With drinking around the world and the focus on culture and food, many people perceive Epcot as not being the most kid-friendly. In our mind, that couldn’t be further from the truth! There are so many fun things to do in Epcot with kids, whether you’re going with teens or toddlers. While this article focuses on Epcot for toddlers, it’s great to have handy for visiting Disney World with kids of any age.
This guide focuses on the best rides, restaurants, characters and other fun things to do at Epcot with toddlers. Read until the end for additional tips for visiting Epcot with babies or toddlers!
The Best Rides at Epcot For Toddlers
Magic Kingdom rides are known as some of the best in Disney with toddlers, but Epcot is a close second for us! There are so many great Epcot rides without height requirements that it’s perfect for kids of all ages. We’ve been to Epcot with toddlers ranging from 14 months on up, and there are so many great rides for the whole family to enjoy. (Especially with some awesome new rides at Epcot added in recent years!)
These are our favorite Epcot rides for toddlers. You can find more details on each below!
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Frozen Ever After
- Finding Nemo
- Three Cabelleros
- Soarin (40 inch height min)
- Living Off the Land
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
Related Post: Best Rides at Magic Kingdom for Toddlers
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
As the newest ride at Epcot, Ratatouille also happens to be one of the best Epcot rides for kids of any age. (Babies and toddlers included!) There’s no height requirement for Ratatouille, and the ride itself takes you in a fun “rat mobile” that zips along Remy’s adventures. If you’re riding Ratatouille with a babies or young toddlers, they can easily sit on your lap or be worn in a front facing carrier. The Ratatouille ride moves pretty quickly and has some fun 3-D effects, but we didn’t feel like any of it was scary for littles.
Frozen Ever After
Since the Frozen ride at Epcot was first introduced, it quickly became a favorite among the toddler rides at Epcot. (And it’s certainly one of the best rides at Epcot regardless of age!) Frozen is a log flume style ride that takes you along the story of Anna and Elsa along with some favorites like Olaf and Sven. You can listen and sing along to Frozen songs throughout as you travel throughout the mountains. Although my kiddos weren’t afraid, there’s a small drop along with a Yeti encounter that could be a little scary for some toddlers.
Soarin’ Around the World
Older toddlers will love Soarin’ Around the World, which takes you on an interactive flying adventure around the world. This hang-gliding style ride flies over some of the most famous destinations on earth. Various scenes are projected in the IMAX type screen, and they include the pyramids of Egypt, Great Wall of China and the Eiffel Tower. The ride is pretty smooth and not scary (unless you’re super afraid of heights) making it great for kids. Before Frozen and Ratatouille were introduced, it was long known for being one of the best rides in Epcot.
If your toddler isn’t tall enough for the Soarin’ ride, be sure to check out Living with the Land. This slow-moving ride in Epcot takes you on a boat tour through Epcot’s live greenhouses. There you can learn more about how Disney grows and obtains many of the foods used at the parks. There are also tons of hidden Mickey’s at Living with the Land, making it super fun to look around.
The Seas With Nemo & Friends
Finding Nemo is one of our favorite rides for toddlers at Disney. It takes you in a clamshell through the story of Finding Nemo, where you’ll meet several characters and listen to music along the way. In addition to the animated sea life in the Finding Nemo ride, you also go through part of the Aquarium to see real fish during the ride. There are virtually no scary parts on the Finding Nemo ride (unless you count Bruce the Shark!) and it moves pretty slowly along.
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
We’re huge fans of the old school Tres Caballeros movie with Donald Duck, making the Three Caballeros ride in Epcot another one of our favorites. The ride takes you through Donald Duck’s adventures in Mexico with some fun music and entertainment along the way. It’s a slower moving boat style ride along the water. If you’re visiting Epcot with young toddlers, they can easily sit on your lap for this one.
Be sure to check out the fun Coco displays and the gift shop in the Mexico Pavilion before or after you enter the ride!
Journey Into Imagination with Figment
While it’s one of the older rides on this list of Epcot toddler rides, it was one of my favorites as a kid and so fun to share with my kiddos. If you’re not familiar, Figment is a fun, trouble-making dragon, and the Figment ride takes you on a “journey of the senses” through the different Imagination Institute labs. Figment gets into trouble along the way, and most toddlers will surely be laughing with Figment’s escapades throughout the ride. There are a few dark spots, but overall, it’s a slow ride and low on the scare factor.
