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Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Busch gardens entrance- Wikimedia

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is an African centred theme park that is located in Tampa, Florida.

It is owned and operated by sea world parks and entertainment. It often ranks second among sea world parks just after Seaworld Orlando because of constantly recording an annual attendance exceeding 4 million.

1. It began as a hospitality centre

Busch Gradens Tampa Bay- Author; Wolle8Ball-

Busch Gardens was opened in 1959 as a hospitality centre at the brewery in Tampa. It was designed to bring in guests so as to have a taste of the beer.

When starting, it had four employees and four parts. Soon, it grew both in popularity and the number of birds.

The birds would be free to roam the gardens as well as interact with the guests, which is still an occurrence today.

Additionally, guests still get free beer seeing as it started as a hospitality brewery centre.

2. Had a “stairway to the stars” staircase

‘stairway to the stars’ escalator at the Busch gardens Tampa Bay- State Library and Archives of Florida-

Besides the free beer, “stairway to the stars” is another unique draw for guests visiting Busch gardens.

This is an escalator that would take guests to the roof of the brewery over a reflecting pool below and this is where the tour to the gardens would begin.

In 1974, the pool beneath the stairway to the stars housed sea lions and at another point, the reflection pool contained penguins.

The “stairway to the stars” was often billed as one of the largest and longest escalators in the world with an 86 feet rise up the brewery’s facade.

3. Busch Gardens has the largest free-roaming enclosed habitat for animals outside Africa

Safari in Busch Gardens Tampa Bay- Author; Dallas Epperson- Wikimedia

In the year 1965, the park was expanded so as to include a vast 70-acre enclosure where animals could freely roam.

It was named “Serengeti plain” after Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and became the largest free-roaming enclosed habitat outside Africa.

To be able to allow guests to see the animals well, a monorail was added. Thus, Busch adopted the motto, “where people are caged and animals run free.”

4. Busch became the number one tourist attraction by 1968

Busch Gardens in 1967- Author; Father of JGKlein,-

Because of the new concept Busch adopted, where animals could roam freely and people just watch them leisurely, people really enjoyed and embraced the concept of a zoo.

Busch gardens then became the number one tourist attraction in Florida by 1968, attracting up to 3 million visitors a year.

5. Was home to one of the finest restaurants in Tampa

Crown Colony House at Busch Gardens in Tampa- Author; Carlo Giovannetti-

Busch was also for a long time home to one of the finest restaurants in Tampa which was known as Old Swiss House.

It was built in 1964 as Valentine’s day present from August A. Busch Jr to his third wife, Trudy, whose brother owned the original Old Swiss House in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The restaurant was however shut down for almost a decade but was reopened in 1990 and renamed the Crown Colony House. It is still there and gets amazing reviews from tourists who dine in it.

6. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay had the first world’s inverted roller coaster

Scorpion Roller Coaster at Busch Gardens- Author; Wolle8ball-

Busch gardens added its first roller coaster in 1976. It was named Scorpion.

It would be considered a kid’s coaster by today’s standards, but by then it was one of the world’s first roller coasters to incorporate an inversion and have it as two back to back.

This was a coaster designed by a young company called Arrow Dynamics.

7. It began using the name, “dark continent”

A cheetah at Busch Gardens- Photo by Dan Dennis on

In 1976 also, Busch Gardens opened a new section of the park and named it “congo” after the African country, Congo. I

t also adopted the name “the dark continent” so as to reflect its African theming and acknowledge the fact that they were trying to bring a bit of African wildlife into Florida.

8. Placed 11th as most visited parks in the United States

Visitors at Busch Gardens- Photo by Itai Aarons on

Partly a wildlife sanctuary and theme park, Busch Gardens is currently accredited by the Association of Zoos and aquariums.

By 2015, the park was hosting about 4.2 million, placing it 11th as the most visited theme park in the United States. It has 10 unique areas with distinctive themes and animals.

9. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has a unique and latest roller coaster that was launched in 2016

Cobra’s curse roller coaster at Busch Gardens- Author; Adog-

Busch Gardens had the newest roller coaster launched in June of 2016. It is named Cobra’s curse and is a mark spinning coaster

Cobra’s Curse is a steel spinning roller coaster and was manufactured by Mack Rides.

It features an elevator-style lift and it became the first new ride to open at the park since Falcon’s Fury opened in 2014.

The idea behind the name is the fact that Cobra’s Curse presents a fictional story about the ancient Egyptian ruler who was known as the Snake King Venymyss and his curse upon his lost kingdom.

The coaster has a track length of 2,100 feet, reaches a height of 70 feet and has a maximum speed of 40 mph (64 km/h).

10. Hosts Music & Food and Wine Festivals

Lannie Battistini performing at the Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival 2018 in Tampa, Florida- Author; Emargarella-

Busch Gardens hosts a weekly concert series from January to March.

It usually invites popular bands either in big band music or pop to perform classic or contemporary songs.

Sometimes also, the music festivals include alternative rock performances, hip-hop and R&B as well as comedians.

There are also special culinary offerings that include a variety of ethnic food and wine samplings from various local vendors.

Wildlife in Busch Gardens Tampa Bay-Photo by Gary Meulemans on

Busch Gardens still remains to be a tourist attraction that gives people who visit it an amazing view of real wildlife.