Take a Spin on Epcot’s Glimmering Greenhouses (A Holiday Overlay on Living with the Land)

Living with the Land’s Glimmering Greenhouses is set to return to this year’s Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. The holiday overlay runs concurrently with the festival schedule from November 29th through December 30th. This year, a new Behind the Seeds Tour of the Glimmering Greenhouses will also be offered. We have a separate article that discusses the details of the tour.

If you’ve never visited Epcot during the holidays, you’re in for a treat. Glimmering Greenhouses is a holiday overlay of the Living with the Land attraction located on the Land Pavilion’s lower level. It’s where you ride the slow-moving boats through the park’s greenhouses. The entire ride is frosted during the holidays with twinkling lights and other festive decor. The attraction is open later than usual during the holiday season, so guests can ride it at night when it truly shines. (If you’re eligible for extended evening hours, you can also experience it during those select hours.) Below, we’ll preview photos and a video of the Glimmering Greenhouses so you’ll know what to expect.

Updated on October 20, 2024

Living with the Land’s Glimmering Greenhouses is best experienced in the evening to get the full lighting effect. However, you might ride it earlier in the day and again at night. From my experience, the waits are usually minimal after 7:00 p.m.

After boarding Living with the Land, you’ll travel through scenes of various biomes, such as the rainforest and prairie. This portion of the attraction remains unchanged during the holiday. But then you’ll start to see the light in the tunnel ahead.

Your boat eventually enters the first greenhouse.

Many of the trees are covered in twinkling lights.

You’ll float by a family of snowmen (well, sand). They are also taking in the delight of the Glimmering Greenhouses.

There are shades of reds, greens, and blues everywhere you look.

The lights in the sand festively light the way, almost like a gingerbread trail.

You’ll see different props here and there. It’s hard to tell, but the tray in the photo below is covered in various chocolates. This particular area of the greenhouse has Cacao trees, which produce cocoa.

Here are a few of those trees on the opposite side of the boat.

Narration plays in the background, highlighting some of the plants.

Soon, you’ll enter a tunnel where there’s information about hydroponics.

If you look closely, you’ll see a few shrimp in the tanks and possibly another hidden Mickey.

We continue to the next greenhouse.

There’s nothing like finding a hidden Mickey, especially one disguised as a reindeer.

Stockings mixed with fruit and vegetables hang from a pergola. Each item was grown in the greenhouses.

Many of the items grown in the greenhouses are used in restaurants at Walt Disney World. Some table service restaurants have menus indicating an ingredient from Living with the Land.

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty neat.

Here are a few eggplants covered in holiday lights.

This signage reads, “Celebrate crops important to holiday traditions around the world in our Glimmering Greenhouses.”

Toward the end, we see mention of a few holiday spices like cinnamon and mint, as shown in the photos below.

As we make the final turn, we see the lab. Pink and purple lights have been added, and stockings hang across the ledge. These usually have the names of cast members who work at this attraction.

One last tunnel of lights, and we’re back where we started.

A video from a few years back provides a different perspective.

Final Thoughts

We hope you enjoyed this little spin on Living with the Land’s Glimmering Greenhouses. It’s a peaceful attraction, and the lights add festive fun. For more details on Epcot during the holidays, you might enjoy our list of 10 Things to Do at the 2024 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays.

In the Comments

What do you think about the Glimmering Greenhouses on Living with the Land? Will you get the opportunity to ride this attraction over the holidays? Let us know in the comments below.