Busch Gardens Africa
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| Busch Gardens Africa | |
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| Location | Tampa, Florida, United States  |
| Website | buschgardensafrica.com |
| Owner | Busch Entertainment Corporation |
| Opened | March 31, 1959 |
| Previous names | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay - 1990s-2006
Busch Gardens: The Dark Continent -1976 to 1990s |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Area | 605 acres (2.45 km²) |
| Rides | 10 total
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| Slogan | "Make a Connection in a Whole New Direction" |
Busch Gardens Africa (also known as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay) is a 335 acre 19th century African-themed park located in Tampa, Florida. It opened on March 31, 1959 as an admission-free hospitality facility for the Tampa Anheuser-Busch brewery on the grounds of the manufacturing plant. Visitors could watch animal acts in a tropical setting and before leaving the grounds entered a beer garden offering free Busch beer to drink.
After the manufacturing plant closed down some years later, Busch Gardens focused progressively on its tropical landscape, exotic animals, and amusements to draw visitors. Busch Gardens began charging admission as the entertainment became more complex, with extra fees for the thrill rides, such as the roller coasters for which Busch Gardens is now known.
Currently Busch Gardens Africa competes with other such parks in Florida and charges comparable fees. Beer is no longer manufactured there. According to the web site of Anheuser-Busch Companies, the parent company focuses on beer, adventure park entertainment, and packaging. Busch Entertainment Corporation is the company subsidiary that runs the Busch entertainment parks and claims that it is one of the largest adventure park operators in the United States.
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[edit] Park Areas
- The Serengeti Express (a replica steam train) runs along the back end of the park and makes stops at the Nairobi, Congo and Stanleyville themed areas. The train track was recently renovated, and its tracks have been changed.
- The Skyride transports guests between Crown Colony and Stanleyville.
[edit] Morocco
The park's main entrance is home to the Mystic Sheiks of Morocco brass and percussion ensemble. Treats can be purchased at the Sultan's Sweets and the Zagora Cafe. The Moroccan Palace is located here as well as the outdoor Marrakesh Theater.
[edit] Bird Gardens
The original section of the park that opened back in 1959. The area for the most part remains to be mostly gardens and animal exhibits/shows. A staple attraction that once stood in this section was the brewery. However, the brewery closed in 1995 and Gwazi now sits where the brewery was located. Gwazi is the only major attraction in this area, with other nearby attractions being upcharge or small. The traditional, educational bird show is currently being replaced with a newer, more entertainment-based show, including a number of mammals.
- Gwazi, a 90-foot (27 m), 50 mph (80 km/h) dueling wooden roller coaster named after a mythological creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a lion.
- Gwazi Gliders, a small hang glider flat ride relocated from the Congo section's defunct Pygmy Village kids area. [1]
- Hospitality House, offered free Budweiser beer samples for guests 21 and older and home to the Anheuser-Busch Beer School.
[edit] Land of the Dragons
A children's section filled with scaled down versions of popular thrill rides and a massive treehouse playground. The section opened up in 1995 and replaced the Dwarf Village, a smaller kids area.
[edit] Stanleyville
This section of the park is home to the park's water rides and SheiKra, a roller coaster that holds numerous records. The section opened up in 1973 with the addition of the Stanley Falls Flume. The African Queen Boat Ride opened in 1977 as Busch's version of Disney's Jungle Cruise. In 1989, the African Queen Boat Ride was transformed into Tanganyika Tidal Wave with the addition of a 55-foot (17 m) drop that generates a giant splash. The section remained unchanged from then until 2005, when SheiKra opened, and the surrounding area was renovated.
- SheiKra, a 200-foot (61 m) Bolliger & Mabillard floorless dive roller coaster with a 90-degree vertical drop.
- Stanley Falls Flume, a log flume with a 43-foot (13 m) drop.
- Tanganyika Tidal Wave, a 20 passenger shoot the chutes water ride with a 55-foot (17 m) drop.
[edit] Congo
This section contains two of the park's more popular rides. In November 2006, Congo underwent major renovation, including the removal of the park's classic Python roller coaster.
- Kumba, meaning roar in an African dialect, is a 143-foot (44 m) steel sit-down roller coaster with seven inversions. First built in 1993 by Bolliger & Mabillard, it still remains a popular ride today. The ride was repainted in 2006.
- Congo River Rapids, a water ride that simulates raging whitewater rapids. The ride opened in 1982.
- Ubanga Banga Bumper Cars, a bumper cars ride.
[edit] Jungala
Now opened to visitors, opened on April 5, 2008, Jungala is a 4 acre family attraction featuring up-close animal encounters, rope bridges to explore three stories of jungle life, and a water-play area for children. Also located in this area are two family attractions: Jungle Flyers, a zip line that offers three different flight patterns above the treetops of the new area, and Wild Surge, a shot tower that launches guests above a waterfall. Another attraction is Tiger Trail which is a walkthrough with Tigers where there is also a glass turret that you can look out right in the middle of the Tiger enclosure.
[edit] Orangutan Incident
An orangutan escaped from its habitat on Saturday May 17, 2008, of the Jungala area of the park. The area was evacuated as well as surrounding areas. Witnesses confirmed that the orangutan was on the top of the Orangutan Outpost building.
