The Solo Scale:

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If you’re in the group of enlightened and amazing people who understand that the true star of Epcot is Living with the Land, the Behind the Seeds tour is for you. Yes, I know Cosmic Rewind is still peak. However, there’s a charm to Living with the Land that no other ride can touch. Being able to walk backstage and learn more is an unsung treat.

Even if you’re not the ride’s biggest fan, maybe you love gardening, plants, agriculture, or just learning about your food. If any of that sounds like you, the Behind the Seeds tour is right up your alley. It’s one of the cheaper options, starting at $39 (pre-tax) in 2025. Plus, it will only take about an hour out of your day.

If you want to book this, you can do so 60 days before your first Disney day. Unlike restaurants which open at 6AM EST, the Enchanting Extra collection opens up at midnight for booking. Luckily, you likely won’t have to worry about running out of space for this one. Behind the Seeds runs multiple times per day, departing from a kiosk just to the left of the Living with the Land exit. It’s not as popular as some of the Animal Kingdom activities, meaning you won’t have to fight for a spot. If you’re booking multiple experiences, deprioritize this one and leave it for last.

When it’s time for your tour, head inside the Land pavilion and arrive pretty much right before the tour. Other than checking you in, you’re not going to need much time to prepare. Plus, there’s only a few benches around, so you might end up standing.

And be warned — there is a lot of standing on this backstage tour.

After you check in, you’ll get your badge and a listening device radio. Don’t expect to get a free souvenir out of this. At the end of the tour, you will have to give back your badge along with the radio. It’s a bit odd when you get to keep them at any of the Enchanting Extras at Animal Kingdom. I had been expecting to be able to keep this as a souvenir, so I was glad I took a photo of it before the tour began.

Once your group is all together — which will be around 12-15 people — the first stop is the pest management area. You’re actually near the end of the ride at the start of the tour. Your first stop is truly backstage. That means you won’t see on the boats yet, but you can take pictures unlike other backstage areas in the parks. Here, you’ll learn a little more about pest management before heading on into the greenhouses.

For each stop, you’ll be standing on a sidewalk behind a marked area that you won’t be able to access. Your first destination inside the greenhouse will be the vertical growers. Here, your guide will explain the finer points of vertical growing, fertilizers, and how they take care of the plants. You’ll also learn that some things are just for show. For instance, the twirling vertical growers don’t need to spin. They just look more interesting that way.

During our tour, we were also lucky enough to see people actively gardening and got to see some of the precautions they take. For instance, wearing little boot-cover slips on their shoes as they walk. Your guide will continue to teach you about the plants in the garden, introduce you to a very nervous plant names Stanley. Stanley is a mimosa pudica, which is a type of plant that will shrink in on itself and fully shrivel up if it’s touched or scared. Once Stanley is in hibernation mode, the group moves on to give him a break. That’s when it’s time for the fresh cucumber samples, which was grown right on the Living with the Land ride. You can have these without having to leave your boat to get it and risk being kicked out of the park — a real draw.

There are a few benches as you go, but not many. You’ll continue onward to the other greenhouse where you’ll get to take a spice quiz, working with your fellow tourmates to identify the least to most expensive spices they have on offer. This is where you get the best views of the boats as they pass by (and as you become the highlight of someone else’s picture!).

This is the final stop of your tour, right by the pruned Mickey tree. From here, you’ll begin the slow walk back to the start. It will go the exact same way you walked in, so you’re not seeing anything new. One of the highlights of the return is seeing Stanley (the mimosa pudica) back to its full strength and looking like a normal plant again.

If this sounds right up your alley, you can get more information about the Behind the Seeds tour on Disney’s website to check availabilities and make your plans to get even more Living with the Land in your life!

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