It’s May the 4th (Star Wars Day) and there really aren’t connections between that movie franchise and the park, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t Hollywood connections. Probably the closest thing to “Star Wars” were several episodes of a Travel Channel show called “Insane Coaster Wars”. The episode above features Sheikra at Busch Gardens Tampa, but another episode featured Montu.
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Is Sand Serpent at Busch Gardens Closing Soon?
There have been rumors of Sand Serpent closing on social media and YouTube after a demolition permit was filed for a structure at Busch Gardens. Sure, it could be for the play area in Jungala (which has now disappeared from maps), but with the demo of the looping starship Phoenix, all the chatter has been that this is the area for the next new attraction with survey markers all around Pantopia.
Continue readingThe Busch Gardens Connection of a Brewery with a Theme Park is Still Alive in Williamsburg, Virginia
Busch Gardens were known for years as essentially theme parks built adjacent to several Anheuser-Busch breweries. Although the first “Busch Gardens” were the public gardens at Adolphus Busch’s house in Pasadena in the early 1900’s, the original “theme park at a brewery” concept was Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. This park opened on March 31, 1959 on the site of the company’s Tampa brewery, although it would be several years/expansions later before it would resemble a modern theme park.
Continue readingThe Importance of Ride Operations (AKA Channeling my inner ElToroRyan)
Ride operations can be a big part of whether you have an enjoyable or a frustrating day at a theme park, especially on a busy day. If you visit them parks a lot you may start to pay more attention to the workers and the differences between different theme park chains. An operator’s number one priority is safety, but they must also move quickly.
Continue readingPossible Reason Why Skyride hasn’t Reopened Yet?
UPDATE!!! Great News! With this Instagram post on August 5th, Busch Gardens confirmed SkyRide is coming back! “DON’T WORRY! It’s not going anywhere— just receiving a little TLC. 😎 Stay up to date on our social media and website for more details and information regarding the Sky Ride!”
Continue readingVote for Busch Gardens on USA Today 10Best!
Time to help get Busch Gardens the annual national recognition is so greatly deserves. Here’s your chance to vote for the park as a whole as well as your favorite rides and attractions. Just follow the simple link below:
https://buschgardens.com/tampa/vote/
Continue readingWas a Small Fire the Reason Wild Surge Closed at Busch Gardens?
So ran into a ride operator from Busch Gardens at another park and I asked him about what happened with Wild Surge. He said the ride had a fire (which I normally would have been skeptical of since there’s been no news of that), but then he showed me a picture on his phone! He said it happened around December and it appeared pretty heavily damaged, thus the reason why a temporary refurbishment turned into a closure.
Continue readingRIP Wild Surge
It’s always sad to see a ride go, I guess the ride gods give a new flat ride (Serengeti Flyer) and then take away (Wild Surge). What closed for refurbishment on November 28th appears to be forever with it being removed from the website and park maps.
Continue readingRIP Wally Crump. Although you’re best known for what you did for Disney, thanks for your work at Busch Gardens too!
Disney Imagineer Wally Crump passed away this week at age 93. Although he’s probably best known for his work on It’s a Small World, The Haunted Mansion and the Enchanted Tiki Room, he also consulted on projects for Busch Gardens Tampa too. There are several Disney+ shows featuring him. He was a genius and will be missed.
A Busch Gardens Tampa Resort Hotel Coming in 2025 or 2026?
In a recent investor call, SeaWorld CEO Marc Swanson brought up their plans to add a resort hotel in 2025 and another in 2026, but details were sparse. This has been rumored for some time, but it appears to be getting more serious. Here are some of his comments from the call:
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