List of attractions at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
This is a list of attractions in Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
Roller coasters
Roller coasters currently operating or under construction at Busch Gardens Tampa.
Ride | Year Opened | Notes | Section | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Scorpion | 1980 | A steel Schwarzkopf-designed sit-down roller coaster with one vertical loop. It is Busch Gardens's oldest roller coaster that is still operating. | Pantopia | [1] |
Kumba | 1993 | A 143-foot-tall (44 m) Bolliger & Mabillard steel sit-down roller coaster with seven inversions. It has received a #7 Golden Ticket Awards ranking. | Congo | [2] |
Montu | 1996 | A 150-foot-tall (46 m) Bolliger & Mabillard steel inverted roller coaster with seven inversions. It has received a #3 Golden Ticket Awards ranking. | Egypt | [3] |
Sand Serpent | 2004 | A steel Mack Rides wild mouse roller coaster originally from sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. This coaster used to be known as Cheetah Chase. | Pantopia | [4] |
SheiKra | 2005 | A 200-foot-tall (61 m) Bolliger & Mabillard floorless dive roller coaster with a 90-degree vertical drop. It was the first roller coaster of its kind in the United States, and is also one of the tallest roller coasters in Florida, next to Mako at Sea World Orlando. It has received a #13 Golden Ticket Awards ranking. | Stanleyville | [5] |
Air Grover | 2010 | A single train children's roller coaster with magnetic brakes. | Sesame Street Safari of Fun | [6] |
Cheetah Hunt | 2011 | Cheetah Hunt, which is paired with an animal encounter called Cheetah Run, is Busch Gardens' first launch coaster, immediately propelling riders from 0 to 60 mph. The ride features three separate launch points throughout the 4,429-foot (1,350 m) track, and includes a 130-foot (40 m) drop and races across a faux Serengeti plain and through a man-made canyon. The layout also includes a mid-ride parabola that gives riders the sensation of weightlessness for three seconds. | Crown Colony Plaza | [7] |
Cobra's Curse | 2016 | A Mack Rides spinning roller coaster with an elevator lift and a near-miss of an 80 foot (24 m) statue. | Egypt | [8] |
Tigris | 2019 | A Premier Rides Sky Rocket II model. Tigris replaced the Tanganyika Tidal Wave attraction. | Stanleyville | [9] |
Iron Gwazi | — | A hybrid wooden steel roller coaster is currently under construction by Rocky Mountain Construction that will replace Gwazi. The ride will be taller than SheiKra At 206 feet and is touted for holding the record for the world’s steepest and fastest hybrid roller coaster, and tallest roller coaster of its kind in North America. The ride is expected to open sometime in spring 2021, due to setbacks triggered by COVID-19. | Morocco | [10] |
Water rides
Water rides that are currently operating at Busch Gardens Tampa.
Ride | Year Opened | Notes | Section | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stanley Falls Flume | 1973 | A log flume with a 43-foot (13 m) drop. | Stanleyville | [11] |
Congo River Rapids | 1982 | A water ride that simulates raging whitewater rapids. | Congo | [12] |
Other rides and attractions
Rides and attractions that are currently operating at Busch Gardens Tampa.
Ride | Year Opened | Notes | Section | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Serengeti Express | 1971 | A two-mile (3 km) railroad journey on replica steam trains that traverses the Serengeti Plain. It originally only stopped in Nairobi, but added stations in Congo and Stanleyville after those lands were added to the park. As of 2017, The Congo Train Station was closed. | Nairobi/Stanleyville | [13] |
Skyride | 1974 | A ride that transports guests from the Crown Colony section to the Stanleyville section. It has a middle station where the ride makes over a 90 degree turn that guests are not allowed to disembark from. | Crown Colony/Stanleyville | [14] |
Ubanga-Banga Bumper Cars | 1977 | A standard bumper cars ride. | Congo | [15] |
Carousel Caravan | 1979 | A carousel. | Pantopia | [16] |
Phoenix | 1984 | A swinging boat ride that goes completely upside down. It is themed like an Egyptian cargo vessel. As of today, it is standing but not operating. | Pantopia | [17] |
Gwazi Gliders | 2001 | A hang glider flat ride for children. Children push and pull bars to raise and lower their gliders. | Bird Gardens | [18] |
Jungle Flyers | 2008 | Three pairs of zip lines with single person suspended vehicles themed like hang gliders. The cables at the loading area raised and lowered to allow the vehicle to leave and then return to the station(Closed As Of 2018) | Jungala | [19] |
Wild Surge | 2008 | A Moser "Spring Ride" family bounce tower ride. A faux rock structure goes around the ride that guests can ascend allowing them to view the ride from above. | Jungala | [20] |
Rosita's Djembe Fly-Away | 2010 | A swing ride. It has the smallest height restriction in the park as children over 44" may not ride. | Sesame Street Safari of Fun | [21] |
Falcon's Fury | 2014 | A 335-foot (102m) drop tower that upon reaching the top turns you 90 degrees mid air turn to face the rider down. Then, it drops you with a max speed of 60 mph and a freefall time of 5 seconds. It is currently North America‘s tallest freestanding drop tower. | Pantopia | [22] |
Shows
Current shows that are at Busch Gardens Tampa as of March 2019.
