Busch Gardens Tampa opened on March 31st, 1959 as an admission-free hospitality facility with a complimentary beer tasting, a bird garden, and its main attraction: the “Stairway to the Stars” — an escalator that transported guests to the roof of the brewery for a view of Tampa.
In 1965, the 29-acre Serengeti Plains opened cementing Busch Gardens Tampa as Florida first theme park.
Moving forward to today, Busch Gardens Tampa is kicking off its 60th year and has become the roller coaster capital of Florida with some of the most impressive steel beasts that reside right along with the elephants and other animals that call this beautiful park home. Adding another jewel to their crown this spring will be Tigris. This amazing new coaster will have multiple launches and will send guests both forward and backwards through looping twists and an inverted heartland roll at the top of this 150 foot non-stop thrill ride.
We were lucky enough to get a up close look at the train for Tigris at the 60th kick off event and it is beautiful.
Some of the other new offerings for the 60th include Pin Trading. Busch Gardens has had a long history with pins for different attractions and events but this month they start trading. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase and trade with ambassadors all around the park for some very unique and fun pins that include many of everyone’s favorite pals from Sesame Street.
Opening on March 16, the Food & Wine Festival returns with an exciting new menu, featuring more than 35 dishes inspired by regional cuisine around the country. Guests can sample over 100 wines, craft brews and specialty cocktails while enjoying world-class concerts of all tastes, including Daughtry, Justin Moore, El Gran Combo, Boyz II Men, Foreigner and more!
Speaking of beers, as we now know, Busch Gardens started with beer sampling and IT IS BACK! Through August 24th, guests can get a taste of the park’s beer garden history when they visit the former Hospitality House, now called the Garden Gate Café, to receive two complimentary beers during every visit to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Every two weeks, new featured beer brands will be highlighted with Corona kicking off the promotion just in time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Valid identification is required for age verification.
Of course, Busch Gardens Tampa is always looking to the future and they gave a special preview of what is to come in 2020.
Taking Gwazi, the parks wooden roller coaster and turning it into a hybrid manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, will make this one of the most thrilling coasters around. When it opens in 2020, it will be North America’s tallest hybrid, and also the fastest and steepest hybrid coaster in the world.
For more information or how to purchase tickets visit BuschGardens.com