I only put this as 5 stars to try and get it on the front page! The wait lines for food took over 1…read morehour and wasnt worth it. Also, half of the rides were closed and the open ones were not family friendly! I would have to give this 1 1/2 stars

Haven't been here in over 20 years. Weird saying that. Got 2 free tickets for being a veteran so we…read morecome over for the day and it was food, wine & garden. First impression is how much bigger it is that I remember. Also the last time I was here you could not drink except at the beer tasting. That has definitely changed. The festival was in one section of the park so we got our food card and started eating. Some things were good. Others just ok. Overall we had a great time and planning to return.

Best ride at Busch gardens Tampa bay! It's a hybrid roller coaster and the drop at the beginning is…read moreso fun. Once you are done with the drop it picks up speed and the ride itself is actually relatively long. So much fun, several inversions . And so smooth compared to Gwazi when it was just a wooden coaster.

Husband is ready to do it again! I did not join him today because my back hurt. But I will try it…read morewith him the next time we come and my back is good. He said that when you're going down that first drop your butt leaves the seat, even though you are seatbelted and have a pull down bar over your legs. He spiraled, inverted, and went up & down low. He said it's an "Oh, sh**!!!" ride." He loved it!

False advertising. The website clearly states that the dining plan includes. mango's Café,…read moreSurfside café, colossal snacks, or captain Pete's. Well, I am here now and being told that I can only use my $60 dining plan at surfside café or mango Joe's Café. So my recommendation is save your money. Do not buy the dining plan because it is not worth it.

The fountain drink stations were so filthy. Bees, flies and wasp were flying up into the nozzles…read moreclogging them up. The metal counter tops were sticky with ants trying to get to it and getting stuck.

Another favorite and one the whole family rides together. I like the twists and turns and love when…read moreit gains speed going up before dropping you down! I also like that it's a long ride.

After a day of riding every roller coaster at Busch Gardens, it was evident that Cheetah Hunt was…read moreone of the smoothest at the park. We had fast passes for the queue so we waited no longer than 5 minutes to get on, but the regular line didn't not max 15 minutes on a Sunday. We started the ride and I was sad that it didn't go faster, but I am also used to the velocicoaster at Universal that goes much faster. However, it was a longer ride that was smooth and thrilling. At every twist and turn you are surprised with something new! I do think with time the rollercoaster is being dated by its speed but it is still a great ride

Another great ride at Busch Gardens, one of my favorites!…read more The name is derived from the word "shikra", an Asian-African hawk that is known to dive vertically for its prey. And this ride does just that! It climbs 200 feet, to then drop you at a 90 degree angle, followed by a whirlwind of a ride that includes an Immelmann loop. Highly recommend this one.

This is one of Busch Gardens Tampa Bays most intense rides there is a similar ride at bush gardens…read moreWilliamsburg called the Griffen Which I think is scarier They both have a great overhang drop where you hang and can see below you for a few seconds before soaring into the sky This ride has more twists and speed I believe I came on a slower day and was able to practically walk on the ride and even got to ride it more than once I felt very secure in the harness and will recommend this roller coaster for sure

One of the original roller coasters from when I used to come here. Originally opened in 1993 and…read moregoes 60 mph. The ride goes upside down 7x and is the longest coaster at the park. Wow does that bring back memories. I used to ride this thing all the time when I'd come here in high school. I don't ride these today however now my daughter does! She loves this one and has to ride it every time we come here. My complaint about it is that it never seemed like the seat harness fit me very snug. Being a thinner person I would alway lift out of my seat when taking the loops.

This is one of the oldest rides. I rode this one time and only had one train running. The wait…read morewas not too bad, but operations here can be a little slow, but we had to wait around 20 minutes and we waited for the front just to experience this. This ride definitely needs to go as when we rode it, it was shaky and rattle quite a bit. It was definitely showing its age. I think if they retracked it, the ride would be smooth and not so bad. Anyways I rode this once, but did not ride this again the 2nd day I went here as this was something I would avoid.

