Epcot's Future World comprises multiple large buildings that house the various shows, rides, and attractions. This section provides information about everything there is to see and do in this portion of Epcot. Plan on spending between forty-five minutes and three hours at each of these attractions. As you'll see, some of the attractions contain multiple rides, shows, or things to experience. (If the park is extremely crowded, more time may be required.)

Spaceship Earth

Whether you approach Epcot via car, bus, or monorail, you can't miss seeing this 16-million-pound, 180-foot-tall, silver landmark as you approach the park. Inside this oversize golf ball — like object is an entertaining and informative attraction that explores the history of communication.

Spaceship Earth is the first major attraction you reach once you enter into Epcot's Future World from the main entrance. As a result, the line to experience Spaceship Earth's fourteen-minute-long ride is usually long. Once guests board the Omni-Mover transport inside the geosphere, they're seemingly transported back in time to discover how humans first learned to communicate. Throughout the attraction, Audio-Animatronics, lasers, and all sorts of other special effects are used to showcase communication and communication technology past, present, and future.

As the ride comes to an end, guests disembark from the Omni-Mover and find themselves in the AT&T Global Neighborhood. Guests can also enter this area through a separate entrance. This is a handson exhibit that showcases up-and-coming communication technology and offers a firsthand look at equipment like video telephones, and state-of-the-art ways of surfing the Internet.

The best time to experience Spaceship Earth is late afternoon or during the last ninety minutes before Epcot's Future World closes for the day.

Innoventions

The purpose of Innoventions is to showcase technologically advanced products and services from many of the world's technology leaders. Innoventions is a large, hands-on, and visually exciting exhibit that's constantly changing. Its goal is to offer guests a preview of consumer electronics and computer technology that's new, but not necessarily currently available in American homes. What sets Innoventions apart from other attractions at Epcot is that almost everything that's on display is interactive, so you actually get to try things out, not just look at products or see someone else demonstrate them.

Whether you're a computer guru or totally computer illiterate, Innoventions gives people of all ages a chance to learn about current and future technology in a fun, but casual, setting. You're free to visit and walk through only the areas of Innoventions that are of interest to you, and spend as much or as little time as you want in each area. If you happen to see a product you're interested in, helpful people are available at each area of the pavilion to answer your questions or supply you with free informational brochures.

The Land

The overall theme of the Land is an exploration of our planet and how it produces food to support humanity and all of the other creatures living on Earth. The Land is divided up into four separate attractions: Living with the Land, Circle of Life, Food Rocks, and a Greenhouse Tour. Once you enter into this six-acre complex, plan on spending a minimum of one to three hours here.

Living with the Land

Living with the Land is a fourteen-minute boat ride that takes guests through a man-made rain forest as well as the Land's massive greenhouses, where plant research is being conducted. All of the plants you see in the greenhouses are alive and real. Along the boat ride, however, to create some of the scenes you'll be seeing, artificial plants and special effects are used. This ride appeals to people of all ages and is meant to be highly educational as well as entertaining.

The Circle of Life

The Circle of Life attraction located in the Land pavilion is a twenty-minute movie shown on a massive screen (23-inch by 60-inch) that combines live action with animation. This movie stars characters from The Lion King. Designed to appeal to younger guests, the attraction focuses on the many dangers that face our environment. Environmental responsibility, demonstrated in ways that kids and adults alike will understand, is a central theme of this movie.

Food Rocks

Food Rocks is another kid-oriented attraction within the Land pavilion, offering a fifteen-minute concert featuring upbeat music. The setting is a kitchen, and the performers include vegetables, a milk carton, and silverware. While guests will recognize many of the songs that are performed, all of the lyrics have been changed, giving each song a food theme. We're all taught never to play with food, but until you experience this show, you probably haven't thought too much about how entertaining food can be.

Greenhouse Tour

If you have a green thumb, enjoy gardening as a hobby, or just want to get a close-up look at the exotic plants growing within the Land's greenhouses and see how they're maintained, one-hour guided tours are offered throughout the day.

Reservations for this tour can be made only on the day of your visit, and must be made in person by visiting the tour desk located at the Green Thumb Emporium (found inside the Land pavilion). There's a small fee (under $10 per person) to participate. The tour, however, will appeal mainly to adults interested in gardening and agriculture.

