Exploring the Natural Beauty of Busch Gardens

Stacy DeBroff serves as a spokesperson for Busch Gardens and received complimentary airfare, accommodations, and meals to facilitate this review and post.

At the tail end of the longest winter in memory, I found an escape hatch – traveling to the Busch Gardens theme parks in Tampa, Florida, and Williamsburg, Virginia. As New England battled not one, but two, late-season snowstorms, my trip to Busch Gardens revived my spirits, provided a much-needed glimpse of sun and natural beauty, and generated lots of enthusiasm for the summer to come.

I’ve recently become a spokesperson for Busch Gardens, so this trip initially offered a chance to explore the parks and see the latest attractions. But for me, it also felt like a trip home. I lived in the D.C. area during law school, and made more than one journey to Williamsburg to de-stress and feed my need for speed on the roller coasters. Moreover, as my now-college-age-kids grew up, our family made many visits to Tampa to soak up the Florida sun and let our kids create their own memories throughout the park.

Here’s a glimpse of my return to Busch Gardens and my start at making newfound memories:

Busch Gardens Tampa

What first strikes visitors at Busch Gardens Tampa – and not to mention this spring-starved New Englander – proves to be the overall ambiance of the park. I loved seeing the lush periwinkle and deep purple floral displays, and the lagoon rimmed with flowering cacti and dotted with blue rowboats topped with red and orange flowering plants. Everywhere I turned, I encountered topiaries, exotic plants, blossoms of every hue, and gentle grasses that waved in the warm bay breeze.

Moreover, as you explore the park, you immediately feel the lovely, relaxing ambiance that lies in stark contrast to what we typically associate with an amusement park. While the park includes rides, games, and more, the layout and landscaping promote a garden-like experience, rather than the frenetic sights, sounds, and stress of an overcrowded theme park.

Busch Gardens clusters the rides and attractions at both parks off into destination areas, which allows each park’s theme to resonate with visitors. This thoughtful design allows for easier family interaction because families don’t feel the need to divide and conquer. If, while at the Tampa park, Dad and the kids want to tackle the Tanganyika Tidal Wave, Mom can watch – and stay dry – on a nearby viewing bridge.

As I wandered throughout the park across the strolling paths, I loved that the lush landscape also served as home to a wide variety of animals. One of my favorite informal animal encounters proved to be the pair of coral-colored flamingos who walked nearby, or the gentle turtle nestled on a nest of plants while a bird nosed in to find a snack.

Animal Exploration

A haven for animal lovers, Busch Gardens Tampa features 300 species of animals and over 12,000 animals overall. One of my first stops of the day included the Animal Care Center – a beautiful, high-tech facility where vets, animal nutritionists, and technicians care for the park’s animal population with a wonderful blend of 21^st century veterinary care and a healthy dose of unabashed love and affection.

Staff members care for animals on a variety of levels, ranging from routine check-ups to diagnostics such as ultrasounds to more complex procedures. The facility also features a large kitchen-prep area where a team of nutritionists prepares a wide variety of food to the exacting specifications for each species.

In addition to medical issues, the team also helps with nurturing and socialization challenges such as the park encountered two years ago when a cheetah mom rejected her male cub. The Busch Gardens team brought in a rescue dog to act as a companion for the cub. Soon, the two will mark their second anniversary together.

Moreover, the facility encourages visitors, and families to see animals undergoing exams, diagnostic reviews, and some procedures. The center also features innovative stations that showcase the steps and challenges involved in diagnosing health-care problems in a patient population who can’t exactly tell us where it hurts.

After viewing the center, I came away so impressed and truly love the idea that the center welcomes visitors instead of isolating the facility out of sight. It promotes the importance of wellness, compassion, and problem-solving – and proves so engaging for young visitors.

Next, I stopped at Jambo Junction, a vibrant outdoor area where a range of animals live and explore, including lemurs, flamingos, sloths, and more. All animals can be viewed in close proximity, and kids can participate in animal feedings.

My final two animal explorations – Jungala and the Serengeti Plain – proved just magical. Jungala allows families to really understand animal habitats and see Bengal tigers and orangutans up close and observe how they live, explore and interact. A key attraction of Jungala proved to be Treetop Trails, the ultimate play space, where kids can climb, play, and explore on a three-level combination of ropes, mazes, and bridges.

I’ve never been to Africa before but just seeing giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and rhinos wander about the 65-acre Serengeti Plain, exploring the wilderness and interacting with one another made me feel as if I had been dropped into a Kenyan safari. Families truly will enjoy the flexibility Busch Gardens offers in how they spend time on the plain – you can walk around, take a train (the Serengeti Express), book a Safari, or get a birds-eye view from a cable car on the park’s Sky Ride.

Thrills & Chills

As a longtime rollercoaster fanatic, I’ve always loved that my family also appreciated a heart-stopping speed dive while on vacation, and some of my best family memories center around magical moments on roller coasters.

