Update April 2025: For 2025 all season cups are still an amazing $19.99! There’s also a new dining pass offer for $29.99 where you get a meal, 2 snacks and an all season cup and only $25.99 if you’re a passholder. Even if you just visit for a hot summer day you can probably get $20 of value from a cup and if you’re a season pass holder it’s a no brainier. If you’re going to have a meal and a drink the dining pass is a no brainier too.
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Many of the buildings at Busch Gardens have interesting previous lives. A haunted house is a former horse stable, Cobra’s Curse queue is a former Egyptian walk through attraction and Cheetah Hunt’s station was previously used as the station for an inverted monorail that provided views of the Savannah. However, one of the more interesting examples is the Serengeti Overlook, now home to the Giraffe Bar, Oasis Pizza (a quick service food spot) and the pass holder lounge. Would you believe this used to be considered one of the nicest restaurants in all of Tampa?
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According to the Accela database it appears the Zagora Cafe is getting an overhaul. Of all the dining options in the park it was probably most in need of some refurbishments. The actual food service area looks quite dated and the dining area is essentially a covered patio. With the recent renovations the the Giraffe Bar, Springs Taproom and Coaster Coffee, it was probably next up in the rotation.
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This isn’t a theme park food blog and I wouldn’t normally write in tribute of a sausage, but on a recent trip to visit Dollywood and its Great Pumpkin LumiNights I had one of the best theme park meals I have ever had. The “Smoked Brat Sandwhich” blew my mind and my taste buds. It is a great quality bratwurst perfectly prepared on a soft pretzel bun topped with braised red cabbage with a side of fried potatoes, peppers and onions.
Continue readingApril 2025 Update: As of late 2024 the refill price is now $1.99. Given inflation this is still a great deal. Cups are priced at $19.99 each (with unlimited refills the day you buy it) and get as cheap as $15.99 if you buy multiple cups. You can use the same cup for years across the whole chain of parks. All day unlimited refills on an old cup are $6.99 to $8.99 depending on if you are at at SeaWorld, Aquatica or Busch Gardens. You’ll usually get a sticker showing you have free refills for the day. If you get a meal plan you can upgrade to a souvenir cup with unlimited refills for $5.99. Any of these on a hot summer day or sharing with a significant others can be still be a great deal.
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Beer and Busch Gardens just seem to go together. We’ve written in the past about the history of the parks, their onsite breweries and ties to Busch Beer. The one sentence summary is there used to be a big Busch brewery near where Iron Gwazi is today and the park was originally started to help market the beer. Today, however, we will focus more on the modern connections with the locations and types of beer you can find around the park.
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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 readingSo this is only for the month of May, but we can hope it gets extended, So exciting!
I had a chance to visit the new Giraffe Bar at Busch Gardens in Tampa the week after Easter and it was a great experience. The bar is in the Sarengeti Overlook with great indoor and outdoor spaces all with spectacular views of the animals and rides. The bartenders have cute giraffe headbands and the look is both fun and classy at the same time. Here’s a great promo video from the park to give you a taste of the vibe. I was a little worried being it was brand new and the park was decently busy (food lines were often longer than ride lines), but the line at the Giraffe Bar was surprisingly short and moved quickly.
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It’s time for a party. Since most official festivities in New Orleans are cancelled, this could be one of the best things going on 2021. Head to the official site for more info.
BGT Safari 