Soarin'

Thanks to a combination of motion simulators and Omnimax movie technology, you'll feel as if you're soaring over California as you're given a beautiful airborne tour of historic landmarks and national parks. You'll see the Golden Gate Bridge, redwood forests, Napa Valley, Yosemite, and other landmarks in a way you've never seen them before. As you experience this realistic movie on the giant screen in front of you, you'll be suspended 45 feet in the air in what's designed to feel like a hang glider. Your movements are perfectly synchronized with the movie.

While there is a mild thrill element to this attraction, it's relatively calm and visually stunning. It's well worth experiencing this four-minute “flight” across California, which allows you to see 180 degrees around you. Unless you're prone to motion sickness, this ride/attraction is suitable for everyone (except very young kids). You should get a FASTPASS for this popular ride as soon as you walk into the park. During peak times, all available FASTPASS tickets for Soarin' will be gone by noon and the only way to see this attraction is standing in a two-hour line.

ô This is a must-see attraction.

The Living Seas

Unless you've had the opportunity to ride in a real-life submarine or go scuba diving in the Caribbean, you haven't seen what life is truly like in the ocean. The Living Seas is much more than just the world's largest fish tank. Some of the world's most renowned oceanographers, researchers, and scientists, along with Disney's Imagineers, have created an attraction that allows guests to get a close-up view of life under the sea without ever having to get wet. What you'll see when you enter this pavilion is nothing short of spectacular.

The attraction begins with a walking tour through a gallery that chronicles man's journey into the oceans, using submarines and deep-sea diving equipment. Next, you'll see a short, two-and-a-half-minute movie that shows some of the deep-sea diving and ocean exploration equipment that's currently being used for research.

Your next stop is Sea Base Alpha, the world's largest aquarium. The reef you'll be seeing is man-made, but the fish and exotic marine life are all real. Sea Base Alpha also offers hands-on activities and interactive video screens that help to explain various oceanographic topics. Once you enter into the Living Seas, plan on spending at least thirty to sixty minutes here. There are many other attractions inside the Living Seas to see as well. Turtle Talk with Crush is an interactive real-time talk with Crush and the audience. Also check out The Seas with Nemo & Friends where you can greet all the Finding Nemo friends as they swim amid the marine life in a huge aquarium.

On some evenings around 7:00 P.M., if you're lucky, you'll get to see Mickey Mouse in scuba gear diving into the tank and swimming with the sea life.

Special tours include Epcot Seas Aqua Tour, Divequest, and Dolphins in Depth.

ô This is a must-see attraction.

Universe of Energy

The Universe of Energy was one of the original pavilions in Epcot's Future World. In 1996, however, it was totally revamped to provide guests with an entirely new and far more entertaining experience. The forty-five-minute presentation, called Ellen's Energy Adventure, features actress/comedian Ellen DeGeneres and scientist Bill Nye (“The Science Guy”). It's shown every seventeen minutes throughout the day.

As you might have gathered from the name, this attraction explores how energy is created and used around the world. Not only does this attraction explain all of the different options available for creating energy now and in the future, but it does so in a way that's entertaining and not preachy.

Imagination!

The Epcot ride/attraction Journey into Your Imagination, which opened in conjunction with this theme park, has been totally revamped yet again, creating a totally different attraction. The latest ride, Journey into Imagination with Figment, stars the adorable purple dragon, Figment (as in figment of your imagination), and explores the human imagination and our five senses in a fun, whimsical, and musical way. After experiencing the six-minute ride, guests wind up within ImageWorks and Kodak's “What If” Labs. This is a totally interactive, walk-through area that features technological exhibits and activities for people of all ages. The entire attraction, including the wait queue, is located within an air-conditioned building.

Honey I Shrunk the Audience 3-D Movie

Also located in the Journey into Imagination pavilion is the Honey, I Shrunk the Audience show, which is loosely based on Disney's Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movie. Rick Moranis and Marcia Strassman, along with the kids from this movie series, reprise their roles for this comical fourteen-minute 3-D movie. Ultimately, after the theater is invaded by 3-D movie mice, and you see the onscreen characters miniaturized, the audience itself becomes the unwilling victim of Professor Wayne Szalinski's shrinking machine. This movie is exciting, extremely entertaining, and offers lots of surprises. While you'll be handed special 3-D glasses as you enter into the theater, do not place them over your eyes until you're seated and instructed to do so. The 3-D glasses can be placed directly over prescription eyeglasses.

ô This is a must-see attraction.

Test Track

When you experience this attraction, you take on the role of a test driver for General Motors. Your responsibilities include testing new models of automobiles while they're still in the concept phase. This is a challenging job that takes skill, guts, and a love for speed. That's the premise behind Epcot's thrill ride Test Track.

