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Living with the Land
(photos below)
Of the several attractions in The
Land pavilion, Living with the Land is a
"perennial" favorite for many Guests. This is a
slow-moving boat ride through several
nature/agricultural-themed scenes, then it's off to the
greenhouses to see what's growing!
Until recently, each pair of boats (they're
connected into groups of two boats moving together) had its
own live narrator on board, but in late 2006 these Cast
Members were replaced by soundtrack recordings, apparently
freeing some of the strain that scheduling so many people was
placing on the attraction's management. The recording hasn't
negatively affected the ride at all--in fact, it seems as
though the Guest throughput has increased since the
change was implemented.
The ride begins as ..."dramatic changes
are occurring in the land." Your boat passes by a forest
scene in which rain falls, followed by a look into the
rainforest, then a dry desert scene. Finally, a farmhouse
comes into view (The dog on the porch--isn't he also in Carousel
of Progress? Or maybe Pirates
of the Caribbean?) Passing the farmhouse, your boat enters
the barn with still more scenes--these leading up to the
burning question posed by this attraction: How do we feed a
growing world population while taking environmental factors
into consideration?
Before you know it, you're in the greenhouses,
checking out the many plants growing in...sand! The
greenhouses in Living with the Land are state-of-the-art, with
hydroponics, "aeroponics" (those are plants
flying through the air!), and far-out experimental systems
like the "nutrient film technique" which grows
lettuce in patterns such that you may see a hidden Mickey or
the word "Epcot" in the patch. Additionally, you'll
see aquaculture in the form of fish tanks and tubes--very
interesting!
Anyone who likes gardening or farming--or
those with an interest in food production ("Food doesn't
grow in the grocery store")--will love Living with the
Land. If you want a closer look at the greenhouses, then
you're the kind of person who would enjoy the Behind the Seeds
tour, a live walking tour of the greenhouses which
gives an up-close and personal look at what's "growing
on" in there. If you see a group of Guests out in the
greenhouse during your boat ride, you're seeing others taking
in Behind the Seeds. To register, just show up at the desk at
the entrance to Soarin'. The price is reasonable, the
experience is incredible! See you there!
Bright eyes! These gators
are being farmed in the Aquaculture segment
Great looking stuff in the
greenhouse
The boat ahead, meandering
slowly along so as to give Guests plenty of time to have a
look
Yum! Eggplants!
A tomato tree
Most items are clearly
labeled--not everything is so easy to identify here
Look for a hidden Mickey in
the lab--and notice the Mickey's Mini Gardens being
prepared--they're in the trays near the bottoms of the windows
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