3. Have a "Treat Yo Self" day

Pistachio Bundt Cake from India
Image: Disney

Have some breathing room in your budget? The Epcot Food and Wine Festival is the perfect opportunity to TREAT YO SELF.

Don’t know what that is? The premise is simple: give yourself enough flexibility on your festival day that if you see something you want to try that you normally wouldn’t, you just say TREAT YO SELF and do it. This is especially fun if you have a friend and want to try some new things.

I know what you’re thinking. We just said set a budget, right? While the original (and hilarious) Treat Yo Self concept from the show “Parks and Recreation” is a good way to end up in crippling debt in real life, taking the “Treat Yo Self” mentality with some boundaries in place is a surprisingly fun way to approach the Food and Wine Festival. Part of the fun of the festival is spontaneity, trying new things, and enjoying a little luxury and decadence you wouldn’t normally imbibe in. It’s a chance for a schoolteacher to feel like a queen sipping apple wine and a musician to feel like a rock star eating escargot croissants.

The key is to give yourself permission to have fun. Definitely hit your “must eat” items, but try to leave room for the unexpected during your explorations. The Avocado Crema and Jamaican Beefy Patty were both “Treat Yo Self” items we tried and loved. Even something as silly as the wacky Vanilla Tonic Water with Cotton Candy in the Light Lab proved enjoyable taking this mentality. The key is have fun, try something new, and take some opportunities to TREAT YO SELF!

4. Don’t skip the Festival Center (especially if you’re nostalgic)

Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

The Festival Center is an extremely-easy-to-miss highlight of the Food and Wine Festival. Even with giant signs pointing the way, we had trouble locating it, tucked behind the now-deceased Universe of Energy.

Are you a fan of the Epcot of yesteryear? If you are, you will be delighted to learn that the Festival Center is housed in the old “Wonders of Life” pavilion. Not much has changed inside this lost marvel, and it really is a fantastic location. Enjoy it while you can as rumors suggest that the new Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster will take up the ground currently held by both Universe of Energy and this forgotten legend.

Inside the Festival Center, you can cool down, peruse a wide range of festival merchandise, and enjoy cooking demonstrations by respected chefs. Annual Passholders can pick up exclusive buttons and other souvenirs. Wine connoisseurs can watch a short film about the process of wine-making, then peruse a full selection of vintages available for purchase (there may be professional sommeliers signing bottles when you visit). You can even get free chocolate samples at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience, and if you have kids, you can pick up a packet to sign them up for the year’s festival scavenger hunt (currently it is based on Ratatouille). Don’t miss this place!