“It’s always a thrilling experience to go into a place that
offers you a lot of choice. You know it’s like it reminds you of
when you’re a kid and you go to the amusement park and whether it
be Disney World or Six Flags you know that thrilling moment when you
first enter and you know you’ve got all these possibilities for the
day and it’s really a … it’s a wonderful feeling.”
Sheena
Iyengar
After
loading up the van with all the young-ins, stroller, water,
sunscreen, hats, and snacks we headed to Tampa to go to Busch
Gardens. We were all very excited about this day. We bought our
tickets on line and Joe and I got the all you can eat pass. After
parking, we walked to where the shuttle takes you to the park.
Since we got there just as the park opened, it was a breeze and they
were very accommodating with helping Jeannine get the two child
stroller on board. The children were excited as this was their
first ride of the day. In no time, we were entering the park.
When
we arrived at the entrance, the two boys were put into the two child
stroller and the girls lined up behind their Momma in order. As we
walked around they stayed in order unless holding either Grandmom or
Pop Pops hand. As you can see, we were all coordinated in wearing
our tie-dyed
t
shirts Jeannine has made. That really helped with keeping track of
everyone. The tree house was great fun for the children. They loved climbing all around it exploring.
The
first thing we noticed while strolling down the beautiful lanes was
the beautiful tropical gardens along with all the exotic birds and
animals. The parrots were beautiful and seemed to be enjoying their
surroundings. The Toucan was impressive to see with the large
colorful beak and the kids joked about the Fruit Loop cereal and
wondering he he wanted to eat some.
We
came here on a Thursday in April and it was perfect. The weather
was ideal for walking around and there were no crowds. We only had
to wait at the Log Flume but not long. The adults in our party
only went on a few rides since none of us are roller coaster fans.
We weren’t fans but the girls were. The twins went on one as they
were just tall enough and Mary, the four year old wanted to go on one
badly but wasn’t tall enough. We asked if there was one she could
ride beside the kiddie one and they guided us to another one that she
was tall enough to ride. We got her and the twins set on it and
away they flew. After it left, we looked up and thought - “Oh
No.” The roller coaster had a loop where they would go upside
down. No problem. They got off and were very excited about the
ride and wanted to go again. We couldn’t believe little Mary got
to go on it and liked it so much.
The
children's section of the park had great rides for the little ones
and they enjoyed running from one ride to the next. Everything in
the park is brightly colored and is just pleasing to your eyes.
There are nine roller coasters that for us were fun to watch but not
participate in riding and there are two water rides.
The
first place we got food was the Zagora Cafe. We got a burger, fries
and a drink. It was not that great. We started thinking the all
you could eat pass was not great if all the food was like that.
Then after getting bottled water wherever we were and finding the
barbecue restaurant, Zambia Smokehouse we were thrilled. There food
was fantastic and they gave us a large plate of food that was more
than enough for Joe, I, and Jeannine and her kids. It was huge.
Later, we got pizza and soda and it was good also. We recommend
buying the pass again if you plan to stay all day.
The
Topiaires were beautiful throughout. Our favorites were the tourist
taking pictures and the Sesame Street characters. The gardens were
all over the park made walking from one venue to the next a pleasure.
We
watched two shows when we were there. One was the Sesame Street Show
which was wonderful for the children. The characters come out and
sit in the audience and Grover came and sat right next to me, giving
me a high five before sitting down. What fun. The kids were all
laughing and enjoyed the show. After the show, they got to go up on
stage to hug the characters. It was just precious. If you are
taking children to the park, don’t miss this show.
We
also went to see the ice skating show at the Moroccan Palace. The
Ice Show was fantastic. The performers were all very talented and
we all enjoyed the show. After the show the stars of the show stood
by the doors so you could meet them and get pictures taken with them.
The children were smitten.
We
decided to ride The Sergenti Express, a steam train that circles the
back of the park stopping at the Nairobi, Congo, and the Stanleyville
themed areas. The ride was wonderful seeing lots of wild animals
just roaming around. It was a joy seeing all the exotic animals who
were active that day. The steam train was nice as it brought you
back to another time watching the steam pouring out of the engine. I
loved hearing the sound of the engine and the whistle blowing through
the woods and fields. It was an amazing ride. I felt like I was in
Africa.
We
stayed until closing and we all enjoyed the park immensely. Busch
Gardens was once known as Florida Busch Gardens Africa and Busch
Garden the Dark Continent. There are 335 acres in this park and
they have kept it the African animal themed park. The park is owned
by Sea World and opened on March 31, 1959. This park is open year
round. Check them out at:
https://buschgardens.com.
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