Busch Gardens

Last updated
Busch Gardens
New Busch Gardens Logo.svg
Location Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S. (Busch Gardens Williamsburg), Tampa, Florida, U.S.
(Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)
OpenedMarch 31, 1959;64 years ago (1959-03-31) (as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)
May 16, 1975;48 years ago (1975-05-16) (as Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
Owner SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Theme Animal park
Operating seasonYear-round (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
Year-round (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)
Website buschgardens.com

Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The original park is in Tampa, Florida, and the second park is in Williamsburg, Virginia. There were also previously Busch Gardens parks in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California (1964–1979) [1] and Houston, Texas (1971–1973). [2] The "Busch Gardens" name was earlier used to refer to the gardens developed by Adolphus Busch near his home in Pasadena, California, which were open to the public from 1906 to 1937. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

The Busch Gardens amusement parks were initially developed as marketing vehicles for Anheuser-Busch and featured hospitality houses with samples of Anheuser-Busch products. They also included stables that housed many of the company's Clydesdale horses, which have been associated with Anheuser-Busch since 1933. Eventually, rides and attractions were added to the parks and over time were developed into full theme parks while still promoting Anheuser-Busch. Busch Entertainment Corporation, now called SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, was created as a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies to run the various parks in 1959.

In 2009, AB InBev, formed from the purchase of Anheuser-Busch by InBev, sold the amusement parks to the Blackstone Group. Blackstone has kept some of the popular traditions including a stable with Clydesdales; however, the Clydesdales are not affiliated with the beer company. [6]

Locations

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

SheiKra was the first "dive machine" roller coaster in the United States. SheiKraSeating8x3.jpg
SheiKra was the first "dive machine" roller coaster in the United States.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opened on March 31, 1959, and has an African theme. The park was originally tagged "The Dark Continent." [7] The theme park is one of America's largest zoological institutions, with 335 acres (136 ha) and more than 2,700 animals. Attractions include: Montu, Kumba, Scorpion, Edge of Africa, Jungala, Sand Serpent, Congo River Rapids, Saga, Tanganyika Tidal Wave, Stanley Falls, Serengeti Railway, Phoenix, Sesame Street and SheiKra, [8] a vertical dive coaster which opened in 2005. In 2011, the park added Cheetah Hunt, a triple launch roller coaster. In 2014, the park added Falcon's Fury, an Intamin drop tower. In 2016, the park constructed Cobra's Curse, a steel roller coaster created by Mack Rides. [9] In 2019, the park opened Tigris, a steel launched roller coaster constructed by Premier Rides. In 2022, the park opened Iron Gwazi, which is a hybrid conversion of Gwazi by Rocky Mountain Construction. The park is some distance away from downtown, in central Tampa, near the limits of the city of Temple Terrace to the east of Tampa.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened May 16, 1975. With its European theme, the park was originally tagged "The Old Country." Attractions at this park include Alpengeist, Escape from Pompeii, Apollo's Chariot, Loch Ness Monster and Griffon. Added in 2007, the Griffon coaster had bragging rights as the tallest dive coaster in the United States. The park is divided into seven sections, each themed to a different European country. On July 25, 2009, Busch Gardens announced that the Big Bad Wolf roller coaster would be retired September 7, 2009, after 25 years of operation due to its "meeting the end of its service life." and was replaced with Verbolten - a New Multiple Launch Coaster that opened in 2012. Newly added in 2009 was Christmas Town, A Busch Gardens Celebration, with many themed holiday attractions and shows with eight million lights and a 50-foot Light Animated Christmas Tree. Also in 2010, the 3-D ride Corkscrew Hill was replaced by Europe in the Air, which itself was replaced by a new VR action ride called Battle for Eire in 2018. Also new for 2010 was illumiNights: A Busch Garden Encore, with many mini nightly country shows and nightly fireworks set to a special soundtrack which is available during the special event in many gift shops. In 2010, Busch Gardens announced a drop tower called the Mäch Tower which was set to open in late spring 2011 but was delayed due to train problems from Italy and opened in August 2011. It was announced in late 2022 that the tower was to give its final rides on January 8, 2023. The ride closed permanently on that same day. Tempesto opened in May 2015, as it was part of an addition to the park's Italy section. InvadR, the first ever wooden coaster at Busch Gardens, opened in 2017. Pantheon opened March 25, 2022. Now operates year-round as of 2021. [10] [ circular reference ]

Former parks

Busch Gardens in California

Pasadena (1906–1937)

