Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a animal theme park located in Tampa, Florida, United States, with the entire park landscaped and designed around themes of Africa. Owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts, the park opened on March 31, 1959. The park has an annual attendance consistently exceeding 4 million, often ranking second among United Parks & Resorts parks behind SeaWorld Orlando.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay features many roller coasters and thrill rides, including a Dive Coaster called SheiKra, a "family-style" thrill coaster themed around cheetahs called Cheetah Hunt, a launched roller coaster called Tigris, a classic seated steel roller coaster called Kumba, a wood-steel hybrid hypercoaster called Iron Gwazi, Falcon's Fury, Montu, which was the tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster in the world when it opened, and Phoenix Rising, North America's tallest and longest family inverted roller coaster. The park also features several rides and attractions aimed for children under the age of nine, as well as one water ride — a river rafting ride.
History
1957–1959: Busch Brewery and Gardens
proposed acquiring land in Florida to construct a brewery with Tampa and Jacksonville as potential sites in April 1957. By June, unconfirmed rumors were reported that a $25–30 million brewery would be built in Tampa, but were initially denied by Anheuser-Busch. Anheuser-Busch made public on July 25, that it had purchased a plot of land in Tampa for $320,000 to construct a $20 million brewery. The construction of the Tampa brewery coincided with the construction of a competing brewery, Schlitz, in the Tampa Industrial Park complex. August Busch Jr. remarked during the planning of the brewery that the company wanted to include gardens to attract the local community and contribute landscaped areas. Busch Jr. held the opinion that functional parks could help widen Anheuser-Busch's interest.In March 1958, August Busch Jr. commemorated the groundbreaking for the Tampa brewery. Construction took place through the rest of 1958 and the early 1959. In February 1959, Anheuser-Busch acknowledged the brewery would open in March. A dedication ceremony for the brewery was scheduled in March, though the opening of the Busch Gardens would not take place until June when the brewery's beer would begin to ship. Manufacturing in the Busch brewery began on March 12. The brewery was dedicated on March 31, by August Busch Jr. with around 2,000 people in attendance, including the press, political and local leaders. Anheuser-Busch formally announced the operating hours of the Busch brewery and gardens in May.
The brewery and gardens officially opened to the public for tours on June 1, 1959, as an admission-free facility with 250 attending the opening ceremony and around 1,000 attendees to Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens opened on of land southwest of the brewery at the cost of around $500,000. The associated gardens featured lagoons and landscaping, with around 36,000 flowering plants and 300 trees. Opening animal attractions for Busch Gardens included a bird show in an amphitheater seating around 200 individuals, a bird sanctuary featuring flamingos and a separate animal area named "Devil's Island," and caged enclosures for eagles and cockatoos. Additional attractions included a dwarf village and the "Hospitality House," a William B. Harvard designed facility that offered free samples of beer to guests. Another was used for housing the brewers Budweiser Clydesdales, and planned to host buffalo, ostriches, and zebras located east of the brewery. The original gardens was later dubbed the "Bird Gardens".
1959–1968: Additions and African veldt
A $5 million expansion was announced in July 1959 by Anheuser-Busch to the existing facility because of the newfound success. In February 1960, construction started on a geodesic dome in the gardens that was high and in diameter, later opening on March 22, at the cost of $75,000. The dome, named the Adolphus Busch Space Frame, was constructed from anodized aluminum colored gold and located north of the bird amphitheater. The dome featured landscaping, suspended birds nests, and ponds that connected to a lagoon outside. Anheuser-Busch revealed its plan to construct the Stairway to the Stars attraction in October that would be a Otis escalator to the roof of the brewery. The escalator opened on March 22, 1961, as part of a renovation to the Busch brewery and its public tours. The escalator featured a pool beneath, a observation deck atop of the brewery, and a raised walkway to enter Busch Gardens. The pool originally hosted penguins.Anheuser-Busch bought additional parcels of land in May 1962. In the same month, Anheuser-Busch communicated its intentions to expand Busch Gardens at the cost of $3.5 to $4 million as the company projected a rise in attendance for the coming decade, necessitating growth. The expansion called for different themed lands, with an African veldt and the American Plains planned, accompanied by wildlife animals pertaining to each geography. The additions would also call for a railway and create more landscaped environments for animal habitats. In October, Busch Gardens expanded its animal collection to around 1,000 birds. As part of the expansion, Anheuser-Busch stated a monorail would be constructed through the African veldt in January 1963, and a four-story Swiss-themed restaurant in December, both east of the brewery. Another land purchase was made by Anheuser-Busch in April 1964, their third since the opening. Thomas J. Pinta was named manager of Busch Gardens in July. Busch Gardens debuted a trackless transportation train on October 1, to travel between the gardens and the Old Swiss House via the parking lot. The Old Swiss House was completed in October.
