Busch Gardens, Tampa

...think a day out at Busch gardens will satisfy your needs very well indeed.

What is it?.....

Busch Gardens is a mix of Wildlife Park, Theme Park and Adventure Park all set in landscaped grounds and themed sections. (More on that later)

Arriving…..

Busch Gardens is situated on the outskirts of Tampa Bay about an hours drive from Orlando. We were staying in the Orlando area so our route took ...
...and arrival and departure from Busch gardens.

Parking……

The car parks are well directed and you will be shown where to park.
Parking will cost you $9 for the day or if you are feeling extra rich there is preferred parking available nearer the park but at extra cost of course.
There is a tram service that will take you from pick up points around the car parks to the entrance of the park itself. Getting on ... more

Fancy a visit to Africa?
Want to learn about African wildlife and have a great day out while you are doing it?
Do you find yourself in the Tampa Bay area?
If the answer to those questions is yes then I think a day out at Busch gardens will satisfy your needs very well indeed.

What is it?.....

Busch Gardens is a mix of Wildlife Park, Theme Park and Adventure Park all set in landscaped grounds and themed sections. (More on that later)

Arriving…..

Busch Gardens is situated on the outskirts of Tampa Bay about an hours drive from Orlando. We were staying in the Orlando area so our route took us down Interstate 4 and then North on Interstate 75 to Tampa.
Take junction 265 off the 75 into Fowler Avenue and follow that until you go past the University of South Florida then next junction turn left into McKinley Drive and follow signs to the car parks.
If you are not driving then there is a shuttle bus available from Orlando. This picks up from various points such as Seaworld or Universal Studios amongst others.
A ticket for the shuttle will cost you $10 per person. (Free if you have a Flexiticket) This can either be pre booked or a phone call to 800-221-1339 the night before you want to visit will get you booked on and give you the times of departure and arrival and departure from Busch gardens.

Parking……

The car parks are well directed and you will be shown where to park.
Parking will cost you $9 for the day or if you are feeling extra rich there is preferred parking available nearer the park but at extra cost of course.
There is a tram service that will take you from pick up points around the car parks to the entrance of the park itself. Getting on the tram is a bit chaotic but it is an efficient safety conscious service.

Docpov Tip:-
Tie something bright to your aerial to help you find your car. The car parks are huge and there might well be several cars similar to yours nearby. We didn’t on this trip and I found myself pressing the unlock button on the key fob around several cars before we found the one where the indicators flashed.

Admission….

There are so many ways to get your tickets for Busch Gardens and different deals and packages but if you pay on the day it will cost you :-

Adult $ 61.95
Child $ 51.95

Admission is also available as part of 5 and 4 park Orlando flexitickets which allow you unlimited admission to Busch gardens, Seaworld and the Universal parks for a period of 14 days. These tickets cost :-

Adult $194.95 (4 park) and $239.95 (5 park)
Child $160.95 (4 park) and $199.95 (5 park)

For our visit we used our Discovery Cove tickets. As part of the discovery Cove package we were allowed unlimited admission to Busch Gardens for seven days.

When can I go?.....

The park opens at 9.00 daily and closes between 6.00pm and 10.00pm depending on day and time of year, they are open later mainly during the summer months.

I am here so now what?......

Entry to the park is a bit of a free for all. If you have not got tickets as part of a package or pre-booked the first thing you have to do is queue to pay for your tickets. After this you will have any bag you may have with you searched as part of park security and then after presenting your ticket you are finally in to start your day of fun at Busch Gardens.

Where to start?.....

When you have made it through the entry process the first thing I would suggest is getting hold of a park map. Busch Gardens is not a small place and the map will help you greatly to find the attractions that you want to see. They are available from just inside the entrance.
Next if you have youngsters with you or if you have a less able person with you will need to get yourself a stroller or hire a wheelchair. There is going to be a lot of walking involved in your visit.

