Normally, we try to keep things on the factual side, but when it comes to Living with the Land at Epcot, we can’t help but let our passion for this attraction blaze brighter than the sun on a July afternoon at Walt Disney World.
Living with the Land has everything you could ever want on a ride: boats…farm houses…Mickey-shaped pumpkins. See what we mean?!
Whether you are a life-time fan or just looking to learn a bit more about this classic Epcot attraction, you’re in the right place.
So remain seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the boat at all times and join us as we take you through our Guide to Living with the Land.
Living with the Land Quick Facts
Description: Living with the Land is a 15-minute slow-moving boat ride that has 2 distinct parts:
- Part 1 takes you on a journey through history as you explore the forces that helped to shape the land around us. In this portion, guests are given a brief introduction to the ways we have modified both the land and our farming methods to increase production while decreasing harm to our natural resources. Although it is mostly peaceful, there are a few brief sections of a simulated thunderstorm during this section.
- Part 2 is a boat tour through the attraction’s “Living Laboratory” where you can see first-hand a variety of different futuristic growing techniques. This is the part where you’ll see the fruits and vegetables actually growing.
Location
Living with the Land is located inside The Land Pavilion, which is in World Nature. As you are walking into Epcot, you’ll head towards the right side of the park on the walkways near Spaceship Earth.
The Land Pavilion is a large complex containing several attractions and a couple of restaurants – making this a great destination if you are looking to get out of the rain or heat or just want a place to hang out for an extended period of time without having to go outdoors.
You enter The Land Pavilion on level 2. On this level, you will find the attraction Awesome Planet plus the Table Service restaurant Garden Grill, as well as some restrooms.
Living with the Land, Soarin’, and Sunshine Seasons are located on the bottom level. There are elevators, escalators, and stairs for guests to use to get you downstairs.
How to ride Living with the Land
Living with the Land has a Standby Line and a Lightning Lane. There is no Single Rider Line.
Like most attractions, standby lines typically are the lowest first thing in the morning and at the end of the evening. The middle of the day will see the longest lines.
Aside from the busy holiday season, lines here don’t typically exceed 30 minutes.
While the description of a floating boat that travels through a greenhouse may not sound all that exciting, it really is a cool attraction, and we don’t think it gets nearly as much love as it deserves.
Do I need to use Genie+ at Living with the Land?
Although Genie+ is offered here, we do not recommend you make using it on Living with the Land a top priority.
Aside from the true Living with the Land stans, this isn’t usually a destination attraction.
Many guests (ourselves included!) pair a ride on Soarin’ with Living with the Land, which can lead to longer than expected waits at Living with the Land during busier times of the day.
So, although we don’t recommend you make snagging a Genie+ reservation for Living with the Land a top priority, if you can stack a Genie+ for Soarin’ and Living with the Land back-to-back, that can be a very efficient way to tour.
And even if you can’t do that, as long as the line for Living with the Land is around 30 minutes or less, it is probably worth it to jump in it if you are already going to be in the building to ride Soarin’.
Make sure you check out our touring strategies for Epcot for more Genie+ advice.
Rider Switch/Child Swap
Living with the Land does not have Rider Switch, but the very popular nearby attraction Soarin’ does.
If you plan to use Rider Switch over at Soarin’, taking your little one who can’t ride that attraction onto Living with the Land is a great way to keep them entertained.
What to expect when you ride
Queue
While the queue for Living with the Land may not have any interactive elements or games like what you may find at other attractions, it is entirely indoors – which is a huge plus – especially on rainy or hot days.
Ride Vehicles
Living with the Land utilizes large boats with decorative canopies. Although the attraction is entirely inside, the canopies are helpful during the portion of the ride when you are floating through the greenhouses; the sun during that part can be quite bright shining through the glass.
Each boat has 5 rows, and each row seats about 4 people. 2 boats are attached to form a sort of super yacht or boat train, if you will.
Although the best views are in the front row, because of the way the attraction is laid out, there really isn’t a “bad” view.
