The 1950s were a time of innocence, post-war booms, moving to the suburbs, and free beer. Well, free beer at Busch Gardens. The gardens were opened in 1959 as an admission-free hospitality center for the Tampa Anheuser-Busch brewery. Visitors were welcomed for their brewery tour with bird shows in a tropical setting and beer.
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While no longer free, the 335-acre theme park still thrives in Tampa, Florida.
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Busch Gardens Facts
- August A Busch Jr and his son Adolphus Busch IV dedicated the gardens on March 31, 1959.
- August A Busch Jr added the 29-acre Serengeti Plain to the park in 1965. Eventually, it was expanded to 70 acres. The plain allowed the open roam of the park’s African wildlife. It became the largest, free-roaming habitat outside of Africa.
- Busch Gardens Tampa opened its park monorail in 1966. It was the park’s first “major” ride.
- The Serengeti Express Railroad opened in 1971 as the park’s second ride. The train offers a perimeter ride around the 335-acre park with stops in the Congo, Stanleyville, and Nairobi areas.
Busch Gardens Tampa Attractions
Morroco
Located at the park’s main entrance with shops like Sultan’s Sweets and the Zagora Cafe. The major ride in the area is the Iron Gwazi coaster. You will also find the Myombre Reserve. It is home to six low-land gorillas and nine chimpanzees.
The Iron Gwazi is a hybrid wooden steel coaster. When it opened it was the world’s tallest hybrid coaster, as well as, the world’s fastest and steepest hybrid coaster.
Sesame Street Safari of Fun
Housing the interactive play area Telly’s Jungle Jam, Rosita’s Djembe FLy-Away ((swing ride), Bert & Ernie’s Watering Hole (water play area), and Air Grover (children’s roller coaster).
Stanleyville
Home to Stanley Falls Flume, Tigris (coaster), and SheiKra. SheiKra is the world’s first “dive coaster” with a nearly 90-degree drop.
Congo
Containing two of the park’s most popular rides, the Congo houses Kumba and the Congo River Rapids.
Jungala
Offers up-close animal encounters and rope bridges to three stories of the jungle to explore. Jungala houses Jungle Fliers (zip-line ride), The Wild Surge (launch ride tower), Orangutan Outpost, Tiger Lodge & Trail, and the Kulu Canopy. The Kulu Canopy is a mult-species habitat for white-cheeked gibbons, flying foxes, and false gharial (a rare crocodile native to Indonesia).
Pantopia
Home to Busch Garden’s oldest operating coast, Scorpion.
Nairobi
View alligators and crocodiles in the enclosures or visit the Curiosity Cavern. The Curiosity Cavern houses several mammal and reptilian exhibits.
The Animal Care Center is a nearly 16,000-square-foot working veterinary hospital allowing visitors to observe the care of the animals at Busch Gardens.
The Elephant Interaction Wall in this section of the park has five female and one male Asian elephants. See their website for all your interaction opportunities.
Edge of Africa
Home to the Cheetah Hunt (coaster), Cheetah Run (animal exhibit) and the Serengeti Overlook Restaurant & Pub. Grab a drink and a pretzel while watching the zebras and giraffes play!
Egypt
Although the park created an Egyptian marketplace feel, the main attraction in this area are the coasters, Cobra’s Curse & Montu.
Bird Gardens
The free-flight aviary showcases 500 tropical birds including parrots, flamingos, toucans, pink spoonbills, and more.
Attractions in the History of Busch Gardens
- The “Stairway to the Stars” was the name given to the large escalator taking you to the brewery’s roof for its early tours.
- The park’s brewery was closed in December 1995 and later demolished to be replaced by one of the park’s roller coasters.
- “Land of the Dragons” was a children’s section of the park. It has been re-themed into the Sesame Street Safari of Fun.
- The park’s version of the Jungle Cruise was the African Queen boat tour. It included animals such as alligators and spider monkeys with a “captain” Macaw on each boat. It was renovated into the Tanganyika Tidal Wave in 1989 and removed for the SheiKra in 2005.
- The Python corkscrew coaster was removed from the Congo area in 2006.
The attractions are constantly changing. Check with the park before your visit to see current attractions.