Strollers and wheelchairs

Both are available to hire near the entrance.
Cost:-
Single stroller :- $ 10.00 + tax
Double stroller :- $ 15.00 + tax
Wheelchair :- $ 10.00 no tax
ECV (electric wheelchair) :- $35 no tax. There are conditions applied to this rental though minimum age 18 and a deposit is applied if hired on the day.

Docpov Tip 2 :-
Even if your youngsters are up to six or seven it is worth getting a stroller as there is a lot of walking in your visit and they are always handy for carrying bags and drinks and anything else you may acquire throughout your visit.

The park…….

All organised and ready to go but what to see first, there is just so much on offer. This is where your map comes in. You will see that Busch Gardens is split into sections, all named after places from Africa, Nairobi Egypt, Morocco Stanleyville and the Congo which makes it slightly easier to get your bearings. I am not entirely sure where Stanleyville fits into the African theme though.
The buildings from the shops to attractions to restaurants are all built to fit in with the style of the area they are in. Timbuktu has desert style buildings while morocco has more exotic style of architecture. This range of design goes through the park and really does make for a great atmosphere that changes as you wander from section to section.
Looking at the map you will see that at least a quarter of the park area is taken up by the Serengeti wildlife preserve. There is a train that runs around the entire preserve and is a good place to start

Serengeti Plain / railway…….

The Serengeti preserve is a huge habitat where you are able to see zebra, giraffe antelope and many more species running free in this fantastic re-creation of the famous African plain. You will also see Rhino and water buffalo although for obvious safety reasons they are separated from the main preserve.
It is an amazing sight to see a giraffe up close and personal as it stands by the railway.
The railway wends its way slowly around the whole preserve giving you ample opportunity to take in the animals and photograph them if you wish.
The train stops at Nairobi, the Congo and Stanleyville although you may remain on board and do a complete circuit if you wish. That is what we did, partly because we had left the stroller at Nairobi station and it would have been a very long walk to go and retrieve it.

Docpov Tip 3 :-
If you are getting off at the Stanleyville station and your carriage is under the Tanganyika Tidal Wave rollercoaster be careful when you get out as it is right below the splash zone of the coaster and if you get out at the wrong moment you are going to get wet !!!

There are several other ways to see the wildlife on the plain. At several points walkways front the preserve and the Rhino rally takes part in some of the preserve (more on that later) Also there is a Serengeti safari that is available to book. This takes the form of a guided 30 minute tour in an open topped truck that gets you really close to the animals. This is not included in admission and costs $33.99.
It sounds like a great experience but wasn’t something we did on our visit.

More close encounters of an animal kind…….

Myombe reserve

There is something lurking in the mountains, it is not easy to see but when you do it’s an amazing sight. Mountain Gorillas. They are amazing, proud animals and walking through their habitat is a great experience. It is a very large enclosure modelled on the type of terrain they would live in, in the wild. As you walk through there is a large amount of educational and conservation information available for you both to read and to listen too. Keeper talks also occur throughout the day if you require more information.

Edge of Africa

Situated on the edge of the Serengeti this is where you will meet some of the more dangerous members of the African animal family. Hyena’s Hippo and a Nile crocodile not to mention the lions that you get very close to. There are different glass windows to enable you to see the animals wherever they are in their very large enclosures.
The habitats was something that impressed me as every effort has been made to make the habitats as realistic as possible and large enough to give the animals plenty of room to move around.

Not far from the Edge of Africa you can find Asian elephants and camels to complete the vast array of African wildlife that live at Busch gardens.

Lory landing.

This is a domed aviary. We didn’t visit, my wife is not a great bird fan but it is home to parrots and many other bird species.

Clydesdale Hamlet.

This is home to the Budweiser Clydesdale horses, majestic heavy horses that can’t fail to impress equine fans or anyone else for that matter. They really are impressive animals. The Anheuser-Busch family who own Busch Gardens as well as the Seaworld parks and Discovery Cove are the brewers of Budweiser.

