Fun Things to Do at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.

Busch Gardens is a massive theme park and zoo in Tampa Bay, Florida. It’s a place for roller coaster enthusiasts, animal lovers, thrill seekers, foodies, families, and those wanting holiday attractions.

1 – Grab a Map. Although some visitors find it bothersome to carry around a theme park map, it’s a helpful tool! Having a park map ensures you get to your destination with ease. Plus, use the map to formulate a plan of action once you’ve chosen your path for the day!

2 – Ride the Coasters
If you enjoy the thrills of spins, drops, rolls, and the unusual, you are going to LOVE the roller coasters at Busch Gardens.

Kumba is a steel roller roaster with the most loops, seven in total. SheiKra is a favorite of everyone I know who visits Busch Gardens. It is a steel dive (flourless) coaster with a 200 foot drop and 70 mph speeds. The ride is thrilling, to say the least!

Cheetah Hunt is another awesome rides too. This blitz coaster goes across the Serengeti from 0 to 30 mph at the start, but accelerates to 60 mph throughout the ride with helixes, enormous drops, and a heartland roll. Montu is another thrill seekers delight with seven inversions, an 128-foot drop, and an Immelmann loop (a simultaneous loop and roll).

3 – Ride the Serengeti Railway
If you don’t have much time left, but still want a glimpse at the animals, catch a ride on the Serengeti Railway. This calming railroad ride takes visitors around the Serengeti Plain and offers views of giraffes, zebras, lions, and more.

If you’re more focused on riding the roller coasters during the day, the Serengeti Railway is the best way to include animals in your visit.

4 – Take the Sky and Train Rides
Busch Gardens’ Skyride takes you high above the Serengeti Plain and offers fantastic views of the park. The Skyride is a great way to save steps going across the extremely large park. Riders under 56″ must be accompanied by someone over 14 years old.

The Serengeti Express Train is an old-fashioned steam locomotive that takes a 30-minute journey around the park and makes two stops: Stanleyville and Nairobi. You can ride the complete loop or just use the train to get from one part of the park to another.

On the ride, we saw giraffe, rhino, zebra, and antelope. The Serengeti Express train conductor is friendly and great at making the guests laugh, plus the train is decorated with vintage suitcases, which I love!

5 – Check Out Sesame Street Safari of Fun
This family-friendly African safari adventure has kid-sized rides, games, and water attractions.

6 – Explore Animal Adventures
Busch Gardens is famous for its animal habitat. One of the most fun things to do at the park is to check out the animals and see these beauties for yourself.

The Myombe Reserve houses gorillas and chimps in a lush rainforest setting, while the Edge of Africa has hippos, hyenas, and meerkats. You’ll find tigers and orangutans at Jungle, and African penguins in an underwater viewing tank at Penguin Point.

7 – Feed the Birds
Lory Landing is a great way to see lorikeets and parrots at arms length. You can purchase a cup of nectar to feed the birds but beware, as they will swarm all over you. It’s pretty intense, but great for pictures. The birds are so colorful and pretty.

8 – Do Some Shopping
You can pick up some cool souvenirs or things you love at Busch Gardens between the five onsite shops.

Busch Gardens, A Top-Notch Florida Attraction
I think that Busch Gardens often gets overlooked by other Florida attractions; but it shouldn’t! This theme park has the best thrill rides of any park I’ve been to the in country and is a colorful, fun-filled one-stop-shop for rides, concerts, shopping, games, food, and animal experiences. You can even get your hands on many of the animals at the park, and participate in immersive tour and enriching encounters.

(I went with my friends during Covid and I had a great time. Everyone had masks on so it was good. They did a pretty good job with safety procedures due to Covid. That includes, face coverings, temperature screenings, a lot of signage around the park that will remind them about enhanced sanitation methods. Reservations must be made online).