Busch Gdns question??

[Whitequeen]

Is there enough to do at Busch Gardens for those of us not into 'thrill rides'? i.e. ME & smaller kidlets!
Or will we be playing that long suffering game 'Let's wait for DS for another 30minutes'!!!!:rolleyes:

[Dawn]

I'd personally say not.

Adrian and myself went a couple of years back and we didn't do the thrill rides and by around 2pm we were talking about "shall we head off then or shall we go and look at the gorillas again." Mind you the weather wasn't too hot that day so we skipped the water rides too, but even then I'd guess you're still gonna spend a long time waiting for your thrill seeker. There is a really good play area for the younger kiddies there but the piped music will drive you insane long before the kids tire of playing - worse than Small World.:eek:

[Slowhand]

Hi Whitequeen,
My wife also does not enjoy "thrill rides" but she enjoyed visiting Busch Gardens on one of our trips. There are plenty of "tame" rides and shows etc. for you and your children. The children would enjoy seeing the animals I`m sure.

[kiltedwarrior]

Yeah id say theres enough things to do for the 'non thrill seeker' at Busch Gardens. There's plenty of wildlife to admire, hop on the train/monorail/skyway, a kids play area/arcade and several tame attractions and shows to go see. Ive heard its changed a bit since i was there last ('99) but im sure someone will be able to shed some light on the newer additions! :)

[wdwgrandma]

Originally posted by whitequeen
Is there enough to do at Busch Gardens for those of us not into 'thrill rides'? i.e. ME & smaller kidlets!
Or will we be playing that long suffering game 'Let's wait for DS for another 30minutes'!!!!:rolleyes:
I can never find enough to fill a full day... And every time we visit, that darned train/monorail thing that runs through the area with the animals is broken...

[Whitequeen]

Thanks guys,

I feel we probably (against my better judgement!!) need to see something else (even another theme park!!) while we're there!! And if they want to see the area they can look out of the car window on the way to Tampa!!!;) :hehe:

[Dawn]

I guess a lot may have to do with your son. Is he old enough to go off on his own or will you have to wait by every ride exit for him. That could get tedious for the other children, bearing in mind that BG has no Fastpass or equivalent system at this time. If he can go off on his own then you can take the younger children off and take as long or as short a time as you want getting round the park.

[Yensid1222]

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has lots of stuff for the non-thrill rider (Not as much as Busch Gardens Williamsburg, but alot nonetheless). There is the train that travels around the park. I have been to the park many times, and it is always operating. The monorail, however, has been closed for many years now. There is also Rhino Rally, a safari with a twist finale. Lots of Animals to see everywhere, plus some fun flat rides. Great shows, including one of the best theaters at any theme park in the world. It currently houses "World Rhythms On Ice" and I challenge anyone to find a theme park show with as many MAJOR set changes! There is a skyway that goes over the whole park which is very nice, and three VERY wet rides! Also, it houses one of the best restaurants at a theme park. The upper level of the Crown Colony House has an amazing view of the park, particularly the Sarengheti area, and has a "family style" all you can eat deal that is around $10 a person. The food and service is great (even a man playing piano periodically) and you can't beat the price.

So...go for it and have a great day.

[OKWTink]

OK, I'm tip toeing out on a very slender limb here. Hear the creaking?

I absolutely hated Busch Gardens Tampa. Mostly it was because of the condition of the animals. I have never seen so much pathological behavior in animals in a zoo of that caliber. Some of the exhibits were so upsetting that I went in search of a zookeeper. I wasn't very successful and was told that the animals always act "that way" after a length of time in captivity. I strongly disagree. I also was pretty saddened by the condition of the tigers. They were remarkably skinny.

I don't do thrill rides so was increasingly bored, and some of the other non-animal exhibits were beyond boring.

I left early, wrote a point by point letter outlining my concerns and copied to the National Zoological Society.

Now that I've convinced all of you that I'm completely over the top, you can form your own opinion of the place, but I'll never go there again, nor will I ever encourage anyone else to do so.

On a side note, I was really afraid to visit Seaworld, solely as a result of the terrible BG Tampa experience. It is a completely different story at Seaworld. The park is beautiful, and although I'm not a huge fan of trained animal/mammal shows, they are quite well done.

Enough from me. :blush: :blush:

[Floridalover]

I didnt go on the thrill rides at Busch Gardens last year , but I still enjoyed the visit. There are lots of wonderful animals to see, there is a dolphin show, Rhino Rally which is not really a 'thrill ride' but is brilliant.:thumbs: There are lots of interesting shops that sell Afrian and Egyptian type of stuff. The Crown Colony restaurant is excellent and good prices too.
The landscaping is beautiful. There are lots of rides for little kids too.

[Yensid1222]

Actually,

The Busch Gardens parks have one of the best records as far as animals are concerned in the industry. Now before someone says "Yeah...but what about that Lion attack a year or so ago!" I will remind you to take a good look at what happened there. A young, new, and obviously stupid intern type was trying to show off to someone in a back area, and placed his hand into the cage...and Toby, the male lion thought it looked like dinner to him. Now that THAT is out of the way...

You will be hard pressed to find other places (other than DAK) that have large wide open spaces for animals to roam. No, there aren't the "seamless" barriers that we have now gotten used to at DAK, you will be able to tell you are looking at the Elephant enclosure, etc. But also remember that DAK was the first place to do this, and thus revolutionized the industry. If you notice the new things at BGT (Rhino Rally for example) you will see that type of detail. But rest assured that the animals are all taken care of properly. BGT also works with world renowned animal specialists, and even animal "celebrities" like Jack Hanna (who often films his specials from BGT) all in caring for their animals.

Also remember that BGT is the granddaddy of Central Florida Theme Parks...it was there well before the Magic Kingdom rolled around. Sure, there are things that look their age...not in upkeep, but in style. We had a whole different idea what a "zoo" was in the late 1960's when BGT came along. But the park keeps up with the times, and is constantly changing and evolving. Honestly, comparing to the Magic Kingdom...MK looks MUCH more run down than BGT.

Now...back on the original topic, I forgot to mention that this May another attraction for the non-thrill rider will open...R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse. Based on the Goosbumps stories of the famous childrens author, this will be BGTs first 4-D Theater. It will be located where the former Dolphin Show Theater was. The same attraction will be opening simultaniously at BGW if you happen to be planning a trip to that fantastic park...the one often name "Most Beautiful Theme Park in the World"...but that is another post.

[Whitequeen]

Thanks everyone,

We'll be visiting BGT I should think.

Welcome Yensid, another 'on the spot' reporter for us and thanks for the info.

[renkadima]

What's a 4D-Theatre? I wasn't aware there was a fourth D :hehe:

[Yensid1222]

The 4th deminsion is that of touch....things that come out of the screen and interact with you in the audience. Water looks to be coming at you...and then you get wet, etc. 2D is that of a flat screen. The ability to see depth...that is 3D. Muppet-Vision, HISTA, It's Tough To Be A Bug, T23D, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man...all use 4D technology.

Then there is the Fifth deminsion....but you need to go to the Twilight Zone to find out more about that (Thats the deminsion of sight, sound, and mind...a world of both shadows and ideas...you've just crossed over...)