The animals are brilliant but I want some action……..

And action you shall have aplenty. There are a large number of thrill rides for you to enjoy or endure if you look at it from my point of view, I am not a coaster lover but for those of you that are Busch Gardens will not disappoint.

Safety is a prime concern on all these rides and there are restrictions and guidelines posted at the entrance to all rides

Docpov tip 4 :-
If you have youngsters with you that may be around the size of the minimum height for any ride check them against the height meters before you wait for half an hour in a queue. Apart from wasting your enjoyment time it will avoid tears or a temper tantrum if your youngster is just too small because the size rule is very strictly enforced for obvious safety reasons.

Back to the rides.

Rhino Rally.

Not really a thrill ride, it is great fun though and you will be in for a few surprises. Belted safely into a Land Rover you are driven out into the Serengeti preserve and have some great views of the animals. Your driver is also your guide and will keep up an entertaining commentary for your whole trip.
All goes as you think a safari would until disaster strikes and the bridge you are on suddenly gets swept away and you are carried off down the river on a raft. It is great fun with some thrills along the way.

Cheetah Chase

When you first see this rollercoaster it looks fairly innocuous. It is fairly compact and there are no sweeping curves or inversions but it is the speed and the jarring hairpin curves that make this coaster a bit of a sleeping giant.

Stanley falls

This is a log flume that speeds you on a water bourn journey ending in a 40 foot drop. You are going to get wet on this one.

Tanganyika Tidal wave

Another water ride that starts off easy but builds to culminate in a 55 foot drop at the end. This drop creates a tidal wave that ensures that you are not exactly dry when you come off.

Congo River rapids

This was my favourite ride, it is great fun but do expect to get soaked. A large circular boat takes you on a wild trip down white water rapids with plenty of stoppers that ensure that all the water doesn’t stay in the river. At the end there is a large spray of water that is fired across the river and if you happen to be sitting on the wrong side of the boat (like we were) then you are in for a soaking. Also look out for the nice people on the bridge armed with water cannon that will help to get you a little damper.
Yes we did go straight up to the cannon when we came off the ride to get the next people a little wet, it is good fun and everyone takes it as such.

Docpov Tip 5 :-
There are lockers available at the start of this ride (cost 50 cents) make use of them for bags and especially things that don’t like water too much like mobile phones etc.

There is a clothes stall at the end of this ride that does a roaring trade, good marketing there I think.

Skyride

This is a cable car ride that lets you see the animals and the rest of the park from above. It will take you right across the park from the Crown colony area to the Congo or the other way round.

Docpov Tip 6:-
This is a one way ride, I suppose you could queue again to get the reverse flight but the queues do get long for this. As we had the stroller I ended up walking to save us all having to go all the way back to get the stroller, something to think about if you are going to ride.

On to the big boys, the big coasters…….

We didn’t go on any of them, they look terrifying from the ground let alone actually being on them.
When we were going past them on the railway the commentator took great delight in describing them as her voice mingled with the screams of the riders of coasters.

Kumba

This starts with a 135foot drop and a plunge of 110 feet into a diving loop leaves you weightless for around three seconds while you spiral at terrifying speeds. The setting for this one is impressive but when riding I don’t think you would have much time to admire the set.

Montu

One of the biggest inverted roller coasters in the world and also has a 60 foot vertical loop and reaching speeds up to 60 mph.

Scorpion

Not as big as some of the others but certainly looked big enough to me and a very rapid rollercoaster.

Python

This one twists and turns and has a 70 foot plunge

Gwazi

This one is different from the others, it is two wooden coasters that intertwine and spiral continually.

Sheikra

Judging by the sounds coming from the riders I should say this one should be called shreeka. This one climbs 200 feet and then drops vertically back to earth at a speed of 70mph. As if that wasn’t enough add to that seven inversions and then to cap it all there is another vertical drop. Not one for me I am afraid.

