Busch Gardens, Tampa

Andrew was on Spring Break all week. On Thursday, he informed us that he wanted to go somewhere new over the weekend. I thought that sounded like a great idea, so we started thinking about places to go. I first suggested Miami, but that didn't gain traction. I suggested some different attractions in Orlando, but he said we've been there plenty of times. I suggested Lego Land, but again, that didn't build any real enthusiasm.  Finally I suggested Busch Gardens. This idea had potential.

After work on Friday, we started planning our little get-away. Susan found us a cheap hotel and we packed our bags Friday night. On Saturday morning, we were on our way just after 7:00. The GPS said it would take 2 hours and 19 minutes, which would put us in the parking lot before 10:00, if we drove straight through. Of course we didn't. We stopped at Waffle House for breakfast in Davenport, a little ways west of Kissimmee.

After our quick stop, we were back on the road. After turning north on I-75, we noticed an airport on the left. I made a note to myself to look it up when I got home. Our exit came quickly and we found ourselves in oddly familiar territory. A few years earlier, we drove down the same road, when we visited the Museum of Science and Industry with the Lindleys.

We made it to the parking lot right at 10:00. We caught the first tram that came along and got dropped off at the main entrance. We weren't sure what to buy and where to buy it. There were two ticket stands with huge lines, and three groups of automated machines with relatively short lines. We went for the automated machines with the shortest line. The price of admission included unlimited visits to the park through 31 December 2013. But, for an additional fee, we could get Sea World admission through the end of the year, too, so we upgraded. None of us have been to Sea World Orlando, so we look forward to using that ticket soon.

Andrew outside the main gate

Once in the gate, we got a map and started planning our day. We quickly discovered that things are not what we had hoped. It turns out that three of the roller coasters have a 54" minimum height. I thought the standard was globally set to 48". With much disgust, I crossed those three rides off our list. I don't know who to blame, so I'll blame the lawyers.

Andrew wanted to ride the cool wooden coaster first, but it's line was 90 minutes long. Instead, we started our clockwise loop of the park. This led us past the Bird Gardens into the Sesame Street Safari of Fun. I think Andrew thought he was too old for this area, but we entered anyway. In there, we discovered a giant tree house and spray park. The tree house had paths leading up and down and all around. It was pretty amazing.

A flock of Flamingos

Next up, we crossed the bridge into StanleyVille and caught the old steam train. The train weaved us through the amusement park side, then out onto the Serengeti Plain. I didn't realize that Busch Gardens was actually a zoological park with rides. I wish I had brought my real camera, instead of just my phone with its quickly fading battery.

We got off the train in Congo and had lunch at the Desert Grill in Timbuktu. Lunch was surprisingly good and offered a good variety of food, including salads, vegetables, and pastas. Andrew surprised the lady working behind the counter (and his parents, too) by asking for vegetables instead of fries.

After lunch, we caught our first two roller coasters of the day: the Sand Serpent and the Scorpion. The Scorpion was Andrew's first looping coaster experience. It was pretty fun, but only lasted about 30 seconds.

I wanted to go back and see parts of the park we had skipped earlier, so we backtracked over the bridge to Congo and Jungala. The big attraction in Congo is the roller coaster Kumba. It was one of the ones that we couldn't ride. Even so, we stood and watched it with awe as it went screaming past.

Jungala was the scene of another fantastic attraction: Jungle Flyers, Wild Surge & Treetop Trails. Similar to the tree house in Sesame Street Safari of Fun, this attraction had paths and rope bridges and tunnels leading everywhere. Andrew was thrilled and had a fabulous time running through the obstacles. If I could build anything I wanted for Andrew in my backyard, this is what I would want to build.

Our next goal was the new roller coaster called Cheetah Hunt. To get there, we passed by the tigers, back through Timbuktu, and past the elephants, hyenas, and lions. The Cheetah Hunt is a new coaster that uses magnetic force to drive the coaster up the hills. It claims to accelerate from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds while pulling up to 4 Gs. We were not disappointed. The ride was very fast and very nimble, like riding a cheetah across a plain and through valleys. The only downside was that it ended too soon.

With daylight beginning to fade, we finally made it back to the cool wooden coaster, Gwazi. The wait time had been cut in half to only 45 minutes. The ride was everything a good, old fashioned roller coaster is supposed to be: fast, rickety, and violently shaky. I loved it. Andrew loved it. Susan... she was glad to get off of it.

Andrew's comment of the day: the roller coasters were awful. But he didn't mean it in the traditional sense. He meant they were awe-full, as in full of awe.

On the drive back, we stopped at the hotel that Susan booked earlier. Andrew was already asleep, the place looked uninviting, and I just wanted to sleep in my own bed, so we skipped it and continued home. We were back in our own garage just before midnight.

By the way, I did remember to look up that airport; it is Tampa Executive. That may be the base airport for many future visits to the Tampa area.