Busch Gardens officials believe they now know how the 10-year-old female orangutan escaped from her habitat. It seems the 85-pound ape named Luna Bella used her opposable thumbs to climb her way up the narrow lip of a 12-foot (3.7 m) vertical window sill to the exhibit’s roof. The breach forced the evacuation of park guests from the area as staff worked to entice Luna Bella back to her night quarters using fruit and vanilla ice cream. “It could have gotten down and gone through Jungala, but this animal never got on a guest pathway and stayed on the perimeter of its habitat,” said VP of Zoological Operations Glenn Young in a Saturday night news conference.
Orangutans like Luna Bella are extremely smart and agile. A special manual created by experts as a guide for zoos across the country says, “The orangutan’s cleverness, persistence, strength and agility have made it a legendary escape artist.” “Most escapes can be attributed to… human error or design flaw,” the manual says. “Once free from confinement, orangutans can act very differently. Escapees can be dangerous, even young orangutans have a powerful bite when alarmed and are stronger than most humans.” State and federal investigators are still trying to find out if anything could have been done to prevent the escape. If so, fines are possible. More likely, The Department of Agriculture will make its own recommendations on how Busch Gardens can try to keep it orangutans for escaping again.
[1][2][3][4]
[edit] Timbuktu
A section themed after the malls and bazaars of Africa. This section opened up in May 1980. The Phoenix was built in 1984 and remains a popular ride to this day. The section was renovated in 2003. Important rides added during this facelift included the Timbuktu Theater, which replaced the park's Dolphin Theater with an indoor 4-D movie theater. In 2004, the park's family-friendly Cheetah Chase wild mouse roller coaster opened, replacing the Crazy Camel flat ride.
- Scorpion, a steel Schwarzkopf-designed sit-down roller coaster with one vertical loop.
- Cheetah Chase, a steel wild mouse roller coaster.
- Phoenix, a looping Egyptian cargo vessel.
- Pirates! 4-D, a "4-D" movie about pirates starring Leslie Nielsen. The show replaced the Haunted Lighthouse 4-D attraction written by R. L. Stine.
- Sandstorm, an orbiter ride with three arms that spins riders around.
[edit] Nairobi
Alligators and crocodiles can be observed here up close. In Curiosity Cavern, guests can view mammal and reptile exhibits. Visitors to Nairobi can view injured or abandoned newborns at the Nairobi Field Station Animal Nursery. The areas also contains Myombe Reserve, a tropical rainforest that is home to Western Lowland Gorillas and Common Chimpanzees. The major ride here is Rhino Rally, an unpredictable off-road safari that ends spiraling its riders down a raging river. The main train station at Busch Gardens is located at Nairobi. Another popular attraction here is the Asian Elephant exhibit, which is also featured in the Rhino Rally ride.
- Rhino Rally, a Vekoma River Adventure ride, Riders board inside modified Land Rovers through the park's Serengeti Plain habitat, interacting with animals and a raging river.
[edit] Crown Colony
Crown Colony is the smallest section of the park. It features only 2 attractions and a restaurant. The Crown Colony House offers both casual and fine dining. The Budweiser Clydesdale Hamlet and posing area are located here along with a Skyride station.
[edit] Egypt
Bedouin tents and authentic handicrafts and art create an Egyptian marketplace feel. Guests can visit a replica of King Tutankhamen's tomb with the excavation in progress. The primary attraction of the Egypt themed area is Montu, an inverted steel coaster.
- Montu, named after the Egyptian Falcon God of War, is a 150-foot (46 m) steel inverted Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster with seven inversions.
[edit] Animal Exhibits
[edit] The Serengeti Plain
In 1965, the park opened its 29 acre Serengeti Plain animal habitat, the first of its kind to offer animals in a free-roaming environment. It is home to the grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, bongo, addax, addra gazelle, eland, impala, ostrich, marabou stork, East African crowned crane and sacred ibis.
[edit] Myombe Reserve
A 3 acre home for six lowland gorillas and nine chimpanzees located in Nairobi, opened in 1992.
[edit] Edge of Africa
Opened in 1997, Edge of Africa is a walk-through attraction where guests can observe African animals. Among the exhibits are meerkats, a pride of lions, a pack of hyenas, a few hippos, and a troop of lemurs.
[edit] Curiosity Caverns
This cavern attraction, formerly known as Nocturnal Mountain, contains animals such as bats, snakes, lizards, porcupines, and sugar gliders.
[edit] Attractions
- See List of attractions in Busch Gardens Africa for complete list
[edit] Golden Ticket Awards
The following is a list of roller coasters at Busch Gardens Africa that have placed on Amusement Today's Top 50 coasters, along with their highest ranking.
| Roller Coaster | Highest Rank |
|---|---|
| Montu | 3 |
| Kumba | 7 |
| SheiKra | 13 |
| Gwazi | 38 |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- ^ Press release: Jungala
- ^ Jungala attraction information, Busch Gardens website
- ^ http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=80642
- ^ http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=80767
- Official site
- Roller Coaster Database entries for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
- BGTGuide- Unofficial site with pictures and information
- Park Timeline from the Tampa Tribune
- Busch Gardens Information and Photos
- Busch Gardens Africa is at coordinates Coordinates:
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