A Quest to the Canada Pavilion at Epcot

In this article, we visit the Canada Pavilion at Epcot. We’ll look at attractions, dining, and entertainment offerings you can find while touring this portion of the World Showcase.

At some point during your Walt Disney World vacation, you may find yourself in the World Showcase at Epcot. Canada is one of the eleven countries represented in the World Showcase.

Therefore, as we continue our most recent round of updates, I thought we’d return on another quest to Epcot’s Canada Pavilion. This pavilion offers a lot more than meets the eye at an initial glance.

It’s home to stunning gardens, one main attraction, and a faux mountain range with a real-life waterfall. Sometimes, I wonder how many guests are completely unaware that the canyon, bridge, and waterfalls exist.

If you didn’t venture to the back of the pavilion, you’d never know. But, perhaps that’s the best part of the World Showcase. Those who take the time to explore are often rewarded.

So if you would like to know more about the Canada Pavilion, you’re welcome to come along on this latest visit.

Architecture

The Canada Pavilion contains several architectural and historical elements. For starters, detailed totem poles tower overhead as you approach the pavilion.

One totem pole is carved out of wood, while the others are fiberglass replicas. While you can’t see it from this photo, the authentic totem pole has a hidden Mickey. It’s on the side of the pole, underneath the top elbow.

This totem pole pictured below is called The Eagle and the Beaver.

Totem poles tell a story through the various artwork displayed on them from the top to the bottom. Signage nearby shares the story of The Eagle and the Beaver.

Canada also has a tremendous garden that blooms year-round.

These gardens are inspired by the Butchart Gardens of Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria has the country’s mildest median climate and is commonly referred to as the “City of Gardens.”

As far as architecture, the large building that centers the pavilion is the Hotel du Canada. It is a miniature replica of the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario.

There’s a pretty neat story about how the actual hotel came to be in Canada. It was originally built by an American, Charles Hays, who died on the Titanic.

The hotel was intended to be a deluxe stop on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. However, the opening of the hotel had to be postponed because it was set for after his return from the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Sadly, we all know how that went. Anyway, the hotel has become a prime destination for royalty, politicians, and the famous.

While this portion of the pavilion is elevated, ramps are available on each side of the staircase for guests with wheelchairs (ECVs).

My favorite part of the pavilion is the scenic Rocky Mountain overlook with waterfall. It’s located in the pavilion’s upper courtyard. This overlook is an excellent place to take a family photo.

A staircase leads down to the canyon, and there’s a pathway to explore.

At the bottom, you’ll run into the entrance to the pavilion’s sole attraction, Canada Far and Wide. If you don’t care to watch the film, the path continues back out to the gardens. Technically, you could tour the gardens first and walk the opposite way through the pavilion. I guess it depends mainly on which direction you’re headed.

Attractions in the Canada Pavilion

Canada Far and Wide is the newest and only attraction in the pavilion. It replaced the former, long-running Circle-Vision Film O Canada! The entrance is tucked in the rocks past the waterfalls. It takes 12 minutes to complete and explores some of Canada’s finest landmarks and attributes. It’s not the worst place to end up in the event of sudden rain. However, if the rain lasts, it’s a bit of a walk to the nearest covered location.

For those unfamiliar with Circle-Vision, you will enter a large room and stand in the middle while a film is projected around you in a circle. Most of these types of performances are worth seeing at least once, and the time investment is pretty minimal.

Award-winning Canadian actors Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy provide the narration for ‘Canada Far and Wide.’

Related: Canada Far and Wide at Epcot

Entertainment

The Mill Stage sits outside the Canada Pavilion along the World Showcase Promenade. Entertainment here changes throughout the seasons. Some of the popular performers over the years include Alberta Bound, Bodh’aktan, and the Canadian Holiday Voyageurs.

Performance times for entertainment are available in the My Disney Experience app. There is also a sign along the walkway in front of the stage that lists showtimes for the day.

Dining in the Canada Pavilion

When it comes to dining, the Canada Pavilion is home to Le Cellier Steakhouse, a popular table service restaurant located in the “cellar” of the Hotel du Canada.

Le Cellier is one of Disney’s signature dining locations. Its entrees include steaks like prime rib eye and filet mignon and various seafood selections. Of course, most know the location for its Canadian cheddar cheese soup and pretzel bread.

Additionally, you can pick up an order of maple popcorn at the Popcorn Cart in the Canada Pavilion. Canada is well-known for its maple products.

Epcot’s Canada is also home to a booth at each of the four Epcot Festivals held throughout the year. However, their Food and Wine Festival booth is the most popular. That booth usually has cheese soup and filet mignon on the menu.

Shopping

Several shopping opportunities are available in the Canada Pavilion. There are two shops toward the upper level that are combined to make one large store. First is the Trading Post.

Inside the Trading Post, you’ll find a few refreshments.

Here is a list of the beverages with prices. This is where you can try one of Canada’s famous ice wines.

This portion of the store has home goods.

Northwest Mercantile is the larger portion of the store. It focuses more on Canadian-themed merchandise.

Inside, they have a nice selection of men’s and women’s apparel.

Here are a few mugs and canteens.

You can usually find several plush toys.

Here are a few more photos.

This is a Disney Sketchbook Ornament for the Canada Pavilion.

Additionally, the pavilion has some of the cutest pajamas.

Along the front of the pavilion, there’s an additional kiosk that sells keychains and other leather items.

Here are a few photos of what they had on the day of this visit.

Kidcot Fun Stop

All of the countries in the World Showcase have a Kidcot Fun Stop.

Canada’s Kidcot is located past the Victoria Gardens at the covered area where the Circle-Vision film exits.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this article brought you up to date with all things Canada at Epcot. This pavilion has a lot to offer, and it’s definitely worth exploring further during your vacation. For more countries in the World Showcase, you might enjoy the following:

• France Pavilion
• Morocco Pavilion
• Japan Pavilion
• Germany Pavilion
• Italy Pavilion
• China Pavilion
• Mexico Pavilion
• United Kingdom Pavilion

Or you can browse our entire Epcot Planning Guide.

In the Comments

Have you had a chance to visit the Canada Pavilion at Epcot? What do you like about this pavilion? Let us know below in the comments.