When Walt Disney decided to branch out from his Disneyland theme park in Southern California, he set out to build an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, nicknamed EPCOT. Walt's original vision for Epcot, and Walt Disney World as a whole for that matter, was not centered on a theme park. His desire was to build an actual community, along the lines of Disney's Town of Celebration in Osceola County, that would explore the latest advances in technology and allow its residents the freedom to create a world where family, community and technology could thrive.

After Walt's death in 1966, the company decided that his ultimate goal was too costly even for a company of Disney's magnitude. For example, the original diagrams for Epcot included a huge glass dome that covered the entire city to protect it from the elements. Under Walt's brother Roy's direction, the original plans for Walt Disney World morphed into what we now know as the Magic Kingdom. By the mid 1970s, as a tribute to Walt's dream, the concept of Epcot was expanded to include what we now see as Epcot Center.

In 1975, then-Disney president Card Walker outlined plans for the new park. It would be divided into two sections: World Showcase, where countries from around the world would present foods, arts, wares and other cultural aspects of their life, and Future World, a land dedicated to technological ideas and experimentation.

So what exactly is Epcot? Think of it as a kind of permanent world fair and interactive science museum spread across a sprawling tract of land broken up into pavilions. Roller-coaster fans, take note: with a few exceptions, the park is low on high-speed thrills. Instead, guests will find a mixture of educational attractions, cultural entertainment, shops and restaurants.

The park is accessible by car, from the Magic Kingdom and Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) via monorail, or by boat from adjacent hotels such as Disney's BoardWalk, the Yacht & Beach Club resorts and the distinctive Swan and Dolphin hotels. The main entrance plaza opens up into Future World, a cluster of technology-themed pavilions surrounding the 17-storey Spaceship Earth, a geodesic sphere visible from miles away.

Oct. 1, 1982, saw the opening of this Disney dream. Future World opened to wondrous applause, with the World Showcase premiering the next night to equal fanfare. The Showcase started out with nine countries: Mexico, China, Germany, Italy, The American Adventure, Japan, France, Canada and the United Kingdom. Future World started out with six exhibits: Spaceship Earth, Communicores East and West, Horizons, The Land, Journey Into Imagination and the Universe of Energy.

For a while, Disney concentrated on the World Showcase portion of Epcot, opening Morocco in 1986 and Norway in 1988. In Future World, The Living Seas pavilion was added in 1986, and The Wonders of Life made its debut in 1989.

There was only one problem: as is the case with Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom, tomorrow always comes. Future World's high-tech early 1980s look quickly aged, and the company began work to renew the area in 1994. Epcot traded in its twin Communicores for a new area dedicated to new technology called Innoventions.

The east side of the complex, with its mega-shop and restaurant didn't change that much, but the west side is now completely different. Purely educational areas were spiced up with Internet connections, foreign language translators, a high-tech AT&T exhibit and tons of Sega and other video games. Epcot also jazzed up the Universe of Energy's show, adding a cute story featuring Ellen Degeneres and Bill Nye, The Science Guy.

How to get there: Epcot is located near the center of Disney's property, between the Magic Kingdom and the Downtown Disney area. Guests should take exit 26B north from I-4 and follow the purple signs to Epcot's main gate. Epcot parking lots are not very far away from the park's entrance. There is a tram that runs from the entrance throughout the parking area, but most spaces are close enough for guests to walk.

Visit the Offical Epcot Website at Disney