On June 11th, Busch Gardens Tampa reopened to visitors along with nearby SeaWorld Orlando, both parks part of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Today, our Florida correspondent Jeremiah Good took a road trip to visit this wild park and experience some of the new safety enhancements.
Like Disney and SeaWorld, visitors need a reservation to enter in addition to park tickets or annual passes. Signage starts at the toll plaza to make visitors aware.
Visitors are given a flyer at the toll plaza that clearly lays out all of the visitor requirements, which include mandatory face coverings, temperature screenings, physical distancing, modified seating, and contactless payment methods.
Signage is available in English and Spanish.
Hand sanitizing stations have been added throughout the park, including at the main entrance.
The temperature screening is similar to SeaWorld Orlando’s with a social distancing tent.
If you didn’t bring a face covering or want to be themed to the park, Busch Gardens sells some wild ones in animal prints.
Busch Gardens also sells t-shirts themed to this moment in time, some saying “We are all in this together,” “Welcome back to the park,” and one with a tiger that says “Social distance expert.”
Restaurants and gift shops have designated one-way entrance and exits with queue markers spaced 6-feet apart.
Busch Gardens uses clever signage to remind visitors to stay 6-feet apart by showing the length of various wild animals and the wingspan of an ape.
In addition to hand sanitizing stations, the park also has some pop-up handwashing stations.
Visitors can take a break in one of two face covering relaxation zones where it’s okay to remove your face covering.
Animal viewing locations also have markers for groups to stand, indicating that space should be kept clear between parties to keep their distance.
Not all of the animal experiences are available, such as the Lory Landing Interactive Bird Experience.
Employees are at the entrance of attractions to make sure visitors are following the parks’ policies when they enter.
Roller coasters like Tigris seat every-other-row, blocking off the ones that aren’t in use.
Busch Gardens has committed to wiping roller coasters down at least once per hour.
If you’re visiting Central Florida and looking for a wild time full of animal encounters and roller coasters, Busch Gardens Tampa is about a 2-hour drive from the Orlando area theme parks.
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