EPCOT

Walt Disney’s initial, personal dream for EPCOT was for it to become a self-sustaining entity. The city would house those that worked there as well as provide the utilities, stores, churches, entertainment and everything one would need. It was, in essence, Walt’s vision of the city of the future.

EPCOT stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,” and it was actually one of the motivating ideas behind the conception of a second Disney theme park. Walt’s personal utopian vision, first mentioned at a press conference in 1965, was intended to be the center of a new park. With Walt’s passing, the central idea began to change over time.

The park finally opened on October 1, 1982. The end result was several steps removed from Walt’s original vision. Rather than being the center of Walt Disney World, it is now simply is one of several parks that comprise Disney’s vacation resort near Orlando, Florida. Like other Disney theme parks, EPCOT is composed of separate areas, each with a theme of its own: Future World and World Showcase.

EPCOT is more educational in nature than a regular Disney park, but many find it just as enjoyable an experience as anything else that Disney has built. The park was originally known as EPCOT Center, but over time that has shortened to simply EPCOT.