-
Busch Garden Tampa
Busch Gardens is located in Tampa, Florida which is about an hour south of the other major theme parks in Orlando, Florida. Busch Gardens has some of the best roller-coasters in Florida and also differentiates itself from the many other amusement parks with the beautiful setting and many animal shows. The entire experience is a lot different than Disney, where characters roam the streets and the ambiance is the experience.
For Busch Gardens, the gardens and shady lined walk-ways are a comfortable addition to the theme park, but the experience is really about the animal shows and major roller-coasters.
How to Plan Your Busch Gardens Vacation?
What are the Busch Garden Family of Theme Parks?
Busch Gardens is an Anheuser-Busch park and therefore related to the other Anheuser-Busch parks. The top-level company is Anheuser-Busch, but the SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment division actually runs the parks now. In addition to Busch Gardens, you can visit these sister parks for discounted rates when you visit more than one!
SeaWorld Orlando: Sea World is a lot of fun for the animal lovers in the family and the park rates high on my list of favorites. Part water park, one great roller coaster and several truly amazing animal water shows and you will have a wonderful day at this park.
Adventure Island: Also located in Tampa, Adventure island is a water park and a lot of fun! This is not like the major, huge, touristy water parks affiliated with Disney World in Orlando, but instead a fun day of picnic table eating areas and family-friendly water slides.
Where Should You Eat?
Theme park food is expensive and Busch Gardens is no exception. That being said, the Crown Colony House is a great family option because children eat free with a paid adult entree. Also, there are several fast food restaurants just outside the park, across the street on Busch Blvd, that are your usual cheap fast-food fare–it may behoove you to hit one of these just before entering the park or time it so you get hungry right when it’s time to leave!
Where Should You Stay?
Staying near Busch Gardens is definitely affordable because the park is located right in Tampa. That means the hotel options run the gamut between the cheap motels and upscale inclusive hotels with pools and higher-end options.
Can Someone Plan This For You?
Absolutely! There are reputable full-service organizations willing to cater to every minor and major travel planning detail. With a full service catering package all you have to do is pack up, and get the whole family to Florida! In fact, if you want to visit several of the Orlando area theme parks, in addition to Busch Gardens in nearby Tampa, consider a travel agent your best option for special rates and discount combination theme park packages. Visit Delta Airlines Reservations for best deals and vacation packages to Florida.
My Favorite Rides and Shows at Busch Gardens!
Busch Gardens is a mere 25 minute drive from the home I grew up in…that means I have visited this park countless times and watched new coasters added, refreshments and other fun features. This is such a well-sized and family friendly park that it tops my list. The Little Dragons play area will absolutely delight your toddlers and teens and adults will love the super-speedy roller-coasters. The shows are a great way to cool down and I recommend hitting the shows right in the midday heat so you’re sitting in the shade and cooling off when the Florida sun is at its strongest!
My Favorite Roller Coasters:
Montu: One of the best coasters at Busch Gardens, this is the one you’ll want to ride several times before the day is over. It lasts for a decent amount of time, has all of the twists, turns, and unexpected drops you’d expect from an excellent coaster!
SheiKra: As the only dive roller-coaster in Florida, this one is terrifying and awesome all rolled into one. It’s a floorless coaster that tops-out at 70 mph and the coaster drops you at a sharp and unexpected 90-degree angle.
Kumba: This ride is smooth and pleasant, which doesn’t mean slow, but the tracks are designed to glide effortlessly and you sail through Kumba without the jarring and bumps of many coasters.
Gwazi: The exact opposite of Kumba, Gwazi is a large wooden roller-coaster that hits right in the middle of average coaster speeds. I’m not a huge fan of wooden coasters because of how many bumps you feel along the way, but it’s worth riding at least once on your visit!
2. Walt Disney World (Orlando)
Disney World Orlando is the mac-daddy of the theme parks and the largest of all the Disney theme parks in the world. Disneyland in California doesn’t come close to the scale of Orlando’s hub of all things Mickey Mouse.
Disney World Orlando is comprised of four main theme parks
- Magic Kingdom: Home to Cinderella’s iconic castle, this park revolves around five different “lands.” It has a great selection of iconic Disney and rides that children of all ages in your family can enjoy.
- Epcot: Visit the countries of the world as you travel around various country-themed spots that make up Epcot. The huge silver ball houses fun technology and games to keep the kids occupied when exploring the cultures and countries loses its charm.
- Hollywood Studios: Formerly MGM, this park is easily navigated in half a day and includes simply rides and shows related to the Disney movies you and your children have watched a million times over.
- Animal Kingdom: The newest of the four main parks, Animal Kingdom is a nice mixture of a zoo-type environment and a theme park with fun rides and informative exhibits about animals from around the world. Hands-on animal shows are the highlight here!
The Other Two Disney Orlando Parks
- Blizzard Beach: Has one of the world’s fastest and tallest water slides for the adventurous, as well as a slew of other smaller slides and rides for all ages. The park is themed as if there was a blizzard of snow covering everything and you can toboggan down the mountainsides.
- Typhoon Lagoon: Tons of waterslides and a really great children’s area, the real highlight is the shark reef where you can swim with real sharks! The park’s wave pool is also pretty epic (and the largest in the world).
How to Plan Your Disney Vacation?
This can be the most stressful part about planning a Florida vacation, planning a trip to the theme parks can be quite the headache, so start early and do your search to find the options that work best for your family. People from all over the world travel to Orlando to visit the parks, so there is, quite literally, an option for every price bracket and every special need.
Which Parks Should You Choose?
Disney theme park tickets get cheaper the more days you buy. Park Hopper tickets are your best option if you want to spend several days at Disney and really get the most of your experience. The transportation between parks is amazingly efficient, and air conditioned, so you can easily and effectively visit several parks in one day to get the best fireworks and show specials offered during your visit. Visit Airlines Gethuman and get contact information of all airlines.
Where Should You Stay?
Disney property is the most fun and by far the easiest option since Disney has free transportation between all of the parks and resorts. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the range of accommodation available on Disney property; there are a handful of fantastic high-end resorts as well as a range of value budget resorts, and everything in between those two!
Also, staying on property has other benefits besides ease of transportation, Disney offers Extra Magic Hours for on-property guests every single day. These Extra Magic Hours rotate between each of the four main parks.
Consider two options:
(1) arrive an hour early to the park of choice and get in a lot of rides first thing.
(2) avoid the Extra Magic Hours park because this one will have the most visitors and spend that day at one of the other main parks!
Can Someone Plan This For You?
Yes! There are amazingly full-service organizations that will take care of every single travel planning detail so all you have to do is pack up the family and travel to Florida! In fact, if you want to visit several of the Orlando area theme parks contacting a travel agent can be your best option for special rates and combo packages.
