Epcot for Kids: The Best Rides and Shows for Children

EPCOT Center (as it was called when it opened in 1982) was designed as a new type of theme park. Walt Disney World already had the Magic Kingdom, which is a great park for kids, and EPCOT Center was to be a more grown-up park. While the park was - and still is - a fantastic journey through technology and culture, it was often labeled as boring by kids. Over the years, however, Epcot Center changed and grew. For one, the name is now just Epcot and it's also grown into a more "kid friendly" park with the addition of new rides and the refurbishment of some of the existing attractions.

While the Magic Kingdom seems to be the perennial favorite for children 12 and under thanks the Mickey Mouse and the kid-oriented rides in Fantasyland, Epcot now often comes a close second as a favorite of the younger ones because of the following attractions; The best rides and shows for children under 12.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends

This Future World pavilion used to be called The Living Seas. Your journey began with a film about the seas and how they were created. That was followed by a trip in an elevator type contraption to the bottom of the ocean followed by a non-eventful ride in a ride vehicle to Sea Base Alpha, the undersea base from which you could watch fish, sharks, and dolphins swim past the large windows.

With a recent makeover, and a new name, gone are the movie and the elevator to the bottom of the ocean. And now, rather than ride plain cars to Sea Base Alpha, you're taken there in a giant clam! And along the way, you'll help Nemo's friends on an undersea adventure to find him. And once at Sea Base Alpha, the fish, sharks, and dolphins are all still there, along with Crush, the sea turtle from Finding Nemo. You can even interact with Crush as he swims along in the the water. You can ask him questions and he'll respond!

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros

Once called "El Rio del Tiempo," this boat ride attraction in the Mexico pavilion in the World Showcase section of Epcot was recently re-themed as Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. The ride begins as the boat slips past a Mayan temple and on a tour of Mexico. Somewhere along the way, however, Donald Duck gets lost, and the two other members of the Three Caballeros, Panchito Pistoles and José Carioca, together with the attraction's visitors have to find him. What ensues is a magical trip through Mexico.

Honey, I Shrunk The Audience!

Honey, I Shrunk the Audience is a 3D film featuring the wacky inventor, Wayne Szalinski, from the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movie. On this day, Wayne Zelinski is invited to the Imagination Institute to receive an award and show off his newest invention. However, things do go as planned and, oops, the entire audience is shrunk. What happens next is a miniaturized adventure that only Disney could dream up.