Have you ever had to travel long distance for a wedding? My younger cousin’s wedding was up in Northern Florida (Destin area) so we took the opportunity to do a little road trip by stopping at Tampa. We stood with some of our good friends that lived there and spent the entire day in Busch Gardens Tampa. My older cousin, Martin, and his family also met us there – Five adults and four kids!
The weather was perfect – not too hot, not too cold. It was a Thursday so the park was not crowded at all. We were able to go on roller coasters(my favorite!) right away. My five-year-old son rode the kid’s roller coaster about four times (see the video below)!
Busch Gardens Tampa Kid’s Area
We spent some time at the kid’s area – Treetop Trails, big bounce platform, kid rides, and a water play area. The two older boys (5 and 6 years old) loved it! Ciara was even able to go on her first ride! Definitely, a fun time for them with so much to do.
The kids got to see Alex from Madagascar! Yes, my son is sitting on Alex’s leg – never a dull moment with him! When we got to the kid’s area we saw Elmo and Cookie Monster.
We got to visit the kangaroos, lions, giraffes, meerkats, and hyenas! Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go on the Serengeti Safari ride or the Serengeti railway as we were running out of time but the next time we go we will definitely go on it.
The Roller Coasters
The best part of all for me was the roller coasters. Busch Gardens has a lot of different styles. I rode Gwazi on my own when we first arrived while my husband stood with the kids. My cousins hadn’t arrived yet and part of the part was still closed. It was a nice start to my day! We also rode Cheetah Hunt, this was my second favorite roller coaster. We also went on Montu, which is one of the longer roller coasters I’ve been on. My favorite roller coaster was SheiKra! It was such an adrenaline rush. Just imagine sitting front row with your legs dangling in the air and seeing your life flash before your eyes. The roller stops mid-air before it plunges downward at ferocious speeds. Only one person had their hand up if you notice – it is THAT scary! Be sure to see the video we posted of Scorpion. My husband used his GoPro Hero3 to create the video.
We didn’t get to see every single part of the park since it closed at 6 pm. Some of the attractions were also closed like the Skyride. I was a little sad about that as it is a nice way to get an aerial view of the park. Some of the animal attraction areas were closed too. Roy and I were thinking of getting some season passes since we loved it so much. The drive wasn’t bad for us at all and the kids slept for the majority of the ride. Busch Gardens Tampa is a must go place if you are in the area!
Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post. I am just writing about my visit. I paid out of my own pocket.