Busch Gardens Review

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Busch Gardens

  • Address: 3000 E. Busch Blvd., 8 mi northeast of downtown Tampa and 2 mi east of I-275 Exit 50, Central Tampa, Tampa, FL, 33612 | Map It
  • Phone: 813/987-5000; 888/800-5447
  • www.buschgardens.com
Write a review | Avg. member rating: 4.0/5

Fodor's Review:

The new Jungala exhibit at Busch Gardens brings Bengal tigers to center stage and puts them at eye level—allowing you to view them from underground caves and underwater windows. The big cats are just one of the reasons the theme park attracts some 4½ million visitors each year. This is a world-class zoo, with more than 2,000 animals and a live entertainment venue that provides a full day (or more) of entertainment for the whole family. For the best animal sightings, go to their habitats early, when it's cooler also. If you want to beat the crowds, start in the back of the park and work your way around clockwise.

The 335-acre adventure park's habitats offer views of some of the world's most endangered and exotic animals. You can experience up-close animal encounters on the Serengeti Plain, a 65-acre free-roaming habitat that is home to reticulated giraffes, Grevy's zebras, white rhinos, bongos, impalas, and more. Myombe Reserve allows you to view lowland gorillas and chimpanzees in a lush, tropical rain-forest environment. The Broadway-style theater extravaganza KaTonga: Tales from the Jungle is a 35-minute celebration of animal folklore, and the hapless Leslie Nielsen leads a bumbling band of buccaneers on the big screen in Pirates 4-D.

Many consider the six roller coasters to be the biggest lure. SheiKra, North America's first dive coaster, opened in mid-2005. On the wings of an African hawk, riders fly through a three-minute journey 200 feet up, then (gulp!) plunge 90 degrees straight down at 70 mi per hour. The park's coaster lineup also includes steel giants Kumba, Scorpion, and Montu, a double wooden roller-coaster called Gwazi, and Cheetah Chase —a five-story family coaster full of hairpin turns and breathtaking dips. The off-road safari Rhino Rally brings you face-to-face with elephants, white rhinos, and Nile crocodiles (when it's running properly, which isn't always the case). Land of the Dragons is a 4-acre kids' playground that has rides, special shows, play areas, and a three-story tree house with towers and stairways.

For those 21 years or older, the Hospitality House in the Bird Gardens offers complimentary Anheuser-Busch products, and the Budweiser Beer School hosts a 30-minute lesson in the art, science, and tradition of beer brewing. Allow six to eight hours to experience Busch Gardens.

  • Cost: $67.95; parking $10
  • Open: Daily 10-6.
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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by bachslunch from US on 11/12/08
True enough, it's not as big a deal as the large Orlando parks. It's still pretty good, with several roller coasters and flume rides, gardens, a bird house, African animals in a Serengeti style setting, shops, eateries, arcades, and live theater. Two days for the price of one deals make this less of a financial bite than it might be otherwise.

Member Rating: 4.0
Ratings details: Experience: 4.0 Ease: 4.0 Value: 4.0 Don't Miss: 4.0
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