Living with the Land at EPCOT With Toddlers and Young Kids
EPCOT is a great place for toddlers and young kids because of the number of attractions without a height requirement. As a mom of two young kids, currently ages 5 and 2 ½, I love that our family can spend a few hours in the park and have so many different rides to choose from.
Living with the Land is located inside The Land Pavilion at EPCOT, and it’s something we typically try to make time for because my older son really enjoys it, and my toddler does too on most visits. With no height requirement and the entire attraction located indoors where it’s air conditioned, it can be a great choice for families with little ones.
In this post, we’ll share some more information about the ride, some of the features that make it unique, and why we recommend including Living with the Land in your EPCOT day.
Ride Stats
Location: The Land Pavilion at EPCOT
Height Requirement: None
Ride Duration: About 14 minutes
Ride Type: Slow-moving indoor boat ride
Ride Vehicle: Small boat with bench-style seating for about 4 per row
Lightning Lane: Available
The Queue
You’ll find the entrance to the Living with the Land queue inside The Land Pavilion on the first floor. Before entering The Land Pavilion, it’s important to note that strollers are not permitted inside. You’ll need to leave your stroller in the available stroller parking area located between The Land and The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilions and walk a short distance to the entrance. That’s something not a lot of families are aware of, and it can impact the logistics of your visit if you have a little one who’s sleeping or you were counting on having your stroller for easy access to your bag and other belongings. Cast Members are typically waiting at the entrance and will direct you toward stroller parking before entering.
Once inside, you’ll be on the second floor and will need to take either the elevator or escalator down to the first floor to find Living with the Land. The queue entrance is just on the other side of the escalator, and there are large signs for the ride, so it won’t be difficult to navigate once you’re inside.
With the ride being indoors, you’ll get to enjoy the benefits of being out of the sun and inside the air conditioning while you wait and for most of the attraction. The greenhouses you’ll pass through during part of the ride can be a little warmer, but not uncomfortably so. There are no interactive elements in the queue. It’s just a standard setup, so any longer waits with little ones may be challenging.
On very busy park days, we’ve seen the line get closer to a 45-minute wait, but in our experience, there are also plenty of times when this ride has little to no line at all. We wouldn’t wait more than 10 minutes, simply because my toddler wouldn’t be able to last much longer than that. If the line is longer, I would recommend coming back at a different time or using a Lightning Lane if you want to ensure you won’t have to wait.
Our family has used a Lightning Lane for Living with the Land on some visits if we’re already purchasing them for the day. Since we know our kids typically enjoy the ride, it’s an easy choice. However, I would say it’s often not necessary if you time your visit right. Try coming during off-peak times of day and avoid lunchtime if possible. A lot of people will choose to eat lunch at Sunshine Seasons inside The Land Pavilion and then head to Soarin’ or Living with the Land since both rides are located nearby.
The Ride Experience
There’s a slight step down into the boats as you’re getting ready to board. Each row has bench-style seating that comfortably fits about four people, and there are no restraints. The boats move slowly through the entire attraction, without any drops, fast-moving sections or other surprises. Infants will need to be held, and from experience, if you have a baby carrier, it can be a lot easier to use on rides like this than trying to hold onto them yourself.
Living with the Land is a little longer than some of the other rides our kids enjoy at EPCOT, lasting approximately 14 minutes. My 5-year-old does great with the length and stays entertained looking at everything around him. My toddler, on the other hand, can be hit or miss. There have been a few times when he’s lost interest and gotten a little restless before the ride was over. You know your little one best and how long they’ll comfortably stay seated.
The first part of the ride takes you through several scenes focused on different ecosystems and farming. Some areas are dimly lit, but there’s nothing particularly scary, and these scenes have never bothered either of my kids. One fun detail is that you can even look up and see people eating at the Garden Grill Restaurant above you during part of the ride.
After that, you’ll head into the greenhouses, which is where there’s a lot more to look at. You’ll slowly pass rows of fruits, vegetables, flowers and other plants from around the world, each with signs telling you what they are. You’ll also see some of the different ways Disney grows the plants. There’s even an area with fish like bass, tilapia and catfish and some information about how they’re used in food production.
One of my favorite details is that some of the food grown here is actually used in meals served at EPCOT, including at Sunshine Seasons and Garden Grill. It’s a fun connection to make, especially if you’ve eaten at either of those restaurants during your visit.
During the holidays, Living with the Land gets a Christmas overlay with lights and decorations throughout the greenhouses. We’ve had the chance to ride during the holiday overlay, and it’s a fun change from the version we’re used to riding throughout the rest of the year.
One other thing I recommend is keeping little ones seated toward the inside of the row and being careful about what they have in their hands. With the open sides of the boat and water right next to you, it can be tempting for kids to reach toward it. When my younger son was still an infant, he had a pacifier with him and tossed it right into the water during the ride. After that experience, we made sure to use pacifier clips or wait until we were off the ride before giving him anything we wouldn’t want to lose.
Overall, the ride itself is very calm and gives kids plenty of different things to look at along the way. If you’re trying to decide whether Living with the Land would be a good choice for your family, I think the biggest thing to consider is the 14-minute ride length. There aren’t any fast-moving or particularly scary parts, so for toddlers especially, I think it comes down to whether they’ll be happy sitting in the boat looking around for that long.
Nearby Attractions
Once you’ve enjoyed Living with the Land, I highly suggest making your way over to The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion. There’s a great ride featuring all your kids’ favorite Finding Nemo characters, along with a 5.7 million gallon saltwater aquarium to explore. This is a must-do for our family every time we visit EPCOT, and you can read more about our experience here.
Directly across from The Seas with Nemo & Friends is a unique walkthrough attraction called Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana. This one is especially fun on those hot summer days, with plenty of opportunities for kids to interact with water along the way. Neither of these attractions has a height requirement, making them two more options your whole family can enjoy together.
Final Thoughts
EPCOT is a lot more toddler-friendly than many families realize. Given a choice between all four Walt Disney World theme parks, my kids are often most excited to come to EPCOT, and I think a lot of that has to do with how many different things there are for them to do without a height restriction. We can spend an entire day here, or just come for a few hours, and still have plenty of rides and other things to choose from.
Living with the Land is one of those rides we continue to include our EPCOT visits. It’s indoors, it’s slow and relaxing, and you get almost a behind-the-scenes look at how Disney is growing some of the food that’s actually served right there in the park. My 5-year-old really enjoys looking at everything as we go through the greenhouses, and while my toddler doesn’t always make it through the full 14 minutes without getting a little restless, he still enjoys the ride most of the time.
If your little one does well sitting for a slightly longer ride, I think Living with the Land is a great option to add to your EPCOT day, and it’s one we’ll continue coming back to with our kids.