So imagine my enthusiasm when I learned that upon my return to Busch Gardens Tampa, I would ride two of the park’s famed roller coasters – the Cheetah Hunt and SheiKra.

Let me be clear – Cheetah Hunt rules the nation! This 4,400-foot rocket ship of a roller coaster swoops you up toward the sky, then plunges downward in a breathtaking free-fall.

The ride runs alongside the Serengeti Plain, and despite its height, it attracts the attention of the cheetahs roaming the plain. In fact, right after the ride opened, the cheetahs actually raced the roller coaster – but soon lost interest after they won too many heats!

And I loved SheiKra – a floorless coaster that features everything from thrilling dives, an underground tunnel, a loop, and a concluding splash. It races at 70 miles per hour, up 200 feet and down 90-degree angles – what’s not to love?

 

 

For the Younger Set

As much as I love roller coasters and cherish time spent riding them with my now-college-age kids, I remember the early years. And so does Busch Gardens.

We toured the Tampa park’s Sesame Street Safari of Fun – the ultimate haven for kids – filled with kid-sized roller coasters, water rides, carousels, and more. Kids also can explore interactive attractions – including Telly’s Jungle Jam and Cookie Monster’s Canopy Crawl – as well as an African-themed show and dining opportunities with the Sesame gang.

Showtime

So often amusement park shows simply offer a break from the heat or an opportunity to let kids digest their lunch before they turn upside down on the next ride. Not here. The two shows I saw rivaled Broadway productions, and Iceploration could give the Ice Capades a run for its money.

The show features high-flying skating performances, glorious costumes, dazzling lights, and a meaningful – and relevant – story about the importance of young people putting technology aside and exploring the world.

Finally, Critter Castaways proved a wonderful show that brings alive important messages of love and compassion. A truly funny show, I became mesmerized at the antics of the cat performers. For anyone who thinks a cat can’t be trained – I challenge you to check out this show.

Next up … on to Busch Gardens Williamsburg!

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Like the Tampa park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg exudes an ambiance so totally different from the typical theme park. Instead of jarring sights and sounds, the park feels as if you’ve entered a series of traditional European villages – filled with quaint walkways, unique shops that beckon you to enter, and flowers in every hue, spilling out of baskets and winding up columns.Throughout the park, the beautifully landscaped setting and specific cultural destinations provide a series of interludes that offer new experiences around every corner.

Shopping

With park locales ranging from Italy and France to Scotland and Ireland, Busch Gardens’ Williamsburg features some of the best shopping this side of Europe. Each cultural area features dozens of artisan shops, filled with handcrafted items specific to each region.

Look for Bavarian beer steins and cuckoo clocks in Germany; brilliantly colorful glassware and hand-painted ceramic flowers in Italy; and knitwear and Waterford crystal in Ireland. I realized I could have spent all day in these shops exploring the items for sale and loved the idea that visitors can create treasures of their own such as painting pottery in New France.

Showstoppers

Busch Gardens Williamsburg offers a host of shows – ranging from animal acts to musical performances. I love watching the themed shows, such as This is Oktoberfest and Celtic Fyre. The spirit and vibe of this German-themed show proved amazing, featuring men and women in traditional Bavarian costumes, dancing and playing instruments. From yodeling to lederhosen, this adventure can set the tone for a rollicking day.

The rhythm continues with Celtic Fyre, an unstoppable show filled with music, dance, and tales of lore from Irish history. The passion of Irish step dancing never fails to amaze me, and these performances always make me want to get up and dance.

Moreover, both Celtic Fyre and This is Oktoberfest invite guests to sample the best of German and Irish spirits and fare along the way.

Forest of Fun

Even though the Williamsburg park features a European ambiance, it offers plenty of attractions for young kids. All-time kid-favorites, like Sesame Street characters, anchor this kid-oriented venue, offering up plenty of rides, food and water fun.

Sesame Street’s Forest of Fun offers a host of rides – Prince Elmo’s Spire, Oscar’s Whirly Worms, and the Bert & Ernie’s Loch Adventure and the park’s smallest roller coaster Grover’s Alpine Express – where parents can sit alongside kids and experience a pint-sized version of thrill rides.

Coasters & More

For bigger kids, like me, Busch Gardens Williamsburg offers a host of thrill rides, including the ever-popular roller coasters. From the high-flying Apollo’s Chariot, the supernatural thrills of Verbolten and the double-looping 13-story Loch Ness Monster, this park puts its own stamp on these ultimate thrill rides.

Moreover, Mäch Tower proves to be the pinnacle of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, soaring high above the park from its base in Oktoberfest. Not only does it provide views over the entire park as you rise almost 240 feet in the air, but then … it drops straight down, zooming nearly 60 mph!

Birds of Prey . . . & Beyond

My Williamsburg experience concluded on a high note with The Birds of Prey interactive experience. Hawks, falcons and owls visually demonstrated the physical power they possess as they search for food.

So what are you waiting for? With summer vacation approaching and family memories to be made, the only challenge you’ll face centers around which park to visit first!