be perfectly happy.

After about an hour, I was getting hungry for dinner, so I walked back to the Dolphin to order takeout from The Fountain. Then, I headed back to my room to watch Luminous, the nightly Epcot fireworks show, from my window before calling it a night.