Happy Birthday 'It's a Small World'!

Tomorrow marks 50 years since "it's a small world," opened at the New York World's Fair. The official opening was April 22nd 1964. after the World's Fair, it was shipped to Disneyland in California and then recreated at the other Disney Parks. This iconic ride has been made well-known by it's catchy repetitive theme song; but for many people, like myself, love "it's a small world" for its beautiful design, thanks to the extraordinary art direction of Mary Blair. 

To celebrate this monumental anniversary, Disney held a global sing-along.  The sing-along was held on April 10th.  Disney cast members and 'It's a Small World' fans from all around the globe, joined for a virtual sing-along.  To participate in the fun, head over to smallworld50.com  

Have a delightful day!

Happy Easter!

In 2013 Disney held an extra special Easter egg-sperience last year and, due to popular demand, brought it back to Epcot (in Walt Disney World) and Disney California Adventure (Disneyland). From April 10th to April 20th, you’ll be able to search for these hidden eggs though out these parks.  In true Disney fashion, the eggs are themed to Disney Characters! Just to give you an idea of what you can egg-spect, the map and pictures of eggs are right below. Happy hunting! 

Can't make it to one of the parks this year? You can still join in the fun by joining in on a digital Easter egg hunt across a variety of Disney Parks Facebook pages. Simply visit different pages to collect different Disney Parks-themed Easter graphics. Each egg you find will provide you with a clue for the next egg. The hunt is April 20th and begins on the Disneyland Facebook page. 

Hope you have a magical Easter!

Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival {2014}

Each spring, Walt Disney World holds many special events throughout the year - various runDisney races, the wonderful Food & Wine Festival, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, etc - Included in this magical list is Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival.

I have attended several times and each time, I am blown away! Wondering what's so special about this particular Flower & Garden Festival? Besides that it's held at Disney, it hosts world renowned artist, gardeners and various HGTV personalities that make appearances, some even teach classes, give talks and have meet-and-greets! There are also unique food offerings and concerts!

Unlike some of Disney's special events, there is no additional ticket required. Your Epcot park ticket will give you access to all the Flower and Garden Festival events…the *only* exception are the tours, I'll get into that later.

One of my favorite parts of the Festival are the topiaries!

Like everything else at Disney, so much attention to detail. Just amazing. There are over 100 character shaped topiaries scattered all over Epcot.

One of the highlights of this festival is the HGTV Designer Stage Workshops.  The workshop is in the Festival Center, which is located between Mission Space and Ellen's Energy Adventure.  Monday through Thursday experts discuss various gardening topics and are available to answer questions.  On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, an HGTV celebrity will host workshops at 12noon and 3pm.  If you'd like to attend one of the HGTV workshops, I recommend arriving early to ensure you get a seat.

Here's the 2014 HGTV Celebrity Schedule:

• March 7-9 – Vern Yip, HGTV Design Star
• March 14-16 – Chris Lambton, Going Yard
• March 21-23 – Matt Blashaw, DIY Network’s Yard Crashers and HGTV’s Vacation House for Free
• March 28-30 – Matt Muenster, Bath Crashers
• April 4-6 – Taniya Nayak, House Hunters on Vacation
• April 11-13 – Amy Matthews, Renovation Raiders
• April 18-20 – John Gidding, Curb Appeal
• April 25-27 – David Bromstad, HGTV Design Star and Color Splash Miami
• May 2-4 – Chip Wade, Elbow Room and Curb Appeal
• May 9-11 – Genevieve Gorder, Design Star
• May 16-18 – Alison Victoria, DIY Network’s Kitchen Crashers

Each weekend, during this festival, Epcot will also hold a 'Flower Power' concert. I am a HUGE live music fan and just love this concert series! Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a concert will be held at 5:30pm, 6:45pm and 8pm at the American Garden Theater.

Here's the 2014 concert schedule:

• March 7-9 – The Guess Who
• March 14-16 – Gary Lewis & The Playboys
• March 21-23 – The Orchestra featuring former members of ELO and ELO Part II
• March 28-30 – The Lovin’ Spoonful
• April 4-6 – Paul Revere & The Raiders
• April 11-13 – The Village People
• April 18-20 – The Grass Roots
• April 25-27 – Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
• May 2-4 – Starship starring Mickey Thomas
• May 9-11 – Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
• May 16-18 – Alan Parsons Project

Now, let's talk about the food...Oh, the food! It's simply delicious!

Since the Food and Wine Festival is so popular, Disney decided to offer food and beverage options throughout the World Showcase during the 2013 Flower and Garden Festival.  And happily, they offer even more options at the 2014 festival! And, many of these items can be purchased with a snack credit from the Disney Dining Plan.  Be sure to check first, items will have a DDP icon next to them. In my opinion, the candied strawberries at the Lotus House (near the China Pavilion) are the best little treat!  

For more information on the food offered during the festival, be sure to check out the Disney Food Blog.  It's my go-to site for all Disney food info.

Disney is always sure to have play areas with garden themed activities throughout Epcot that you and your kiddos are sure to love.  These gardens and play areas are great places to relax and let the kids burn off some extra energy.  Be sure to get a map so you can check out all the gardens, for now, I'll leave you with two of my favorites ~

Monstrous Playground!

Tinker Bell's Butterfly House

If you are passionate about gardening, I recommend looking into the Garden Tours. There are two tours offered at the 2014 festival: Epcot Gardens of the World Tour and the English Tea Garden tour. 

The Epcot Gardens of the World Tour is a three hour tour and is led by a Disney horticulturist.  The tours are available Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 9am, and 12pm.  The tours are an additional cost of $64 and one must be sixteen or older to attend.

The other tour is the English Tea Garden presented by Twinings of London Tea (one of my favorite teas!). This tour is free, takes place in the United Kingdom Pavilion and lasts twenty minutes.  One can register for the tour by signing up in the Tea Caddy in the United Kingdom Pavilion. 

I'd love to hear your reviews of this festival!

I feel in love with Disney at the tender age of 4 when I first went to Disneyland; even then, I knew I was somewhere very special.  And, I knew I had to go back.  I have vivid memories of meeting Minnie and Mickey Mouse.  I'll never forget the feeling I had as I walked through Sleeping Beauty's Castle (Disneyland) or the way I felt the first time I hugged Cinderella in HER castle (Disney World).  It was nothing short of magical.  Each time I go back, I fall more and more in love with it.  Going to Disney as a family - seeing the magic through my twin boys eyes has taken my experience to a whole new level.  

It is this love that has led me to start this blog! My hope is that I can share my experiences and help my readers in the process! DIsney vacations should be highly enjoyed, but planning them can be a bit tricky if you don't know where to look for the right information, I plan to leave you with as many tips, tricks and news updates as possible!