Long before the current Busch Gardens amusement parks, the name referred to the personal gardens of Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser-Busch. After becoming wealthy in the beer business, Busch purchased a winter home in Pasadena, California. He landscaped the 36 acres (15 ha) around his home with thousands of plants, as well as statues, waterfalls and walking paths. [3] He opened these "Busch Gardens" to the public in 1906. The gardens became a major tourist attraction, even after Busch's death in 1913 and prompted the Pacific Electric Railway to establish a stop for the gardens' visitors. [3] [4] The nearby Hollywood film industry used the gardens in many films, including Frankenstein (1931), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), The Adventures of Robin Hood (archery scene, 1938), [11] and Gone With the Wind (Twelve Oaks barbecue, 1939). [3] [4] Busch's widow offered the gardens to the city of Pasadena on multiple occasions for use as a public park, but the city never accepted the offer. [3] [4] Busch Gardens closed in 1937 and the land was later subdivided. [3] The area is now a residential neighborhood, though some of the landscape features of the Busch Gardens era remain. [5]

Van Nuys (1966–1979)

In 1954, a new brewery was opened in Van Nuys. The company opened one of the modern Busch Gardens parks at this site in 1966 that included boat rides, a 10-minute monorail tour of the brewery, and free beer. (Circa 1974, there was a second monorail “which passes through an enormous aviary.”) The park expanded by 5 acres (2.0 ha) in 1972 to a total of 22 acres (8.9 ha). “The new section includes an exciting barrel flume ride; a huge, walk-through flight cage; a magic show; a special show place for otters; penguin and sea lion programs; and an individual boat ride popular with young skippers.” [12] The 17-acre (6.9 ha) amusement park was renamed Busch Bird Sanctuary in 1977 and closed in 1979. [1] The birds were moved to the nearby Los Angeles Zoo and the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Williamsburg locations. The site of the Van Nuys theme park is currently a Bud Light facility and one of the remnants of the park is the footbridge connecting to the 1972 expansion.

Busch Gardens Houston

Houston's Busch Gardens opened in May 1971 and was closed within a few years. It was located adjacent to the Anheuser-Busch brewery, which opened in 1966. The 40-acre (16 ha) park had an Asian theme except for an ice cave with a temperature controlled environment for several varieties of penguins, polar bears and sea lions. [2] It also had its own 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway. [13]

Catalonia, Spain

Anheuser-Busch and Grand Tibidabo, S.A., owners of Tibidabo Amusement Park, in Barcelona, along with other Spanish investors, made plans to build a Tibi Gardens outside of Barcelona, Spain, in the late 1980s. [14] During construction, several of the Spanish investors backed out, and investors from The Tussauds Group stepped in. The park was renamed Port Aventura and when it opened in 1995 in Salou, Spain, Anheuser Busch had a 20% investment in the park while The Tussauds Group had 40%. [15] In 1998 the majority of Tussauds Group's shares in the park were sold to Universal. [16]

Unbuilt parks

Busch Gardens Dubai

In 2008, Busch Entertainment Corporation announced plans to open a new park in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2012. [17] It was going to be placed on a man-made island shaped like Shamu in Dubai with SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica also being built on that island. The Dubai park would have added on a third park to the Busch Gardens brand. The plans have been shelved because of financial issues. [18] On February 4, 2009, Busch Entertainment announced that the Dubai plans had been canceled due to the global recession.

Free beer samples

After InBev sold the amusement parks in 2009 to Blackstone, many beer-affiliated traditions ended, including the tradition of offering free beer samples in their Hospitality Centers, and Brewmaster Clubs would come to an end in the parks. [19] [20] Also announced was that workers would not get two cases of beer a month for free, which they would receive under old parent Anheuser-Busch. [21] Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has again begun offering free samples in conjunction with limited-time promotions, most recently in 2019 as part of the park's year-long 60th anniversary celebration. Each guest may sample two seven-ounce servings of beer. [22]

See also

Anheuser-Busch owned several other parks. All of these, except Grant's Farm and the former SeaWorld Ohio, were sold to the Blackstone Group in 2009:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaWorld</span> American theme park chain

SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature orcas, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busch Gardens Tampa Bay</span> Animal theme park in Tampa, Florida, US

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 335-acre (136 ha) animal theme park located in Tampa, Florida, United States, with the entire park landscaped and designed around themes of Africa and Asia. Owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts, the park opened on June 1, 1959. The park has an annual attendance consistently exceeding 4 million, often ranking second among SeaWorld parks behind SeaWorld Orlando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumba (roller coaster)</span> Ride at Busch Gardens Tampa