There are also some fun, interactive stations after the Figment ride that allow kids to test out their 5 senses. Some of these are still closed, but it’s worth checking out after you exit the ride!
More Attractions & Rides for Epcot With a Toddler:
- Test Track (40 inch height minimum)
- Mission: SPACE (40 inch height minimum- a little scary for some kiddos)
- Spaceship Earth
- Beauty and the Beast Sing Along
- Turtle Talk with Crush
- Disney Pixar Short Film Festival
Be sure to read these tips for using Genie+ at Epcot if you’re visiting without a park hopper.
Fun Restaurants in Epcot for Toddlers
Epcot has some of the best food and restaurants in Disney World. We love getting park hoppers just to be able to visit Epcot in the afternoon, have dinner, and get a few rides in. Below are some of the most unique places to eat at Epcot that are fun for the whole family.
Space 220
This outer space restaurant in Epcot is the park’s newest dining experience. It takes visitors up an elevator “into outer space” with a boarding pass for entry. You can watch the stars while you eat, and it literally feels like you’re up in outer space. Kiddos will love looking out for the variety of astronauts and other things floating in outer space. There’s even a space dog, which was a favorite of our two kiddos! There’s also a great kid’s menu at Space 2020 with a variety of options to choose from.
San Angel Inn
This Mexican restaurant in Epcot is located within the huge Mayan pyramid in the Mexico Pavilion. It serves traditional Mexican food, but there are several safe options for even the pickiest of toddlers. Toddlers love the San Angel Inn restaurant since they can watch the Three Caballeros ride go by, and it’s located inside the busy pavilion with so much to look at. The restaurant is right in front of the volcano feature as well. (Try to get a table right in front of the water that the ride goes by!)
Note: San Angel Inn is a little dark inside, so be aware if you have toddlers who don’t love dark spaces!
Coral Reef
The Coral Reef restaurant at Epcot is located within the aquarium section of Epcot where the Finding Nemo Ride is. Kids of any age will love sitting near the aquarium glass and watching a variety of fish and other sea life go by as they eat. You may even spot scuba Mickey in the Epcot aquarium if you’re lucky! Be sure to ask for a table by the glass, as it can be tough to see the fish if you’re further away from the aquarium itself.
Note: If you have a picky eater in Disney, be aware that Coral Reef does not currently allow for menu substitutions like most other restaurants in Disney World. (That means no chicken fingers or mac n’ cheese!)
Garden Grill
If you’re looking for character dining at Epcot, Garden Grill is often regarded as one of the best character meals. The entire restaurant slowly spins while you’re eating, and the characters at Garden Grill are known for being very interactive. (Even in its current state.) The food at Garden Grill is Thanksgiving style, so keep that in mind if your kiddos typically just eat a roll at Thanksgiving! The characters at Garden Grill include Chip and Dale, Mickey and Pluto dressed in farmer style outfits.
Since Garden Grill offers family style character dining, toddlers under 3 eat free at Garden Grill.
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Akershus is an awesome place for princess dining at Epcot, and it’s a great way for your toddlers to get several princess interactions at once. The characters at Akershus dining vary each night, but when we were there, we saw Tiana, Cinderella, Belle, Snow White and Aurora. They rotate around the dining hall, we had ample time with each of them.
Akershus offers dinner as well as breakfast. For dinner at Akershus, the family style food includes Norwegian favorites with things like Norwegian meatballs, red cabbage, mashed potatoes, salmon and Lefse with cinnamon. There’s also mac n cheese for the kiddos and corn dogs upon request. Breakfast at Akershus is also family-style and includes pastries, Norwegian waffles, eggs, sausage, bacon and potato casserole.
Topolino’s Terrace
Topolino’s Terrace, while not inside of Epcot, is also nearby at Riviera Resort in the Epcot area. It can be easily accessed via the skyliner and is a great breakfast before Epcot or for a mid-day brunch break. Topolino’s is one of the best character breakfasts in Disney between the fun character interactions and amazing food. The characters at Topolino’s include Donald Duck, Daisy, Mickey and Minnie. They each represent the different arts from the French and Italian Riviera and put on a fun show during breakfast or brunch at Topolino’s.
