Busch Gardens facts for kids
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| Location | Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S. (Busch Gardens Williamsburg) Tampa, Florida, U.S. (Busch Gardens Tampa) |
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| Opened | March 31, 1959 (as Busch Gardens Tampa) May 16, 1975 (as Busch Gardens Williamsburg) |
| Owner | SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment |
| Theme | Animal park |
| Operating season | March – December (Busch Gardens Williamsburg) Year-round (Busch Gardens Tampa) |
| Website | Official website: https://buschgardens.com/ |
Busch Gardens is the name of two exciting amusement parks in the United States. These parks are owned and operated by SeaWorld Entertainment. The first park, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, is in Tampa, Florida. The second one, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, is in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Before these two parks, there were also Busch Gardens locations in Van Nuys, California (from 1964 to 1979) and Houston, Texas (from 1971 to 1973). The name "Busch Gardens" was even used for beautiful gardens created by Adolphus Busch near his home in Pasadena, California. These gardens were open to the public from 1906 to 1937.
The Busch Gardens amusement parks were first created to help promote a company called Anheuser-Busch. They used to have special areas where visitors could learn about the company's products. The parks also featured stables for the company's famous Clydesdale horses. These large, strong horses have been linked to Anheuser-Busch since 1933. Over time, more rides and attractions were added, turning them into full theme parks. A special company, now called SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, was formed in 1959 to manage these parks.
In 2009, a new owner of Anheuser-Busch sold the amusement parks to a group called the Blackstone Group. Blackstone has kept some popular traditions, like having stables with Clydesdales. However, these Clydesdales are no longer connected to the original company.
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Explore the Busch Gardens Parks
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay first opened its gates on March 31, 1959. This park has an exciting African theme and was once known as "The Dark Continent." It's one of America's biggest zoos, covering 335 acres (136 ha) and home to more than 2,700 animals!
Some of the thrilling rides and attractions you can find here include:
- Montu
- Kumba
- Scorpion
- Edge of Africa
- Jungala
- Sand Serpent
- Congo River Rapids
- Serengeti Railway
- Phoenix
- Sesame Street
- SheiKra, a vertical dive coaster that opened in 2005.
In 2011, the park added Cheetah Hunt, a roller coaster that launches you three times! Then, in 2014, Falcon's Fury, a tall drop tower, was added. In 2016, the park built Cobra's Curse, a steel roller coaster. More recently, in 2019, Tigris, another launched roller coaster, opened. In 2020, a new hybrid coaster called Iron Gwazi opened where the Gwazi roller coaster used to be. The park is located in central Tampa, not too far from downtown.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg welcomed its first visitors on May 16, 1975. This park has a European theme and was originally called "The Old Country." It's divided into seven sections, each designed to look like a different European country.
Some of the popular attractions at this park include:
- Alpengeist
- Escape from Pompeii
- Apollo's Chariot
- Loch Ness Monster
- Griffon
The Griffon coaster, added in 2007, was once the tallest dive coaster in the United States. On July 25, 2009, Busch Gardens announced that the Big Bad Wolf roller coaster would close on September 7, 2009, after 25 years. It was later replaced by Verbolten, a new multi-launch coaster that opened in 2012.
In 2009, the park also introduced Christmas Town, a special holiday event with many themed attractions, shows, eight million lights, and a huge 50-foot animated Christmas Tree. In 2010, the 3-D ride Corkscrew Hill was replaced by Europe in the Air. This ride was then replaced by a new virtual reality adventure called Battle for Eire in 2018. Also in 2010, illumiNights: A Busch Garden Encore, offered nightly country shows and fireworks.
A drop tower called the Mäch Tower was planned for 2011 and opened in August 2011. Tempesto opened in May 2015, adding to the park's Italy section. Finally, InvadR, the first wooden roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, opened in 2017.
Past Busch Gardens Parks
Busch Gardens in California
Long before the current theme parks, the name "Busch Gardens" referred to the private gardens of Adolphus Busch. He was one of the founders of a large company. After becoming successful, Busch bought a winter home in Pasadena, California. He filled the 36 acres (15 ha) around his home with thousands of plants, statues, waterfalls, and walking paths. He opened these "Busch Gardens" to the public in 1906.
These gardens became a very popular tourist spot. The nearby Hollywood film industry even used the gardens in many movies. Some famous films that featured the gardens include Frankenstein (1931), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), and Gone With the Wind (1939).
Busch's wife offered the gardens to the city of Pasadena several times to be a public park, but the city never accepted. Busch Gardens closed in 1937, and the land was later divided into smaller plots. Today, it's a neighborhood, but some of the original garden features can still be seen.
In 1954, a new facility was opened in Van Nuys. The company opened one of the modern Busch Gardens parks there in 1966. This 17-acre (6.9 ha) amusement park included boat rides and a monorail that was part of a tour. The park was renamed Busch Bird Sanctuary in 1977 and closed two years later.
Busch Gardens Houston
Busch Gardens Houston opened in May 1971 but closed just a few years later. It was located next to the Anheuser-Busch facility, which opened in 1966. This 40-acre (16 ha) park had an Asian theme. It also featured a special ice cave with a controlled temperature for penguins, polar bears, and sea lions. The park even had its own 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway.
Barcelona Plans
In the late 1980s, Anheuser-Busch and other investors planned to build a park called Tibi Gardens outside Barcelona, Spain. During construction, some investors left, and new ones from The Tussauds Group joined. The park was renamed Port Aventura. When it opened in 1995 in Salou, Spain, Anheuser-Busch had a 20% investment. In 1998, most of Tussauds Group's shares were sold to Universal.
Images for kids
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Busch Gardens Logo
See also
In Spanish: Busch Gardens para niños
