Celebrating 25 years in central Florida, "The Mouse" really has his landscape act together.
Mention a Walt Disney World Getaway and few folks envision a horticultural trip. But this vacation mecca near Orlando, Florida, has a lot more to offer than amusement park rides, parades and lifelike cartoon characters. This October marks the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World and if you haven't seen it lately, you won't believe the changes that have occurred in its first quarter century of magic.
Besides the 1,500 acres of landscape, managed by a staff of 350 horticulturists, Walt Disney World now offers educational programs that target the interests of gardeners. The new Disney Institute offers guests a variety of hands-on programs exploring garden designs and techniques as well as behind-the-scenes looks at how they make the landscape magic at Disney's theme parks, resorts, hotels and other attractions.
The concept behind the Disney Institute originated when Disney CEO Michael Eisner and his family vacationed at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. The chautauqua (pronounced shah-TOCK-wah) flourished during the 19th and early 20th centuries, providing popular educational programs and entertainment. Eisner put a Disney spin on the concept and added it to the vacation options at Disney World.
The Disney Institute is located within walking distance of Pleasure Island and a short ride from Epcot. Dozens of instructional programs are grouped into eight interest areas including gardening, sports and fitness, culinary arts, drawing and animation and performing arts. Most programs take place in facilities on the institute property, which creates the ambiance of an old-fashioned American town. Several programs, including some gardening offerings, also go "on location" to Epcot, the Disney World Nursery and conservation areas on the property.
Among the most popular offerings in the gardening category is the topiary class. A tour of the area where the theme park topiaries are created is combined with an opportunity to make a take-home miniature topiary using the same techniques the Disney horticulturists employ on the giant versions. Class offerings at the institute vary and change approximately every three months.
As enjoyable as the serene surroundings at the institute are, however, it is hard to resist the lure of the theme parks -- at least for a day or two. Landscaping and horticultural beauty abounds and is so meticulously planned and executed that even pavement-loving non-gardeners can be caught oohing and ahhing at the colorful floral displays and cleverly designed topiary forms. More garden-friendly visitors will appreciate the subtler horticultural touches, not the least of which are the dramatic plant differences in separate areas of the theme parks.
Take, in the Magic Kingdom for instance, the distinct difference between the dense jungle-like landscape in Adventureland and, a few steps away, the Old West desert landscape in Frontierland. Obviously it is a challenge to grow desert plants in a humid environment like central Florida; here the trick is accomplished with desert look-alikes.
Because so many aspects of the Disney theme parks are simulated, some visitors mistakenly believe the plant life too is artificial. But with the exception of the Swiss Family Treehouse in the Magic Kingdom. the plants are real -- even the rows of hanging floral baskets that line Main Street as you enter the park. (Tour the Disney Nursery and learn how to make these huge hanging balls of blooming flowers, or one of the colorful floating miniature gardens on display in Epcot's Future World.)
Because the landscape is such an important part of the show at Disney World, it is carefully prepared for visitors each day. Here is where the concept of portable landscaping is at its best. Vast expanses of flowers may look as though they have been growing forever in the spot where they are colorfully blooming, but they may only have been put into place the night before your arrival. The trees growing in front of Cinderella's castle, too, look as though they have been there forever. But imagine how obscure the castle would be today if the same trees had been growing in front of it for the past 25 years. Yes, even the largest elements of the landscape are moved in and out to keep the stage looking fresh and picture-perfect.
There is so much to see and do at Disney World that not everyone is interested in learning the details of the landscape and gardening. But if you are one of the special people who love being immersed in the details of plants, you'll be able to indulge your interest while your companions are busily occupied elsewhere.
ITINERARY INFORMATION
The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, the Disney Institute and all of the other Disney attractions and resorts are located within Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. For more information, contact your travel agent or call 407-827-7200. For information regarding the Disney Institute, call 800-282-9282.
COPYRIGHT 1996 KC Publishers, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group