Show | Year Opened | Notes | Section | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Turn It Up! The Hottest Show On Ice | Summer 2017 | A new award-winning ice skating show featuring ice skaters and some of today’s hit pop and rock music where guests can join the party. It replaced Iceploration after 5 years of exploration and education in the Moroccan Palace. It also won the IAAPA Brass Ring Award for most popular sports stage show in its debut year. | Morroco | |
Let's Play Together | 2017 | A heartwarming show all about the beauty of friendship. "Let's Play Together" celebrates that being different is a big part of being friends. . | Sesame Street Safari of Fun | [23] |
Critters Inn Charge | 2019 | This brand NEW animal show features dogs, cats, pigs and a miniature horse which invites guests and families to their conservation celebration to share how important it is to protect our planet from the dangers of pollution and destruction of habitats across the world. | Pantopia | |
Rock A Doo Wop | 2017 | Before the days of iPhones, CDs, and Music Videos, songs of the “Do Whop” were sung on every street in America. Join this blast from the past party with a live band and performers singing songs from the 19th Century at Dragon Fire Grill. | Pantopia |
Previous attractions and shows
These attractions or shows are either closed or demolished.
Attraction/Show | Year Opened | Year Closed | Notes | Section | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
African Queen Boat Ride | 1977 | 1989 | A boat ride (similar to Disney's Jungle Cruise attraction) located in what is Tigris today. Most of the theming is still intact from the old ride. The ride was transformed into Tanganyika Tidal Wave in 1989 with new boats and a drop section, and nowadays houses the Tigris Ride. | Stanleyville | [24] |
Kaleidoscope | 1986 | 1990 | The Moroccan Palace Theater was built to accommodate the show.
Kaleidoscope was a Broadway-style musical, transplanted from Busch Gardens Williamsburg, where the show was performed at the Magic Lantern Theater years earlier. The show operated with a swing cast. Accordingly, about twenty performers were available to fill the twelve roles which comprised the show. Many of the performers were required to learn more than one role, and could therefore "swing" into another part as needed. As a result, Kaleidoscope was performed four times a day every day for over five years. |
Morocco | [25] |
Swinging Vines | 1977 | Circa 1991 | A wave swinger flat ride that swings its riders around in a circle. | Congo | [26] |
Stanleyville Amphitheater Variety Show | 1980 | 1994 | A variety show featuring a collection of circus, animal, and novelty acts which changed on a regular basis. The 30-40-minute show was hosted by a master of ceremonies. | Stanleyville | [27] |
Around the World on Ice | 1990 | 1994 | A musical revue show at the Moroccan Palace theater that took the audience to various places around the world, including Egypt, France, and Russia. This show replaced "Kaleidoscope" at the Moroccan Palace Theater. | Morocco | [25] |
Stairway to the Stars | 1959 | 1995 | Guests boarded what was said to be the world's longest outdoor escalator for a ride up to an observation platform, on the roof of the on-site Anheuser-Busch beer brewery. From there, guests wended their way back down in a walking tour of the brewery. | Bird Gardens | [28] |
Monstrous Mamba | 1976 | 1995 | A flat ride that spun riders around as arms raised the cars up and down. | Congo | [26] |
Dwarf Village | 1983 | 1995 | A small children's area that was replaced by Land of the Dragons. It contained statues of dwarves and mushrooms. | Dwarf Village | [29] |
Hollywood Live on Ice | 1994 | 1998 | An ice show which included James Bond and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. This show replaced "Around the World on Ice" at the Moroccan Palace Theater. | Morocco | [25] |
Questor | 1991 | 1998 | A motion simulator ride in which the narrator was on the search for amethyst crystals. It was replaced in 1998 by Akbar's Adventure Tours. The ride was manufactured by Reflectone.[30] | Crown Colony Plaza | [31] |
Veldt Monorail | 1966 | 1999 | Allowed guests to get up close with animals on the Serengeti Plain. The ride was removed due to upkeep cost. The station is now used for Cheetah Hunt, an Intamin launched roller coaster. | Crown Colony Plaza | [32] |
World Rhythms on Ice | 1998 | 2003 | A live show featuring various dancers performing acts from around the world. This show replaced "Hollywood Live on Ice" at the Moroccan Palace Theater.
