Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 335-acre animal theme park situated in Tampa, Florida, United States, designed and landscaped around themes of Africa. The destination originally opened on March 31, 1959, as an admission-free garden facility alongside an Anheuser-Busch brewery. Today, the park is owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts, consistently drawing an annual attendance exceeding 4 million visitors and ranking as the second-most visited property in the United Parks & Resorts portfolio behind SeaWorld Orlando.
The expansive park is laid out into distinct geographical and culturally themed zones inspired by Africa, including Marrakesh (Morocco), Nairobi (formerly Boma), Stanleyville, Congo, Timbuktu, and the Serengeti Plain (formerly the African veldt). Guests navigate these grounds using transportation systems like the Trans-Veldt Railway and a sky ride gondola system. What began as a 15-acre Bird Gardens showcasing lagoons, aviaries, and tropical plants has expanded into a massive entertainment resort combining extensive animal habitats with immersive environments.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is world-famous for its high-thrill roller coasters, drop towers, and animal exhibits. Headline coasters include the SheiKra Dive Coaster, Cheetah Hunt family-style thrill coaster, Tigris launched coaster, Iron Gwazi wood-steel hybrid hypercoaster, Montu inverted coaster, and Phoenix Rising inverted coaster. Alongside world-class rides, the park offers live theatrical shows, animal viewing, and river rafting, making it ideal for families, dedicated thrill-seekers, and multi-day travelers visiting the Tampa region.
01 Signature rides & attractions
The park’s headline rides across its themed areas. Confirm heights and any single-rider lines on the day.
Compiled from Wikipedia · a full ride-by-ride list per themed area is on the way.
Park map
The free OpenStreetMap layer below shows the park and its surroundings — entrances, themed areas, car parks and access roads. Zoom in for detail; the official ride-by-ride park plan is linked below.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL, free). Official park maps are copyrighted — we link to them.
02 Tickets & prices
Ticket prices for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay change by date and season, and the park sells single-day, multi-day and annual passes — buying online in advance is almost always cheaper than at the gate, and popular dates can sell out. Check the official site for live pricing before you travel.
We deliberately don’t list prices that change daily — the ticket button leads to live, up-to-date pricing.
03 Themed areas
Each area has its own theming — architecture, food and rides. Half the fun is simply walking through.
Good to know
- The park offers several dedicated rides and attractions specifically catered for children under nine years old.
- An adjacent water park named Adventure Island is located right next to the park property.