Accessibility Information
Guests in ECVs must transfer to a manual wheelchair. There are wheelchair accessible boats with built-in ramps. A bench is located directly next to the wheelchair space and additional companions will be directed to sit in the rows in front of the wheelchair space.
Handheld captioning is available for guests with hearing disabilities.
On the Ride
If you prefer not to know exactly what the ride entails, you may want to skip this part to avoid any spoilers.
Picture it: you’re with your group of loved ones enjoying a lovely day at Epcot when you stumble upon a an attraction called Living with the Land.
The queue looks very unassuming and honestly kind of blah, but you have some time to kill before your Genie+ reservation for Soarin’ and since the line looks relatively short, you jump in it. And before you know it, you’ve boarded one of the most magical boats in all of Disney World.
Ok, maybe it isn’t exactly “magical” but it is pretty great.
After boarding, the first area you’ll go through takes you back in time on a “voyage of discovery and awareness of the richness, the diversity, and the often surprising nature of living with the land.”
You start off in a rain forest during a thunderstorm (complete with rain and thunder) before you gently travel into a desert scene where you see an entirely different ecosystem.
Just past that is the American Prairie scene, complete with buffaloes and a farmhouse that I call dibs on for my retirement.
At this point, the narrator explains a bit how nature has an impact on the land, but humans have an even bigger impact (both good and bad):
“Of all the forces at work on the land, humans have had one of the most profound effects. The need to produce food for the growing world led to the enormous use—and sometimes overuse—of the land. In our search for more efficient ways to grow food, we often failed to realize the impact of our methods. Today, we’re learning to live with the land—discovering better ways to grow food that will assure both human and environmental wellbeing.”
This starts the transition into the greenhouses, the highlight of the attraction and probably what most people will find the most interesting.
During the remainder of the ride you’ll travel through several different areas of the greenhouses where you’ll see lots of cool fruits and vegetables being grown in some pretty innovative ways. You’ll even get to see some fish farming, too.
It is really hard to explain how seeing “where scientists from Epcot and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are exploring innovative ways to produce bountiful harvests—now and into the future,” is cool…but it really is.
Is Living with the Land Kid-Friendly?
Yes, but the opening scene of the rainforest room might scare some little ones. The thunder can be a bit loud. In addition, there are some large fake bugs and alligators. Or are they crocodiles? I’m not up on my scary looking reptiles.
Although we see the question asked a lot, there are no drops on Living with the Land.
Traveling to Disney World with a little one? Make sure you check out our list of attractions that might be scary.
Strollers
Strollers are not allowed inside the Land Pavilion where Living with the Land is located. Instead, you’ll need to park your stroller in the designated stroller parking area at the bottom of the ramp into the pavilion.
Since it isn’t unusual for people to spend upwards of an hour or more dining and enjoying the attractions inside this pavilion, be sure to take your valuables with you and cover your stroller to protect it from those almost guaranteed Florida rainstorms.
History
The original name of this attraction was called Listen to the Land and included a theme song with the same title.
According to Walt Dated World, the original attraction was virtually the same aside from the new version including the storm scene in the opening room.
Other Fun Details
- If you want to get up close and see behind the scenes of the greenhouses, you can take the Behind the Seeds tour. This tour is a hidden gem and a must-do for any Living with the Land fan.
- Garden Grill (the rotating restaurant on the second floor of the Land Pavilion) overlooks a portion of the ride, plus it serves some of the fruits and vegetables grown in the greenhouses.
- Mike Brassell is the narrator for the attraction. If that name isn’t familiar, we bet his voice is because he lent his vocal cords to another beloved attraction – the PeopleMover. Plus, he’s also a composer, and you can hear his work on Space Mountain at Walt Disney World, too.
- Epcot has nearly year-round festivals now, and the greenhouses on Living with the Land often get specially themed touches added during them, like Christmas lights and “snow”men for Festival of the Holidays or fun table settings for Food and Wine.
- Oh, and don’t forget to look down. Oftentimes you can spot special stamps in the sand, too!
- If you like to spot Mickey heads or Hidden Mickey’s, this ride is packed with them! Make it a game with your group to see how many you can find.
Other Attractions in World Nature
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