Located around an hour's drive from the theme park hotspot of Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa sprawls across a massive 335-acre site. The park specialises in two things: roller coasters and animal exhibits. It has an impressive line-up of the former, with vertical drop coaster SheiKra and the multi-launch Cheetah Hunt being particularly popular. The park's zoo is home to a wide range of animals, and a ride on the Serengeti Railway gives great views of the large free-roaming herds of African animals in their 65-acre Serengeti Plain habitat.

Park History

Busch Gardens Tampa first opened in March 1959, and was a free-of-entry attraction aimed at visitors to the Tampa Anheuser-Busch brewery and manufacturing plant. The plant has long since closed down, but the park has continued to develop, adding animal exhibits and rides over the proceeding decades. In 2009, it was acquired by the Blackstone Group, along with nearby sister park SeaWorld Orlando.