FIELD GUIDE 09 / 18
Busch Gardens · Tampa, Florida
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
“africa, by way of tampa, since 1959”
Older than Disney World and still wilder — an African garden park where a real 65-acre savanna sits inside a lineup of some of the meanest coasters in the South.
- Mapped
- 44 experiences
- Headliners
- 5
- Queue scan
- 44 eligible names
- Opened
- March 31, 1959
Roster checked status through
2 known closure or retirement records are omitted from the public guide and map. Current day-of downtime is hidden by default and can be revealed in the guide.
NEXT SEVEN · PARK DAY SCORE
Plan the week at a glance.
Weather, published hours, fresh standby pressure, and licensed recent crowd history where available are compared for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The result shows evidence and confidence; its exact weighting and ranking recipe remain private.
- Weather checking source
- Park hours checking source
- Crowds checking source
older than disney world — it opened in 1959 as a free brewery hospitality garden
Showing all 44 listed attractions
Serengeti Plain
3| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Serengeti Plain Headliner 65 acres of real savanna — giraffe, zebra, and the train passing through. | — | — | — |
| Edge of Africa A walking trail passes hippos, lions, hyenas, and other African wildlife. | — | — | — |
| Lion & Hyena Ridge Kopje-style lion and hyena habitats bring expanded, close-up viewing to Edge of Africa. | — | — | — |
Morocco
3| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Gwazi Headliner 206 feet of hybrid menace at 76 mph — the crocodile won. | — | — | — |
| Gwazi Gliders The gentle answer next door. | — | — | — |
| Icons A high-energy production celebrates musical icons across eras and styles. | — | — | — |
Stanleyville
2| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| SheiKra Headliner A 200-ft dive coaster that pauses to let you think about it. | — | — | — |
| Tigris A triple-launch tangle of orange track. | — | — | — |
Egypt
3| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montu Headliner An inverted legend among the hieroglyphs. | — | — | — |
| Cobra's Curse A spinning family coaster with a 70-ft snake statue. | — | — | — |
| Skyride Gondolas drifting over the savanna since 1974. | — | — | — |
Crown Colony Plaza
2| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheetah Hunt Headliner Three launches, low to the grass, built for the chase. | — | — | — |
| Cheetah Run Presentation Keepers explain cheetah speed and behavior during a live presentation. | — | — | — |
Pantopia
4| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon's Fury North America's tallest freestanding drop tower — face down. | — | — | — |
| Phoenix Rising A family inverted coaster on firebird wings. | — | — | — |
| Serengeti Flyer A 135-ft screaming swing over the plain. | — | — | — |
| Grand Caravan Carousel Camels included. | — | — | — |
Congo
1| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubanga-Banga Bumper Cars Diplomacy by collision. | — | — | — |
Nairobi
4| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serengeti Express The steam train across the real savanna. | — | — | — |
| Animal Care Center Veterinary teams care for park animals in a working facility guests can observe. | — | — | — |
| Animal Connections Animal ambassadors and educators connect everyday choices to wildlife conservation. | — | — | — |
| Animal Tales Animal ambassadors help educators share stories of adaptation and care. | — | — | — |
Jungala
3| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myombe Reserve A forest trail offers close views of gorillas and chimpanzees. | — | — | — |
| Walkabout Way Australian animals and an open kangaroo habitat fill this walk-through area. | — | — | — |
| Lory Landing Bright lorikeets fly freely through an immersive aviary. | — | — | — |
Wild Oasis
5| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treetop Drop A family drop tower bounces above the jungle canopy. | — | — | — |
| Canopy Climb Climbing nets and elevated paths weave through the treetops. | — | — | — |
| Enchanted Falls Water jets and splash features cool explorers beneath the canopy. | — | — | — |
| Habitat Hideaway Up-close animal habitats reward curious explorers along shaded paths. | — | — | — |
| Rhythm of Nature Music, movement, and animal-inspired storytelling celebrate the natural world. | — | — | — |
Safari of Fun
14| Experience | Minutes | Level | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Grover Grover's biplane starter coaster. | — | — | — |
| Big Bird's Whirly Birdie A big yellow ferris spin. | — | — | — |
| The Count's Zambezi Rally One! Two! Three laps, ah ah ah. | — | — | — |
| Zoe-Patra's Hippos of the Nile A tiny Nile cruise with hippos. | — | — | — |
| Elmo's Safari Go-Round The carousel, Sesame-fied. | — | — | — |
| Snuffy's Elephant Romp Gentle spins with a snuffleupagus. | — | — | — |
| Rosita's Djembe Fly-Away Rosita's colorful drums rise and spin above the neighborhood. | — | — | — |
| Elmo's Treehouse Trek Rope bridges and climbing platforms lead through Elmo's treehouse. | — | — | — |
| Telly's Jungle Jam Interactive instruments let young explorers make a jungle rhythm. | — | — | — |
| Cookie Monster Canopy Crawl Nets and tunnels carry children across the Sesame canopy. | — | — | — |
| Cookie Monster Cloud Bounce A soft play zone lets little monsters bounce among the clouds. | — | — | — |
| Bert & Ernie's Watering Hole Sprayers and fountains make this Sesame Street's splash stop. | — | — | — |
| Welcome to Our Street! Sesame Street friends welcome families with songs and neighborhood fun. | — | — | — |
| Storytime at Sesame Street A Sesame Street friend gathers young guests for an interactive story. | — | — | — |
No attractions match this view.
Also in the live wait data
0Live-wait listings that do not map cleanly to the authored park roster.
FIELD NOTES
What makes this park itself.
This is Florida's coaster park wearing a garden park's clothes: brutal steel and hybrid wood over here, a giraffe herd with no fences in sight over there, and a steam train stitching the two moods together.
Ride Iron Gwazi first and SheiKra at dusk when the trench spray catches the light. Then take the Skyride over the plain and remember parks used to be built like this on purpose.
The field map keeps the railway and garden paths visible between coaster landmarks, preserving the park's unusual balance of landscape, animals, and steel.
- opened
- March 31, 1959
- the plain
- 65 acres, real animals
- the icon
- The Serengeti Plain
- my headliners
- Iron Gwazi · SheiKra · Montu