Tampa, Florida
Busch Gardens is open year-round. Operating days and hours vary. Check the park's Web site for more info
1-888-800-5447
Admission Policy:
General admission includes access to all animal exhibits, shows, attractions, and rides. Admission to the nearby Adventure Island water park requires a separate ticket. Discount combo passes for both parks are available. There is a discount for children. Busch Gardens also offers a discount for passes purchased in advance online at its Web site. The park frequently offers deals such as two days for the price of one admission or buy one day and get a season pass. Check with Busch Gardens for current offers. Busch Entertainment also offers multi-park ticket deals to its Florida attractions, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica water park. It also participates in the Orlando Flex Ticket, which includes all of Florida's Busch Entertainment parks plus Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Wet 'n' Wild.
The vendor, Kijubi, sells a "length of stay" ticket which offers up to 14 days of unlimited visits to Busch Gardens at a price that is less than a one-day pass purchased at the gate of the park. Buy direct.
Special Tours and Programs:
For extra fees above the cost of general admission, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay offers a number of in-depth tours and programs, including a Serengeti Safari Tour that takes guests on open-air trucks for up-close and personal interactions with the animals on the park's 65-acre Serengeti Plain. It also offers guided tours, some of which offer front-of-the-line access to the major rides. Advance reservations are recommended for the tours.
Getting to Busch Gardens Africa:
Busch Entertainment offers a daily bus shuttle between Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld Orlando. The cost is a reasonable $10 per person. The shuttle is complimentary for those who purchase multi-park tickets, including the Orlando Flex Ticket (see Admission Policy above).
Directions to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay:
From Orlando:
I-4W to I-75N. Make sure you head NORTH (even though it sounds counterintuitive!) on I-75 to the Fowler Ave exit #265. Bear left on the exit ramp onto Fowler Avenue. Left on McKinley (after the University of South Florida) to the park.
Hotel Information:
Find Busch Gardens Hotel Accommodations
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Busch Gardens Featured Attractions:
- Rhino Rally safari and river ride
- Montu, one of the world's best inverted coasters
- Kumba steel multi-element coaster
- SheiKra, a floorless diving coaster--among the best steel coasters anywhere
- Serengeti Plain with free-roaming animals
- Edge of Africa safari experience
- Jungala land with animal exhibits, rides, and play area
- KaTonga musical stage show
See Busch Gardens Tampa:
Nearby Water Park:
Adventure Island is operated by Busch Entertainment and is across the street from Busch Gardens. But it requires a separate admission ticket.
New for 2008:
Busch Gardens Goes for the Jungala
Read about Jungala, the new themed area that's coming to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 2008.
Halloween Event:
Howl-O-Scream
Info about the annual spooky festival.
Official Web Site:
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Online
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Overview:
It's a thrill ride park. It's a zoo. It's a botanical garden. It's three parks in one! A bit out of the Orlando theme park nexus, it's worth the hour-and-change drive to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The African-themed park features some world-class thrill machines, including the highly regarded Montu inverted coaster and the wonderful floorless diving coaster, SheiKra--one of the world's best steel coasters.
With the exception of Rhino Rally, a land and water safari ride (that features comical tour guides in the vein of Disney's Jungle River Cruise skippers), the park lacks the super-duper E-Ticket attractions found at Disney and Universal. But it does offer some great shows, some eye-popping garden displays, and a menagerie of African animals that offers wonderful ambiance and truly sets the park apart.
Be sure to allow time to explore the animals. The orangutan and tiger exhibits in Jungala offer some terrific up-close experiences. And the Edge of Africa exhibit, which borders the 65-acre Serengeti Plain, allows guests to view animals such as lions, meerkats, rhinos, and giraffes in natural habitats. For a special treat (and an extra fee), consider the Serengeti Safari Tours which takes guests aboard open trucks into the Serengeti Plain for real close and personal interactions with the animals.
The dining at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a notch above typical theme park fare. Favorites include the Desert Grill, which features live entertainment along with the fare, and the Zambia Smokehouse for yummy BBQ. Busch Gardens' full-service restaurant, the Crown Colony, serves meals family-style and offers stunning views of the animals on the Serengeti Plain.