Topolino’s has an ala carte menu, but adults can order one additional entree as a side dish. Toddlers under 3 also eat free at Topolino’s Terrace.
Pro Tip: If you’re looking for the best Disney dining alerts, we love Mouskepros for those hard-to-get reservations.
Best Snacks in Epcot for Kids
There are so many great quick service stands in Epcot in addition to the sit down restaurants mentioned above. It’s easy to find some yummy snacks at Epcot that your toddler will love, while also exposing them to foods from around the world. Some of the best Epcot snacks for kids include:
- Gelato sandwiches or macarons at L’ Artisan De Glace in France
- Cookies and caramel apples at Karamell-Kuche in Germany
- Funnel cakes in the USA pavilion
- Specialty cakes and cupcakes at Sunshine Seasons
- Churros in the Mexico Pavilion
Meet the Many Princesses and Characters in Epcot
Many people think of Magic Kingdom when they think of character visits at Disney, but Epcot actually tends to have more! Almost all of the countries in Epcot have their own princesses or other characters. While they’re not formal character visits like at Magic Kingdom, the princesses at Epcot are often found in their respective countries. You can also find the “sensational six” Disney characters in Epcot throughout the park.
Below is a list of characters at Epcot that you can find at any point in time. (This was last updated in June of 2023, and characters can change from day to day.)
- Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland in the United Kingdom
- Anna and Elsa in the Norway Pavilion
- Donald Duck at the Mexico Pavilion
- Jasmine or Aladdin in Morocco
- Snow White in Germany
- Belle and Aurora by the France Pavilion
- Joy from Inside Out and Vanellope Von Schweetz in the Imagination Pavilion
- Winnie the Pooh outside of the Imagination Pavilion
- Mulan at the China Pavilion
- Goofy, Pluto, Mickey, Minnie and Daisy can be found around the world showcase periodically or by the Epcot entrance.
- Garden Grill character dining at Epcot includes Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale
- Akershus Dining Hall princesses include Snow White, Belle, Jasmine and Ariel
More Fun Things to Do at Epcot with Toddlers
In addition to the yummy rides, food and characters (in) Epcot, there are several other fun things to look out for when visiting Epcot with kids.
- Catch the Pixar Movie shorts for quick movies under 10 minutes that are perfect for toddlers.
- Find the Epcot playgrounds including the indoor playground by Mission Space and the outdoor playground by the Creations shop. (We’re also VERY excited for Moana’s Journey of Water to be completed in the fall of 2023.)
- Find the miniature railroad at Epcot, located in the Germany section.
- Watch the Harmonious fireworks and light show at Epcot (if your toddlers can stay up late!)
- Complete one of the fun scavenger hunts at Epcot, which change seasonally.
- Cool off and sip on fun Coca Cola drinks at Club Cool in Epcot.
- Look out for Kidcot Epcot Fun Stops to learn about each of the countries and collect cards around the Epcot World Showcase.
- Ride the skyliner to and from Epcot (a fun option even if you’re not staying at a Skyliner resort like Art of Animation.)
Additional Tips for Visiting Epcot with a Baby or Toddler
If you’re planning to visit Epcot with younger kids, be sure to keep these tips handy for your next trip to Disney World.
- Bring a stroller since there is SO much walking around Epcot. (The World Showcase is bigger than it looks!) We love this compact travel stroller for one kiddo and this double travel stroller for two. We also recommend a stroller rain cover any time we’re in Disney just in case.
- Take advantage of the Epcot Baby Care Center for diaper changes and feedings. It’s located in the Odessey Center between the World Showcase and Test Track.
- Take advantage of the kiosks throughout for quick snacks on-the-go. They’re especially great during special events like the Food & Wine Festival.
- Epcot is great with park hoppers since it opens late and has great dining options. (Especially since those littles are early risers!) We love to pair it with Animal Kingdom and an afternoon break.
- Naps at Epcot are THE BEST for parents to grab a fun drink and take a little break. Enjoy the downtime at this slower paced park!
- Weekdays (especially Tuesday-Thursday) are typically the best days to visit Epcot as it tends to be popular with locals on the weekends.
- Don’t forget that toddlers under 3 enter Epcot (and all Disney parks) for FREE!
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