Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival Guide – TRAVEL IN STYLE

In the spirit of Flower & Garden season at Epcot, I thought now would be the perfect time to share some of my favorite parts about this festival! Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is by far my favorite Epcot festival (and the most photogenic).

This festival is so special to me because of all the wonderful memories I got to make there with my mom over the years. I treasure these Flower & Garden visits even more now because they are a reminder to me of everything that she loved: nature, sunshine and brightening up someone’s day with the little things.

I hope you enjoy this little walk down memory lane and that it inspires you to get outside and appreciate this beautiful planet we have been blessed with. Without further ado, here are my favorite snacks, gardens/topiaries and photo spots at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival:

Food Booths

The Honey Bee-stro

My favorite food booth at Flower & Garden: The Honey Bee-stro. As the name implies, all the menu items incorporate honey, and they’re all so delicious (the Honey-Mascarpone Cheesecake is low-key the best dessert at F&G 😍). Get your honey fix near the Imagination Pavilion.

Honey-Mascarpone Cheesecake with Orange Blossom Ice Cream

Fleur de Lys

If you didn’t already know this about me, I’ve been obsessed with France and traveling there from a very young age (mainly because French food is to die for). So it’s no surprise that Fleur de Lys in the France Pavilion is one of my favorites: it has some of the best food at F&G. The chocolate macaron lollipop is a must-do.

Pineapple Promenade

Located near International Gateway, this is one of the best booths for frozen drinks. Plus it’s very Instagrammable 😉 The Desert Violet Lemonade is always a festival favorite! (You can see how it’s changed over the years in the side-by-side photos below.) Festival season is also the best because it’s one of the only times you can get a Dole Whip in Epcot. Pro tip: the float version with Pineapple Fanta is sooo refreshing.

Florida Fresh

Before The Honey Bee-stro existed, this was my all-time favorite booth for years. The shrimp & grits are incredible but *really* spicy (consider yourself warned). The watermelon lemonade is honestly the best drink at the festival. (I know what you’re thinking: could another drink at Flower & Garden really be better than violet lemonade? The answer is yes.) You can find this booth in between the Morocco and France Pavilions in World Showcase.

The Smokehouse

The Smokehouse will always be a winner for me because BBQ. It also has one of the best atmospheres of all the food booths with plenty of picnic table seating and string lights. Come for the pulled pork, stay for the warm bourbon caramel chocolate cake.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Bourbon-Salted Caramel Sauce

Gardens

English Tea Garden

Not to get all sappy on you, but this is my favorite part of Flower & Garden because of my mom. We spent too many visits to count exploring here because she loved tea and Alice in Wonderland is my favorite.

It really is such a beautiful garden with the best lighting at the festival, and I think it’s a perfect representation of the stewardship with nature that Flower & Garden promotes. I love to spend a good portion of my visits admiring all the different flowers and learning about the tea-making process; I can’t recommend this garden enough to anyone looking to experience what Flower & Garden is all about. You can take the self-guided tea tour by picking up a guide in the United Kingdom pavilion.

I was very blessed to contribute to the tea tour last year, and it made a lot of those memories with my mom come full circle for me (a little reminder to never stop chasing your dreams). This garden will always hold a very special place in my heart. ❤️

Shakespeare Garden

Also located in the U.K. Pavilion, the Shakespeare Garden is always worth a visit. It’s a great place to find a little inspiration (and the golden hour lighting is unreal here). It’s such a unique concept seeing verses from Shakespeare’s plays set in the flowers and plants that he wrote about. This one definitely get an A+ for creativity from me 😊

Photo Spots

Tropical Rainforest Garden

If you’re an orchid-lover like me or love learning about the rainforest, this garden is a must-do. It’s tucked away in the Mexico Pavilion to the right of the pyramid and honestly feels like you’re in a little corner of the jungle. Highly recommend visiting during sunset for photo magic 😊

The Goodness Garden Butterfly House

One word. Magical. The butterfly house is another perfect embodiment of Flower & Garden. This garden is a nice little reminder to appreciate the little things in life (like a butterfly landing on your nose). It also makes for some pretty spectacular photos! I’d recommend visiting earlier in the day to beat the crowds. There’s also free applesauce at the entrance if you’re into that sort of thing 😊

Butterfly Topiaries

Even more reasons to take pictures of butterflies. Only this time, you can wear the wings yourself!

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Festival Blooms

The iconic photo spot for Flower & Garden 😍 Shoot towards the Imagination Pavilion from International Gateway for a colorful view framed by palm trees *swoon.* It’s also the perfect background for a passport shot 😉

Flower Bench + Flower Cart

This little gem gets my award for best photo spot at Flower & Garden. It’s truly breathtaking in person and makes for the perfect photo-op with the festival blooms and Spaceship Earth in the background. 10/10 highly recommend taking a photo here during golden hour. Find it near the entrance to International Gateway.

Topiaries

Beauty and the Beast

Tale as old as time. 🌹 My favorite topiary at Flower & Garden is naturally this one due to my love for Beauty and the Beast. It makes my favorite pavilion (France) all the more magical.

Peter Pan

Second star to the right and straight on till morning 💫 This cute little nod to Neverland can be found in the U.K. Pavilion (bonus points if you visit when the ducks are out at sunset).

The Three Caballeros

If you enjoy the Gran Fiesta Tour in the Mexico Pavilion, then you will love this topiary. It’s always nice to see Donald getting some love!

Winnie the Pooh & Friends

Find these cuties in the U.K. Pavilion!

Lady and the Tramp

A little puppy love in the Italy Pavilion makes for another perfect backdrop. These topiaries are set up with Spaceship Earth in the background this year (which could make for some stunning fireworks shots during IllumiNations 😊).

Evolution of Flower & Garden (1990s-2018)

Before I wrap up, I wanted to share a few quick snaps of Flower & Garden over the years that mean the world to me. I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it 😊 What’s your favorite part of Flower & Garden? Let me know in the comments 🌸