The preshow/line queue takes place within an industrial-looking test laboratory filled with equipment and vehicle components. There are simulated brake, wheel, suspension, airbag, seat belt, and windshield tests.

As the ride begins, get ready to buckle up and travel along bumpy terrain, through hairpin turns, into freezing cold chambers, and along 50-degree banked curves at speeds up to 65 miles per hour. Guests experience this ride in specially designed six-passenger vehicles that travel along the mile-long track.

ô This is a must-see attraction.

Innoventions Fountain

Every fifteen minutes, a computer-controlled, fully choreographed shooting water performance is presented at this fountain, located outside in Innoventions Plaza. This short show is nothing compared to IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth (presented nightly), but it offers a nice diversion as you're walking by.

Mission: SPACE

Imagine what it would be like if you were an astronaut taking off and then traveling deep into space. Well, the closest thing you'll probably ever get is this high-tech ride/attraction that was created in conjunction with NASA and Hewlett-Packard. Mission: SPACE has replaced the old Horizons pavilion at Epcot and was in development for more than five years. The actual ride lasts about four minutes and uses state-of-the-art centrifuge technology, sophisticated visual imaging, and incredible audio effects to create a very realistic space-flight simulation experience. Basically, you are spinning at around 35 mph; however, while inside the cabin, you never know this. You only feel the effects, which is the skin on your face pulling back and a slight tightening of the chest against your chair. To experience Mission: SPACE, you must be at least 44 inches tall. It's not recommended for anyone who easily gets motion sickness or has known heart issues. You'll definitely want to utilize FASTPASS and not eat beforehand.

ô This is a must-see attraction.

Dining in Future World

The restaurants and snack shops located in Epcot's Future World are open during park hours (but most close at 7:00 P.M.). For exact hours or to make a reservation at any of the full-service establishments, call (407) WDW-DINE. The following are dining options available at Epcot's Future World:

• Coral Reef — This is a full-service restaurant located in The Living Seas pavilion. The backdrop for this dining room is the attraction's 6-million-gallon aquarium. The majority of the menu items served at this restaurant are seafood dishes. Priority Seating reservations are definitely recommended. Lunch and dinner are served daily.

• Garden Grill — This full-service restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, hosted by Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Lunch and dinner entrées include chicken, fish, and steak dishes.

• Electric Umbrella — Located near Innoventions, this is Future World's largest fast-food dining establishment. Entrées include hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, salads, and a variety of snack items and beverages.

• Fountain View Espresso and Bakery — Freshly baked items such as croissants and a wide range of extremely tasty desserts are offered at this dining spot located near Innoventions. Espresso, cappuccino, coffee, wine, beer, and other beverages are available.

• Pure and Simple — This snack shop, located within the Wonders of Life pavilion, offers a selection of healthy snack foods, like fresh fruit, salads, frozen yogurt, muffins, juices, and oat bran waffles with fruit toppings. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served, and counter service is available.

• Sunshine Season Food Fair — Located on the lower level of the Land pavilion in Future World, this food court offers soups and salads, as well as baked goods, bagels, fresh fruit, cinnamon rolls, Danish, and other breakfast treats. There's also a barbecue stand, Chinese food stand, a sandwich shop, and the Potato Store. The Beverage House offers a large list of tropical (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) frozen drinks, plus beer, wine, bottled water, and soda.

Shopping in Future World

As you probably expect, gift shops and souvenir stands are located throughout Epcot's Future World. Gateway Gifts and the Camera Center are located near the park's main entrance. Here you can pick up souvenirs or film for your camera. You can rent video cameras at the Camera Center, and same-day film processing is available. You will, however, pay a premium if you purchase film or batteries anywhere at WDW or have your film developed at the park.

The Centorium is located in the midst of Innoventions and offers a large selection of Disney character merchandise, gifts, and souvenirs with the Epcot logo. This is the largest gift shop in Epcot.

For Disney fans and collectors, the Art of Disney Epcot Gallery is one of the most exciting shops at Epcot, because Disney animation artwork is on display (and available for purchase), including actual production animation cells and limited edition animation cells. Other Disney collectibles are also displayed in a museum gallery — like setting. Whether you're looking to add to your Disney art collection, you're hoping to start a collection, or you just want to see some of the stunning artwork that's on display, be sure to stop by this gallery for a visit. It'll appeal mainly to adults.