This installment of World Showcase Spotlight features a favorite pavilion--Germany! You will find Germany situated between the Outpost and Italy pavilion. With beautiful potted flowers throughout, gorgeous architecture and the delicious smell of caramel treats, this quaint pavilion is an easy place to sit and relax for a little bit.

• Die Weihnachts Ecke is a must visit store for any Christmas lover. Hand blown glass ornaments of all shapes and colors decorate the walls and trees within the store. The pickle ornament tree is also a hit, so make sure to stop and read the story of the pickle ornament if you are unfamiliar with this tradition!
• Stein Haus is where you’ll find beer steins, as you could probably guess! There is also some other fun merchandise such as t-shirts, etc…
• Next door to Stein Haus is Weinkeller. Here you will find German wines, wine accessories and even participate in wine tasting (when available). 
• Kunstarbeit in Kristall is a crystal shop featuring unique items like tiaras, crystal figurines, glassware, jewelry, and other collectible items.
• In Der Teddybar* little ones can pick up that must have toy, doll or teddy bear.
• Karamell-Küche is the place to be for anyone with a sweet tooth! This store features hand crafted caramel treats such as caramel popcorn, caramel apples, caramel covered cupcakes and gourmet candies featuring Werther’s Original Caramel. Yum! This is one of my family’s can’t miss stops anytime we’re in Disney!

Along with great shopping choices, Germany is home to some great dining options, too! If you’re looking for a quick bite or cold brew you can visit the Bier Stand for a beer and a hand twisted pretzel or Sommerfest, a quick service restaurant. Sommerfest offers bratwurst or frankfurter with sauerkraut and roll as well as authentic hand twisted pretzel, beer or wine. For dessert you can enjoy apple strudel, black forest cake roulade or Bavarian cheesecake.

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest draws into the Germany pavilion is Biergarten Restaurant, the pavilion’s buffet style table service restaurant. (Currently family style due to COVID-19 guidelines.) The inside of Biergarten is made to look like a Bavarian village, complete with lampposts, trees, a waterwheel, and even a moon shining from above! Another immersive touch is the live band, Oktoberfest Musikanten. The sounds of alpenhorns, accordions and even cowbells are uplifting and sure to make your feet tap during your meal! Maybe the most unique aspect of Biergarten is the seating style. The tables here seat eight guests at each, which means those with less than eight in their group could be seated with other guests during normal times. It was great fun getting to meet another family and hear their experiences!

Speaking of your meal, that’s what Biergarten is about! Biergarten is open for both lunch and dinner. Cold items such as nudel salat (macaroni salad), bayrischer kraut salat (Bavarian cabbage salad), senfgurken (mustard pickles) and what happens to be one of my favorites - gurken salat (cucumber-dill salad). For warmer dishes, try the eissbein-gratin mit gebackenen zwiebeln (a pork shank-gratin with fried onions), schwaebische kaese spaetzle mit glacierten zwiebeln (cheese spatzle with glazed Onions) or the gebratene kartoffeln mit frischen krautern (roasted potatoes with fresh herbs) to start, along with an array of sausages and breads. To finish the meal, you must try the Bavarian cheesecake, it’s delicious! If you’re not a cheesecake lover, black forest cake, apple strudel, fruit salad and vanilla pudding with chocolate chips are some of the other dessert options available. Wine and beer is available as well. If you want to read more about Biergarten, read our review of the restaurant here.
Another one of my favorite things to do is to check out the miniature train set that has found its home in Germany. Be sure to take a few minutes to look at the details. The farmers, their animals, the townspeople in the village – it’s awesome. There are usually a couple of trains running through the small bridges and tunnels built into the landscape, so keep your eye out for them. It’s a great spot to slow down for a bit.