Family, travel, mom blog | Theme Park Mom (Leigh Caldwell)

The Greek food kiosk at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival.

Editor’s Note: Please welcome guest blogger Zanna of Zannaland, and go check out her awesome blog!

EPCOT's International Food and Wine Festival is held each fall at Walt Disney World.

When you head to Epcot’s World Showcase and its 11 represented countries, one thing you will not do is go home hungry. Add to that over 25 additional international marketplace kiosks at the 14th Annual Food & Wine Festival, and you’ll be in gastronomical Utopia.  My family has been attending the Festival since its opening in 1995, so we’ve cultivated some favorites over the years – our “must-eats”.

5. Wellington, New Zealand – Location: United Kingdom Pavilion

This is a favorite with my husband and mother, both fans of the Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney, while I enjoy the delicious Seared Sea Scallop with Vegetable Slaw and Lemon Oil. If you are a fan of lamb, you can also save room for the Lamb Chop in the Australian kiosk, over in the African Outpost area.

The beverages offered in New Zealand are: Villa Maria Wines: Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc, Private Bin Unoaked Chardonnay, Private Bin Riesling, and Private Bin Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon.

4. Paris, France – Location: France Pavilion
Now you can’t think French cuisine without thinking Escargot, right? The France kiosk will not disappoint. For fans of the dish, or daring first-timers, this is the perfect offering to try. The snails are prepared “en brioche” or baked in bread. So it’s really just like eating a delicious little garlic bread with a surprise inside. Believe it or not, the Escargot Persillade en Brioche is what my 10 year-old son looks forward to each year.

If snails aren’t your thing, there is also Cabernet Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and heavenly Chocolate Mile Crème Brûlée. Fans of the France Pavilion’s Grand Manier Slush and Grey Goose Citron Slush can enjoy a new treat: Parisien Cosmo Slush. Other beverage selections: Chardonnay (Bouchard Ainee & Fils, 2007), Merlot (Chateau Mezain, Bordeaux, 2007), and Sparkling Pomegranate Kir.

3. Hops & Barley – Location: Between the Morocco and France Pavilions
This is new location for this kiosk this year so New England fans make note! Our family is originally from Boston, so we are pretty much required by law to stop here. Luckily – it’s worth it! Here you can enjoy a Boston-style Crab Cake with Cabbage Slaw and Remoulade and a New England Lobster Roll – a must-have for “Lobstah” fans and newcomers alike.  This is also where you can imbibe the special Samuel Adams 14th Anniversary Festival Beer on draft.

Other Sam Adams selections include: Samuel Adams Boston Ale (draft), Samuel Adams Boston Lager (draft), Samuel Adams Octoberfest (draft), Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat (draft), Samuel Adams Light, Samuel Adams Cream Stout, Samuel Adams Pale Ale, Samuel Adams Honey Porter, and Samuel Adams Black Lager.

2. Montreal, Canada – Location: Canada Pavilion
Those familiar with the Canada Pavilion’s Le Cellier restaurant know how difficult a reservation is to come by. Now you need no reservation to enjoy the delicious Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. You can also indulge in Maple Glazed Salmon with Lentil Salad, Spicy Chicken Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta and Maple Sugar Candy – mmmm! Because of its offerings and location, the line for this kiosk gets long quickly so plan accordingly!

The beverage offered in Canada include: Moosehead Beer, Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Château des Charmes Riesling, Château des Charmes Vidal Icewine, and St. David’s Bench Vineyard Merlot.

1. Athens, Greece – Location: Canada Pavilion
Like the Canada kiosk, the queue for Greece sometimes looks like it could use a Fast Pass – but with good reason. For those just venturing into new culinary tastes, Greece is a perfect place to start. Greek Salad with Pita Bread, Spanakopita (Savory Spinach and Cheese Pastry) and Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki are pleasing to most all palates. Our family can find something everyone likes here, including the sweet and crunchy Baklava dessert.

Beverages offered in Greece include: Boutari Moschofilero, Boutari Santorini, Kourtaki Mavrodaphne of Patras, and Tsantali Rapsani.

There are endless choices from savory to spicy to sweet and a drink to pair with them all. Be adventurous, try a dish you’d never serve at home and see if your kids make it a new favorite. The Food and Wine Festival is a wonderful place to teach your children about other cultures and traditions. No matter what your tastes, your family will surely come up with its own “Top 5 Must-Eats” in no time.

The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival runs Sept. 25 through Nov. 8, 2009, at Walt Disney World.

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If you’re planning to visit any Six Flags theme park, be sure to toss your loose change into the Fountains for Foundations there. Now through Nov. 1, the money theme park visitors toss into those fountains will go to Give Kids the World Village.

So when your pocket or purse gets heavy during a fun day at Six Flags, head to the fountain and lighten your load. You’ll be tired enough walking around the park all day. You don’t need to carry the extra weight of all those coins around, too.

Give Kids the World Village is a magical place in Central Florida that provides an unforgettable vacation for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It is truly an incredible place and Theme Park Mom’s favorite charity.

What? You aren’t going to Six Flags anytime soon? Don’t worry, I’ve still got you covered. Donate your spare change here, on my Firstgiving.org fundraising page. All donations go straight to Give Kids the World Village.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is offering a $99 room rate this year for Labor Day. You can book a discounted room now for stays between Sept. 1 and Sept. 9.

The resort says the $99 discounted rate is in honor of the ninth month of 2009. The special runs for nine days, and, you’ll notice, it ends on 9/09/09. Is that enough nines for you?

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin has five gorgeous swimming pools and a white sand beach.

If not, you should know that the Swan and Dolphin is giving away hotel stays and dinners to nine resort employees and their families in honor of Labor Day.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is in the heart of Walt Disney World, at the EPCOT Resort area. This is my favorite area of Walt Disney World for short stays, because it is so easy to get to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and Disney’s Boardwalk – just hop on a water taxi. And, of course, there’s bus transportation to the other parks and recreation areas at Walt Disney World.

The Swan and Dolphin has 17 restaurants and lounges to choose from, including Todd English’s bluezoo, which I’m dying to try. And there are five pools and a white sand beach. In fact, you could spend the entire weekend just enjoying this resort inside a resort.

If you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World over Labor Day weekend, this $99 rate is a steal for a deluxe-level hotel stay. Don’t forget that you could also take advantage of this special to treat your family to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, which opens on Sept. 4.

A minimum three-night stay is required for this Disney hotel special. You can make reservations by calling 1-800-227-1500 and mentioning the “$99 in ‘09″ promotion.

Rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson will give a concert to benefit his G-Unity Foundation at Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in Jackson, New Jersey.

Music superstar 50 Cent will perform at Six Flags Great Adventure on Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.

The 50 Cent concert will benefit the rapper’s G-Unity Foundation, which was founded to improve the quality of life for low-income communities. Hundreds of children from 50 Cent’s childhood neighborhood in Queens, New York, will be transported to the Six Flags in Jackson, New Jersey, that day for theme park fun and the rap concert. But the concert is also open to the public.

“I am constantly searching for ways to give back to the community that helped create me and contributed to my success,” said Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. “I can think of no better way to do this than to help improve the lives of the young people that reside there through programs created by my foundation.”

You can buy tickets to the concert online. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to 50 Cent’s foundation.