I am definitely a foodie, and I like to know where my food comes from. I’m a big believer in supporting farms and sustainable practices. Have you ever wondered where the food you eat at Epcot comes from? Well, chances are if you are enjoying either fresh fish or vegetables at Epcot, those items came from one of Disney’s greenhouses or fish farms. The Behind the Seeds Tour at Epcot takes guests behind the scenes of these areas, which can also be glimpsed during the Living with the Land attraction.
Alright, let me break this down a little bit.
Living with the Land, located in The Land Pavilion of Futureworld, is a slow moving boat ride, which is part dark ride and part greenhouse tour. The focus of the ride is on agriculture, especially new technology to make agriculture more efficient and environmentally friendly.
The Behind the Seeds Tour offers guests the unique opportunity to take a closer look at the Walt Disney World greenhouses and animal farming. During a one hour tour, your tour guide will take you behind the scenes to visit the fish farm where you can participate in a feeding time, you can see American alligators up close, release ladybugs into the greenhouse, view gigantic fruits, vegetables, and unusual crops from around the world, and discover the latest plant growing techniques.
How much does this insider look cost? It is super affordable! For only $20.00 per person, you are able to experience all of this, plus get some great photo opportunities.
Check-in for the tour is at the help desk, right in between Soarin’ and Living with the Land. I highly suggest taking the opportunity to ride Living with the Land right before your tour so you have some basic knowledge of what you will be learning more about. Living with the Land rarely has a long wait time, but consider booking a FastPass+ for this attraction just in case.
Once your tour party is gathered, you tour guide will take you behind the scenes and into the greenhouses. This tour definitely puts all of your senses to work! Obviously, you are surrounded by the smells of the greenhouse crops and can see the interesting plants and produce. You are also given the opportunity to touch certain plants, and taste some of the fresh produce grown there. On our tour, we had the chance to taste fresh cucumber.
The most interesting thing that we learned about during our tour was Magical Fruit. No, this doesn’t just mean fruit grown at Disney World! Magical Fruit, when eaten, causes your taste receptors to switch so that whatever you eat, whether it is a piece of pork or a carrot, tastes like sugar. The effect, is of course (and regrettably), temporary. Although, we did not get to try Magical Fruit, we definitely still talk about it.
After we finished with the greenhouses, we made our way into the fish farming area. American alligators are raised here, as well as tilapia. Our guide provided us with some feeding pellets and we were able to throw them into the tilapia tank and watch a true feeding frenzy.
Then, we traveled back through the greenhouses where our guide pointed out even more interesting crops and farming techniques. And you can bet, if there are greenhouses at Disney, there are Mickey shaped fruits and vegetables!
At the very end of the tour, our guide invited us to take an exclusive photo with a Mickey shaped pepper tree – a photo that can only be taken during this tour.
I did get my insider knowledge of where my food comes from that I was craving. However, I would say that this tour is aimed more towards those interested in farming, agriculture, and horticulture. The tour is designed for all ages, but I think that anyone younger than 10 would probably be a little bored at times.
I do think that this tour offers a great value for guests who are interested in taking a close look at behind the scenes areas of Disney, and I can guarantee that you will learn something new during your one-hour tour.
If you are thinking about taking part in the Behind the Seeds Tour, make sure to book your reservations in advance. For your touring schedule, I suggest riding Living with the Land, then taking the tour, and then having lunch at Sunshine Seasons. Sunshine Seasons is the Quick Service dining location in The Land pavilion and serves up many of the fresh items that you will have learned about on the tour. I highly recommend the fish tacos!
Have you ever done the Behind the Seeds Tour? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.
Monica is an Alumna of the Disney College Program. When she is not walking down the middle of Main Street USA you can find her wandering the World Showcase, or enjoying a Dole Whip while racing to her favorite attractions. When she is forced to endure life outside of Walt Disney World, you can find her in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she lives and works. You can visit her Disney lifestyle blog here.
