the Official Blog of the Unofficial Guides

Larger-than-life topiaries, vibrant flowerbeds, and stunning gardens are the hallmark of Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival, but will kids enjoy the visit? You bet, and here are six reasons why.  Topiaries Shaped Like Beloved Disney Characters On display throughout Epcot, the topiaries are excellent conversation starters about the movies your kids love best. They also offer a playful opportunity

Historically, the best time to visit Walt Disney World is from after Labor Day through the beginning of October. The next slowest is mid-January, after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, through Presidents’ Day in February (except when the Walt Disney World Marathon is held after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day). The weeks after Thanksgiving and before Christmas

Renee Sklarew, author of The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C., invites you to enjoy spring in our nation’s capital and beyond.  The National Arboretum is a living, breathing museum perched along the Anacostia River in the northeastern section of Washington, D.C. A staff of scientists and educators, along with 150 volunteers, are devoted to maintaining the Arboretum’s 440 acres of

With the most rides-per-acre of any Disney theme park, the original Disneyland features more than enough attractions included in regular admission to keep infrequent guests entertained for many days. But for those visitors who think they’ve already seen and done it all, Disneyland offers extra-cost tours that pull back the curtain with some exclusive experiences that are otherwise off-limits to

In a move certain to thrill some guests and dismay others, Disney has just announced new updates to its policies that will ban smoking, stroller wagons, and loose ice inside their theme parks at the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts as of May 1, 2019. Disney Smoking Ban For starters, beginning May 1st, the designated smoking sections will be