The show is now being considered for a re-opening at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. |
Morocco | [33] |
Crazy Camel | 1979 | 2003 | A Chance Rides "Trabant" flat ride replaced by Sand Serpent. | Timbuktu (Pantopia) | [28] |
Dolphin Theatre | Before 1993 | 2003 | A typical animal park dolphin show. | Timbuktu (Pantopia) | [34] |
Python | 1976 | 2006 | An Arrow Dynamics designed steel corkscrew roller coaster with two inversions that opened on July 1, 1976 as Florida's first inverting coaster. The ride closed forever on October 31, 2006 after more than thirty years of operation. The ride was demolished throughout November 2006, with the track being scrapped. The trains, however, were sent to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for use on their Loch Ness Monster roller coaster. The new section "Jungala" has taken the place where Python once stood. | Congo | [35] |
R. L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse 4-D | 2003 | 2006 | A "4-D" movie about two children spending a night inside a haunted lighthouse. Based on a story written by author R. L. Stine. The attraction opened up in May 2003 as the first film in the newly redone Pantopia Theatre (previously Dolphin Theatre). | Timbuktu (Pantopia) | [36] |
Akbar's Adventure Tours | 1998 | 2007 | A motion simulator experience of a wacky tour of Egypt with Akbar (played by Martin Short), encountering markets, pyramids, and more. The ride opened up in May 1998 as the first family-oriented attraction in the Egypt section. As of January 2005, the attraction was closed. In August 2007, the ride has reportedly been demolished, with anything of value going to other simulator rides in Busch-owned parks.[37] Its location is now used as a haunted house location for the park's Halloween event, Howl-O-Scream. The ride was manufactured by Reflectone.[30] | Egypt | [38] |
Land of the Dragons | 1995 | 2010 | A small children's area that was replaced by Sesame Street Safari of Fun. | Sesame Street Safari of Fun | [39][40] |
Katonga | 2004 | 2010 | An African-themed Broadway type show. This show replaced "World Rhythms on Ice" in April 2004 at the Moroccan Palace Theater. | Morocco | [41] |
Sesame Street Presents Lights, Camera, Imagination! | 2010 | Before 2013 | A "4-D" movie starring characters from Sesame Street. It played in the morning at the Pantopia Theater. | Timbuktu (Pantopia) | [citation needed] |
Pirates 4D | 2006 | 2013 | A "4-D" movie about Pirates, starring Leslie Nielsen. It played in the afternoon at the Pantopia Theater. | Timbuktu (Pantopia) | [42][43] |
Sandstorm | 1980 | 2013 | An orbiter ride with three arms that spins riders around. It was removed to make way for the Falcon's Fury drop tower. | Timbuktu (Pantopia) | [44] |
Dance to the Music | 2009 | Circa 2013 | Enjoy the sounds of the Disco era as singers and dancers perform hits from the '70s. | Timbuktu (Pantopia) | [citation needed] |
King Tut's Tomb | 1996 | Winter 2013 | A walk through attraction that let visitors explore the replicas of King Tutankhamen's tomb. However, Tut's tomb, which opened when the 'Egypt' section was introduced to the park, closed during the winter of 2013 season. Tut's Tomb will be converted into the ride station for Cobra's Curse. | Egypt | [45][46][47] |
Critter Castaways | 2007 | 2014 | A show featuring familiar pets and exotic creatures with almost 80 animals in all. In the Bird Garden Theater. | Bird Gardens | [48] |
Rhino Rally | 2001 | 2014 | Originally a one of a kind Vekoma River Adventure ride. Riders board inside modified Land Rovers and go on an off-road African safari. Originally the ride contained a water section where the Land Rovers floated down the river on a collapsed bridge. This portion of the ride is now closed although the area is used as scenery of part of the Cheetah Hunt roller coaster. | Nairobi | [49] |
Gwazi | 1999 | 2015 | A 90-foot-tall (27 m) Great Coasters International dueling wooden roller coaster. It has received a #38 Golden Ticket Awards ranking. Gwazi closed in September 2015. Gwazi's trains are now used on InvadR at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Texas Stingray at SeaWorld San Antonio. It is due to reopen in 2020 as the wood-steel hybrid roller coaster Iron Gwazi. | Morocco | [50] |
Tanganyika Tidal Wave | 1989 | 2016 | A 20-passenger shoot the chutes water ride with a 55-foot (17 m) drop. Replaced the African Queen Boat ride | Stanleyville | [51] |
Motor City Groove | 2011 | 2018 | Classics from the Motown era presented in the Stanleyville Theatre. The show was closed due to low attendance. | Stanleyville | [52] |
Iceploration | 2012 | 2017 | An ice, aerialist, acrobatics, and animal show that highlighted various parts of the world. It replaced "Katonga" at the Moroccan Palace Theater. After 5 years, Iceploration was replaced by Turn It Up. | Morocco | [53] |
Opening Night Critters | 2014 | 2018 | Featured animals such as dogs, cats, kangaroos, birds, and a horse. Show closed by new years of 2019 and the theater was reopened for Critters Inn Charge | Pantopia | [54][55] |
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