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Kids exploring Pandora at night

A child’s first Walt Disney World vacation is an experience they’ll never forget. It’s also a fun opportunity to shamelessly impress them by pointing out some of Disney’s coolest secrets. Want to catch a few magical moments? Make sure you have the camera ready when you show the kids these insane details at the Most Magical Place on Earth.

1. The secret lights in Future World

Spaceship Earth at night

It’s the little things that make the biggest difference at Walt Disney World, and a great example is one of Epcot’s most beloved touches of Disney magic. Next time you’re visiting Future World after the sun has set, take your little one on a stroll near Innoventions on either side of Spaceship Earth plaza. Sections of the concrete throughout this area come alive at night with colored lights like sparkling stars and mesmerizing swirls. The secret is an elaborate series of fiber optics embedded in the concrete, the same type of lights Disney used for Magic Kingdom’s Spectromagic parade. Kids and adults alike love this captivating display.

2. The Tomorrowland power palms

Tomorrowland Power Palms

Despite having grown slightly dated in its view of a theoretical future, Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland continues to thrill visitors young and old. While most kids tend to focus on the cool factor of the Astro Orbiter or Space Mountain, there’s one magical detail of Tomorrowland many young guests miss.

It’s often assumed that the metal palm trees lining the paths throughout Tomorrowland open and close when shade is needed. In truth, the trees never move, but the backstory behind why this rumor spread is pretty neat. The search for sustainable energy sources is a recurring theme in Tomorrowland—Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor, the Arcade, and the PeopleMover all hint at this. The story behind the Power Palms is that they were designed to soak up solar energy when their leaves are spread, storing that energy in the Power Coconuts at the fronds’ base.

One of the Power Palms is different than the others—its fronds are set to a more closed position and the Power Coconuts are missing. The idea is that they’ve been harvested to power Tomorrowland. Pretty cool!

 
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