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>>>Busch Gardens Tampa History and
Information
In 1959, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opened. It was mostly a
brewery, but it did feature wonderful Bird Gardens. Hundreds of
exotic birds filled the fully interactive Bird Gardens. Just as it
is today, the birds roam free inside a large cage, where the guests
are free to pet them.
In 1965, Busch Gardens introduced the gigantic Serengeti Plain. Allowing
the African animals to roam freely, the Serengeti Plain became the
largest, free-roaming habitat outside of Africa. It remains one of
the most unique features of the park to this day and has received
numerous upgrades and expansions.
In 1977, the Arrow corkscrew roller coaster, Python, opened. Although
boring by today's standards, it was a relatively big thing at the
time. Four years later, Busch Gardens introduced the classic looping
roller coaster, Scorpion. As with Python, Scorpion was a small
coaster, but still interesting nonetheless. Before deciding to add
another roller coaster, thirteen years passed. Finally, in 1993,
Busch Gardens built their largest coaster yet in any of their parks
with the addition of Kumba. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay was now a place
for thrills. The park continued towards becoming a thrill park with
the addition of the inverted roller coaster, Montu, in 1996. Both
Montu and Kumba featured completely original design. Many of the
elements they introduced have been used on roller coasters
elsewhere. In 1999, the dueling wooden roller coaster Gwazi was
added to the mix. The two sides of Gwazi became the two largest
wooden roller coasters in Florida and also the only dueling wooden
coasters in the southeast. After a quiet period, Busch began more
construction in 2003 and 2004. Several areas received refurbishment
and the KaTonga show was introduced. In 2004, the Wilde Maus roller
coaster was moved from Williamsburg to Tampa, where it became
Cheetah Chase. The biggest addition came in 2005. SheiKra, the
tallest and fastest roller coaster in the Southeast and the only
dive machine in the United States, opened in May 2005.
Not only has Busch Gardens been a leader in roller coasters, but also in
thrill rides, shows and entertainment, and of course, animals. The
park has been a leader in preserving endangered African animals
while providing them with replicas of natural habitats. The park is
a zoo first, theme park second; animals take top priority. Busch
Gardens has also combined animals into a safari, thrill ride
adventure with Rhino Rally. |
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>>>Park Information
Address
3605 E. Bougainvillea Avenue
Tampa, FL 33612
Parking
Regular Lot: $8.00
Preferred Parking: $12.00 |
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