Busch Gardens....
Tampa Bay Coasting

by Tammie Thompson

My first visit to the Tampa Busch Gardens was many years ago (OK, more than many). My parents have a black and white photo of me (in rompers) petting a deer. Not much remains in my memory from that trip to Florida but something about Busch Gardens has stayed with me. Perhaps it was the image of hundreds of flamingos, a field of pink. Or the images of feeding tropical birds, or the baboon pounding his chest.

Busch Gardens is certainly not the same place it was years ago. Started as a zoo, transformed to an amusement/theme park, Busch Gardens has enough hardware to rival the biggest and baddest of parks.

"From wildlife to wild rides" is a bit misleading. Sure there's some wildlife mingled with roller coasters, thrill rides and high-speed adventures. But they are seen from afar and really don't mesh with the overall ambiance of the park.

Yes, it took me a while to get over the change from petting zoo and bird sanctuary to full-on amusement park. It took my ten-year old no time at all. He and his buddy were off in a flash to hit Montu, Kumba, Python, Scorpion and Gwazi. All dizzying coasters with more than enough whoop-de-doos, flips, death drops and banked turns to amp any adrenaline junky.

My five-year old ambled along with Mom, searching for that recollection from the past that would spur equal memories of birds and baboons.

We didn't quite find it. We found some good rides. The train through the "Serengeti Plain" was fun. Most of the animals were resting in the shade, except for the giraffes that followed the safari tour busses (you can pay extra to feed the giraffes in an "up close encounter"). The whining started immediately, "Why can't we feed the giraffes?"

Timbuktu had some good rides for young children, but it was the Land of Dragons that caught my daughter's attention. A giant tree house, water play and huge playground were pretty appealing. Plus there were no lines.

Lines were a problem at most of the rides. Even midweek. Too much for a five-year old in the Florida heat. So we gravitated indoors to grab a lemonade and found a floorshow at Das Festhaus Restaurant, "International Celebration". Complete with singing and dancing, it was a welcome treat.

Another plus for kids of all ages is the dolphin show. Entertaining and educational, the show gave us a chance to "chill", with a welcome splash to cool down. Plan ahead to hit as many shows as possible. World Rhythms on Ice; Dolphins of the Deep; For the Birds; Moroccan Roll: Captain Kangaroo's Crew Live; and Stanleyville Smokehouse Entertainment, all are worth checking out.

The Budweiser Hospitality House offers a strange twist to a family theme park. We steered clear, but some families found it's a great spot to leave Grandma or Uncle Bill while they get max air on the rides.

While Busch Gardens seems to want to be all things to all people, they succeed best at pleasing the roller coaster crowd. Go early to avoid the masses, pack a lunch (lockers available), and bring along lots of cash as there are plenty of "extras" that are not included in the park admission ticket.

For current admission prices see: www.buschgardens.com .

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