Muppets Most Wanted topiary
Spring has officially sprung and one of the best places to enjoy the Florida sun is at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
Now in its 21st year, the festival is better than ever because outdoor kitchens have been added, making it what I call—Food & Wine Festival with Plants.
All kidding aside, the park really is a sight to see. There are beautiful topiaries all around and everything is so vibrant.
Snow White outside of the Germany pavilion. Notice she even has a face this year!
There’s a butterfly garden and a Monsters University-inspired playground for the kids. There’s a festival center where talent from HGTV shows come and do talks and demos. There’s even special entertainment every weekend in what’s known as the Flower Power Concert Series…today through the weekend features The Lovin’ Spoonful, who you might know for such hits as “Summer in the City” and “Do You Believe in Magic.”
Now back to the FOOD. I’ve gone to the Festival a couple of times so far (I mean, I do work at Epcot right now after all) and I’ve been lucky enough to try out quite a few of the options.
Temaki chicken hand roll in Japan! Very yummy and quite the portion!
Fruit sushi or Frushi in Japan.
Potato & cheddar cheese biscuit with salmon tartare from the Buttercup Cottage in the UK pavilion.
Three cheese manicotti from Italy.
This gnocchi from France is one of my favorites!
Baghrir, a tasty pancake with almonds and honey, from Morocco.
Beijing-style candied strawberries from China.
And the award for most interesting offering goes to…
Piggylicious bacon cupcake with maple frosting and pretzel crunchies on top. I dare you to try it!
I obviously tried all of these on different days, and shared with friends, so by no means do you have to try all of it at once. In fact, that’s the best part of these festivals…they’re included in your admission and you can participate as much or as little as you want!
So go celebrate what spring has to offer and head on over to this fun event…you’ve got until May 18!
*All of these photos (and more) can be found on my Instagram page, @rebeccajforman!
Rebecca J. Forman 