For a day trip, Doug and I included
Busch Gardens.
Today was one of my favorite days here in Florida.
I loved the exhibits of wildlife and just roaming around the expansive park.
The weather was perfect and the views extraordinary.
Busch Gardens Tampa
(formerly known as Busch Gardens Africa) is a 335-acre 19th century African-themed animal theme park located in the city of Tampa, Florida.
It opened on March 31, 1959, as an admission-free hospitality facility for Tampa Anheuser-Busch;
in addition to various beer tastings, they had a bird garden and the Stairway to the Stars,
which was an escalator that took guests to the roof of the brewery.
Busch Gardens continued to grow, and in 1965, opened the 29-acre Serengeti Plains, which allowed the African wildlife to roam freely.
It continued to focus on its tropical landscape, exotic animals, and amusements to draw visitors. Busch Gardens began charging admission as the entertainment became more complex, with extra fees for the thrill rides, such as the roller coasters for which Busch Gardens is now known.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busch_Gardens_Tampa#Morocco
Busch Gardens Tampa opened in 1959, pre-dating even Disney. No longer in the Anheuser Busch family (and yes, that means the free beer tastings are a thing of the past),Busch Gardens is a sister park to SeaWorld.
http://experience.usatoday.com/america/story/theme-parks/2014/05/07/busch-gardens-tampa/8768003/
The theme park does double duty as one of the largest, and is one of the finest, zoos in the country, with over 12,000 animals (including 2,000 exotic species) and a very impressive 65-acre Serengeti exhibit with African wildlife.
The Serengeti Plain
In 1965, the park opened its Serengeti Plain animal habitat, the first of its kind to offer animals in a free-roaming environment. Over the years, the habitat has expanded from 29 acres to its current size of 65 acres. It is home to the Grévy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, addax, white rhinoceros, eland, impala, ostrich, and marabou stork.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busch_Gardens_Tampa#Morocco
Kumba roller coaster in the background.
View of the Skyride.
We ate lunch at the beautiful Crown Colony House.
The Busch Gardens are beautiful and the animal exhibits are amazing.
Today was one of the highlights of our visit to Florida.
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