The Wild Animal Kingdom, representing the African veldt, was completed in 1965, in addition to a clock tower built adjacent to the Old Swiss House. The African veldt contained a variety of animals mostly imported from Africa, including cheetahs, chimpanzees, elephants, gorillas, lions, and rhinos with habitats faithfully recreated by the park. By November, Anheuser-Busch acquired land east of its existing property for a potential expansion of Busch Gardens or its brewery. The gardens and brewery encompassed around, with the total acreage owned by the brewer amounting to around.
A portion of the 1965 land purchase would be used for a trackless transportation train to shuttle guests between a new parking lot and its facilities in the latter half of 1966. Busch Gardens began charging guests for parking in August because of the increase in visitors and to offset costs. The monorail, originally named the Skyrail, opened to the public on September 22. The Skyrail opened as a long Arrow Development monorail taking parkgoers through the African veldt, which was an upcharge for adults and children initially costing $1 and ¢40 respectively. Near the end of 1966, around 475 animals were exhibited in the African veldt. A snack bar was constructed and opened in the parking lot in 1967.
1969–1975: Boma and themed area expansions
For the coming year, Anheuser-Busch announced in March 1969 a zoo area expansion entitled "Boma" to the current gardens. The exhibit space would cost $1 million, located between the brewery and the monorail, and contribute to the growth of the brewery and park. Busch Gardens saw short manager changes with Pinta being replaced by Franklin H. Rust in May 1969, and Rust resigning in February 1970. Anheuser-Busch expressed its intention to expand its animal habitats, coinciding with the development of Disney World in the vicinity of Orlando, Florida. August Busch Jr. had toured the Disney World site and wanted the Tampa brewery and gardens to maintain its hold in the tourist market. The Anheuser-Busch Tampa location was favored amongst its other four properties, being the company's leading model into the entertainment industry.During the preview event for the Boma area in June 1970, Anheuser-Busch announced a $12.6 million expansion for the coming decade. The expansion would initially call for the additions of an amphitheater seating 1,000 guests, a "tree tops" viewing platform of the African veldt, a locomotive train, and a log flume. The plans also stipulated the end of free-admission and charging a general admission to the park as well as getting rid of parking admission. General admission to the park was implemented on July 31, coinciding with the opening of the Boma area that featured African mammals, birds, and a manmade mountain. The initial price of entry to the park was $1.25 for adults and ¢50 for children. The park's entrance was relocated during the same day to an adjacent road. The immediate extension of Busch Gardens called for the construction of a railroad, African village, and an amphitheater in the following years.
Robert B. Bean was named the new general manager for the Busch Gardens park in April 1971. The Trans-Veldt Railway opened on July 4, between the monorail and Boma section. The train departed from the "Nairobi Junction" station into the animal habitat and was an upcharge attraction. In January 1972, the tree tops observation deck was being constructed at the cost of $250,000, opening months later with the African village on June 19. The African village, located north of the original gardens, accommodated the Stanleyville station, an additional train station on the Trans-Veldt Railway. The African village contained the Tanzanian Theater featuring an elephant show, gorilla and okapi enclosures, and various shops. The tree tops was a three-level observation deck in the northern half of the African veldt and only reachable by the Trans-Veldt Railway upon opening. During this time, the monorail and railway upcharges were eliminated, with the general admission increased in price. The boat ride in the African village, titled Livingstone's Landing, later opened in the summer 1972.
A $6.5 million addition was announced in March 1973 for a phase two development of the 1970 expansion plans. The plans would affect three park sections: Boma, Stanleyville, and the African veldt. The plans called for a Morocco-themed area, a log flume, a dark ride, a gondola lift, an "animal training center," and a safari attraction. Busch Gardens opened a nearby campervan park in May. The first thrill ride at the park, the log flume, opened in June in the Stanleyville section. Bean resigned as general manager and was replaced by Joseph C. Fincher in April 1974. The sky ride transportation gondola opened in May, which linked the park's monorail station, tree tops outlook, and Stanleyville section together.
By 1975, the park housed over 800 animals and expanded its live entertainment options throughout the park. Busch Gardens opened its Morocco-themed village on April 16, acting as the new entrance to the park. The Morocco area hosted shops, landscaped areas, eateries, and the Algiers Theater upon opening. The snack bar originally located in the parking lot was incorporated into the Morocco area with thematic upgrades. In September, the park disclosed a $7.6 million development that would include the park's first roller coaster, exhibits for tigers and elephants, extension to the Livingstone's Landing, extensive landscaping, and the addition of sound systems throughout the park.