Anything else to do?.....

There are several shows to go to although we didn’t seem to have time to go to any of them but there is a 4D pirate show and musical shows plus a children’s adventure. All the shows are in separate theatres and are available for you to enjoy at different start times throughout the day.

Docpov Tip 7:-
If you do want to see a show, decide in advance what time show you want to see so that you are not at the other end of the park at the time you should be queueing to get in because it is such a big site that it is going to take you quite a while to get there.

You are going to be hungry after all that activity so where can you eat.
There is a wide choice of eateries from full restaurant to snack bars.

Crown Colony Restaurant (Edge of Africa)

This is the centrepiece of Busch gardens dining overlooking the Serengeti plain, set against this fantastic backdrop and in a colonial mansion it offers full service family dining. It looks like a great restaurant and we did contemplate it but the kids wanted to do other things so we ended up getting a quicker meal.

The Desert Grill (Timbuktu)

Here you can eat a wide choice of food such as ribs chicken or pasta or if you prefer a salad. There is entertainment provided to help you enjoy your meal.

The Zagora Café (Morocco)

This is the place to come for breakfast if you are in the park early. They serve hot and continental breakfast until 10.30 am and then later in the day you can get fajita’s, hamburgers or steak or turkey sandwiches and that style of food. They also have a full kids menu.

Zambia Smokehouse

Barbeque food served in the shadow of Sheikra, not sure how other peoples screams would affect your appetite though.

Snack type foods such as pizza or chicken strips amongst many others are available at locations such as the Kenya canteen and Sahara snacks which are dotted about at locations all over the park.

It is the same with drinks, you are never far from liquid refreshment which is a good thing as it will probably be hot on your visit and keeping up a good liquid intake throughout your visit is essential to avoid dehydration.

Docpov Tip 8:-
Drinks are quite expensive in the park as with any theme park so why not put a couple of bottles of water in the freezer the night before your visit. This will give you a good supply of ice cold water throughout the day as the ice slowly melts.

Not enough for you yet?.....

There is so much more to Busch gardens, if shopping is your thing there is a vast array of shops around the park selling souvenirs to suit virtually any taste from kiddie toys to works of art.
There what could be called almost a fairground in Timbuktu featuring stalls where you can win cuddly toys (have to pay extra per go of course) to carousel’s to familiar fairground rides.
If you want a bit more peace there are landscaped areas to walk though and these don’t seem to be as crowded as the shopping/ ride areas.

Bits and Pieces…….

Disability access is well designed with very few steps in the park and thought has been given to it in many locations and on many of the attractions.
Dining facilities will do there best to accommodate those unfortunate enough to have food allergies.

Cleanliness is good both in restrooms and in general around the park with no litter spoiling your enjoyment.
There are extra special tours and events available but they will cost you extra, a lot extra in some cases and as they are very limited to supply I would imagine they get booked up very quickly so I would say booking is essential well in advance of your visit. Some of these are things like being a keeper for a day ($350.00) or saving a species tour ($44.99) this gets you up close to the rhino’s and tells you how to play a part in conservation

Docpov’s Final Tip:-
Busch gardens is a huge place and a little planning can save on a large amount of legwork so it is worth sorting out which attractions you want to see most and do them in an order so they will be on the way to another.

A word on conservation………

Your visit will not only be a great day out but hopefully you will come away with more insight into the plight of some of the species you have seen and what parks like Busch Gardens are trying to do about it and maybe it will make you want to do your bit to help save our world and the wonderful animals that inhabit it.

There is another Busch gardens park in Virginia where the emphasis is on Europe rather than Africa.

If you get the chance to go I am sure you will enjoy your visit but be prepared not to see everything in one day. It is a huge and popular place so there are a lot of people about and all the major rides are going to involve queueing so decide what you want to see and do the most and you will have a great day out.

© Docpov April 2007 

...less