Destination Spotlight

Busch Gardens

Did you know you only have to go as far as Florida to take an African Safari? Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 65-acre recreation of life on the Serengeti plains. Visitors can ride on an open-air vehicle through this exciting habitat and see hundreds of fascinating animals, even feeding some by hand. The African-themed park also boasts a variety of other animal exhibits, fun shows, and exhilarating thrill rides!

Interesting Facts:

• The first Busch Gardens park was established in Pasadena, California, in 1906, by Adolphus Busch, the cofounder of Anheuser-Busch. Although the park closed after Busch’s death in 1913, the idea remained. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opened in 1959 with an African theme, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 1975 with a European theme. A park in Houston was open for two years in the early 1970s with an Asian theme.
• Initially developed as a marketing vehicle for the Anheuser-Busch brewing company, the parks originally all had stables which housed the company’s famous Clydesdale horses.

Links:

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

History of Busch Gardens