Zoe-Patra and the Hippos of the Nile is a short fun Kids Water Hippo Ride at Sesame Street Safari…read moreof Fun kids play area in Busch Gardens Theme Park Tampa. The Hippos of the Nile is an easy and calm water ride where children ride a smiling purple Hippo with one small hill followed by a small splash that won't get your child too wet. This is the perfect ride to create a small thrill for young child! Young children may ride that are between 36 inches tall and 56 inches tall. This ride's Sesame Street mascot is Zoe who is a 3-year-old orange female monster who typically wears a necklace, ballet tutu dress, tiara, and loves to dance! Zoe was designed to complement her boyfriend Elmo, who is a 3 year old red male monster who refers to himself in the 3rd person. For this ride, Zoe's name has been changed to "Zoe-patra" inspired by Ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and she is wearing a traditional white Egyptian dress, with a gold Egyptian headpiece, a gold Egyptian necklace, and a gold Egyptian staff like what Egyptian Queen Cleopatra wore. Zoe is joined by a pink monster named Telly dressed like an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh with a gold Pharaoh headpiece and a purple Hippo with an ancient Egyptian pyramid and the Nile river in the background. Additional Egyptian or Sesame Street art or references along the ride's path could be added if managment is looking for more ways to enhance this ride. Hippos were once common throughout the Nile River system but have not been seen in the Nile river since the early 1900's, over 100 years ago. The hippopotamus is now found only in the swampy Al-Sudd region of South Sudan and farther south in Africa. The ancient Egyptians had an ambivalent relationship with hippopotami but feared them as dangerous. Hippos are unpredictable and powerful animals that, when feeling threatened, will become extremely aggressive. Today hippopotami kill more people in Africa than any other large animal. A hippopotamus can outrun a human over a short distance, and they often upend boats and maul passengers. Ancient Egyptians were attacked by hippos, but evidence that people also survived can be found in an ancient Egyptian medical recipe for wounds inflicted by the bites of a hippo. Hippopotami are herbivores and usually graze during the night, when they can decimate a farmer's field with their enormous appetite. This was already an issue in ancient Egypt. An inscription on a papyrus refers to such a devastated harvest: "the worm took half and the hippopotamus ate the rest."

Beautiful experience! We enjoyed riding the train while it played Christmas music and we watched…read moreanimals. The lights, trees illuminated at night were a really fun experience. They also had food and drink items that were exclusive to Christmas Town. Live shows with holiday costumes and music were also great. It is something I'd do again in the future for a fun holiday experience.

I really enjoyed how they've done Christmas Town this year, with a similar format to the Food and…read moreWine Festival. The Christmas Town village is sort of sequestered in one area of the park, but the entire place is completely decked out with beautiful lights and music is playing everywhere to remind you it's Christmas no matter where you are. We showed up early to walk around the park and get a good look at everything, and stayed through the darker hours. I got a five item punch card and enjoyed some samplers of the holiday special foods. Hot chocolate, turkey meatballs with cranberry sauce crab and corn chowder, apple spice cheesecake, and monte cristo bites. Everything we had good and at the right size so you could enjoy a good sample of what was being offered. We also rode on the Skyride to see everything for up above and rode through park in the decked Nairobi Express train, which was festive and lit up for the holiday. Although some photo-ops you'd need to pay for and had lines, you could easily take a good shot anywhere in the entire park.

Air Gover is a family-friendly kids rollercoaster at Sesame Street Safari of Fun where patrons fly…read morein an airplane pilotted by Grover through the Sahara desert with a camel riding on the back, featuring a simple out and back layout with 2 spirals, forming a figure-8. It's perfectly sized for first time roller coaster rider kids and adults are welcome to ride with their children. The theming on Air Grover is stronger than many other rollercoasters at Busch Gardens and puts kids at ease as they embark on an adventure with a familiar character from Sesame Street named Grover. However, along the ride's track, there could be more Sesame Street or Sahara desert inspired theming and they could have added a kid friendly audio sound effects, story-line, or soundtrack like Disney's Slinky Dog, Toy Story themed, Rollercoaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando. Guests of Air Grover Rollercoaster must be 38 inches tall to ride. Guests between 38 to 48 inches tall must be accompanied by a supervising companion of at least 14 years old to ride. Riders over 41 inches can ride without a supervising companion. Air Grover opened in 2010, has a maximum height of 24 feet, a maximum speed of 22 miles per hour, and is only 600 feet long, with a running time of approximately 1 minute. Air Grover's airplane has 8 sections with one row each, seating 2 per row, with a maximum occupancy of 16 riders. Most kids really like this ride but occasionally some young kids get scared and cry. The Air Grover ride is only 1 minute long so even if your kid doesn't end up liking the ride, it is short. Whether your kid will like the ride or be scared really depends on your kid's level of courage and your kid's age.