Busch Gardens Tampa
Florida's #1 Attraction

The name was recently changed to Busch Gardens Africa. However, I still like to call it Busch Gardens Tampa Bay since it gives more name recognition to this great area in which we live.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay receives over 4 million visitors per year as people travel from all over the world to this theme park.

With shows, animals, and many thrill rides there should be enough to keep the entire family busy.

The park has an African theme with rides, shows and attractions that fit the overall theme.

It is divided into 8 different areas:

• Congo
• Stanleyville
• Timbuktu
• Nairobi
• Myombe Reserve
• Morocco
• Egypt
• Serengeti Plain.

If you love roller coasters then you will love Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. There are 6 different roller coasters to choose from (one of those is a family coaster).

The newest roller coaster, Sheikra, is one of the first roller coasters with a 90 degree drop.

As if that was not thrilling enough, if you are a thrill seeker you will be happy to know that they just made Sheikra even scarier by removing the floor on the cars so that there is an unobstructed view of everything below.

Now, I must admit that I am a chicken so I do not ride roller coasters. I like my drops to be more like 180 degrees straight across at night when I drop in the bed.

Animal Attractions

Since I love to watch animals this is right down my alley.

With giraffes in the Serengeti Plain, gorillas in the Myombe Reserve and Hippos in the Edge of Africa there is a lot of excitement throughout the park.

On Rhino Rally you are able to get up close and personal with the animals as you travel off road in a jeep near the animals.

There is also an area, the Clydesdale Hamlet where you can meet the famous Budweiser Clydesdales, the large horses from the commercials.

In addition to the animals and the thrilling roller coasters Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida also has shows throughout the day.

One of the most popular shows that the park is known for is Katonga.

Katonga is a 35 minute musical set in Africa that goes through the life of African storytellers as they try to perfect storytelling about African animal folklore.

This show is proclaimed to be the first theme park show of Broadway caliber production.

Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida is a must do when you are in the area and I would highly recommend it.

The price for Busch Gardens single day admission is $61.95 for adults and $51.95 for children.

There are other types of admissions such as multi-park admission or multi-day admissions.

You can check out the Busch Gardens website for all of your options.

Directions

From the North:

1. Travel SOUTH on I-75 to the FOWLER AVENUE exit #265.
2. Merge onto East Fowler Avenue toward UNIV SOUTH FLORIDA / BUSCH GARDENS / TEMPLE TERRACE.
3. Travel 4.1 miles, passing by the main entrance of the University of South Florida. Turn left at the stop light at Malcolm McKinley Dr.
4. Busch Gardens is located on the right hand side.

From the South:

1. Travel NORTH on I-75 to the FOWLER AVENUE exit #265.
2. Turn left on the exit ramp toward UNIV SOUTH FLORIDA / BUSCH GARDENS / TEMPLE TERRACE.
3. Travel 4.1 miles, passing by the main entrance of the University of South Florida. Turn left at the stop light at Malcolm McKinley Dr.
4. Busch Gardens is located on the right hand side.

From St. Petersburg:

1. Travel NORTH on I-275 to the FOWLER AVENUE exit.
2. Turn east (right) onto Fowler Avenue exit.
3. Travel 2.5 miles and turn right on McKinley Drive at the stop light.
4. Busch Gardens is located on the right hand side.

From Orlando:

1. Travel WEST on I-4 to I-75
2. Travel NORTH on I-75 to the FOWLER AVENUE exit #265.
3. Turn left on the exit ramp toward UNIV SOUTH FLORIDA / BUSCH GARDENS / TEMPLE TERRACE.
4. Travel 4.1 miles, passing by the main entrance of the University of South Florida. Turn left at the stop light at Malcolm McKinley Dr.
5. Busch Gardens is located on the right hand side.