Kumba is a steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened in 1993. It stands 143 feet (44 m) tall and has a top speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Kumba features a total of seven inversions across the 3-minute ride.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busch Gardens Williamsburg</span> European-themed amusement park in James City County, Virginia

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a 422-acre (1.71 km2) amusement park in James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States, located approximately 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Virginia Beach. The park was developed by Anheuser-Busch (A-B) and is owned by United Parks & Resorts. The park opened on May 16, 1975, adjacent to Anheuser-Busch's brewery and near its other developments, including the Kingsmill Resort complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montu (roller coaster)</span> Inverted roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa

Montu is an inverted roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. Designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, it is the park's second roller coaster designed by that company following the success of Kumba, which opened 3 years prior. When the ride opened on May 16, 1996, it was the world's tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster, a title it has since conceded to Alpengeist at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The ride stands 150 feet (46 m) tall and reaches speeds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaWorld Orlando</span> Theme park and marine zoological park

SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park and marine zoological park located in Orlando, Florida. Although separately gated, it is often promoted with neighboring parks Discovery Cove and Aquatica as well as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, all of which are owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts. In 2022, SeaWorld Orlando hosted an estimated 4.45 million guests, ranking it the 10th most visited amusement park in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaWorld San Antonio</span> Theme park in San Antonio, Texas

SeaWorld San Antonio is a 416-acre (168 ha) marine mammal park, oceanarium and animal theme park in the Westover Hills District of San Antonio, Texas, on the city's west side. It is the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld chain owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts. As North America's largest marine-life theme park, and one of the world's largest marine-life theme parks, it is focused on conservation, education and animal rescue. It is a member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA) and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaWorld San Diego</span> Theme park in San Diego, California

SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park located in Mission Bay Park, San Diego, California, United States. Owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts, the park is an animal-focused marine mammal park, oceanarium, marine animal rehabilitation center, and aquarium with both indoor and outdoor aquatic exhibits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Gwazi</span> Hybrid roller coaster in Tampa, Florida

Iron Gwazi is a steel-track hybrid roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, a theme park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Development of the original Gwazi began in July 1998, when Busch Gardens announced that it would build a wooden roller coaster on land formerly occupied by the Anheuser-Busch brewery. Great Coasters International (GCI) built Gwazi, a wooden dueling roller coaster with two separate tracks. The ride was named after a fabled creature with a tiger's head and a lion's body. Trains riding on both tracks, respectively named Lion and Tiger, reached a height of 105.4 feet (32.1 m) and a maximum speed of 51 mph (82 km/h).

This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment-owned amusement parks, water parks or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand Serpent</span> Steel roller coaster

Sand Serpent was a Wild Mouse roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. The ride originally operated at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia as Wild Izzy in 1996 and later as Wilde Maus from 1997 to 2003. When the roller coaster was relocated to Florida, it was renamed Cheetah Chase from 2004 to 2011 before receiving its last name change.

United Parks & Resorts Inc. is an American theme park and entertainment company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company owns and operates twelve recreational destinations in the United States, including eight theme parks and four water parks. Notable brands within its portfolio include SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. In May 2018, Themed Entertainment Association and the global management firm AECOM reported that the then SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, operating under its previous name, ranked ninth in the world for attendance among theme park companies, led by parks SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal theme park</span> Combination of a theme park and a zoo

An animal theme park, also known as a zoological theme park, is a combination of an amusement park and a zoo, mainly for entertainment, amusement, and commercial purposes. Many animal theme parks combine classic theme park elements, such as themed entertainment and amusement rides, with classic zoo elements such as live animals confined within enclosures for display. Many times, live animals are utilized and featured as part of amusement rides and attractions found at animal theme parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheetah Hunt</span> Amusement ride in Tampa, Florida

Cheetah Hunt is a steel launched roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. The roller coaster was manufactured by Intamin and designed in collaboration with Mark Rose. Cheetah Hunt opened to the public on May 27, 2011, alongside a cheetah exhibit called Cheetah Run. Cheetah Hunt features three linear synchronous motor (LSM) launches and a single inversion. The roller coaster reaches a height of 102 feet (31 m), with a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and a total track length of 4,429 feet (1,350 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SheiKra</span> Roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

SheiKra is a steel Dive Coaster roller coaster at the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. The roller coaster was proposed by Mark Rose, vice-president of design and engineering for the park, and designed by Bolliger & Mabillard. The ride was planned to be 160 feet (49 m) high, but the park's executives rejected this and the height was changed to 200 feet (61 m). SheiKra reaches a maximum speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) and has a total track length of 3,188 feet (972 m). It first opened on May 21, 2005, and was converted to a floorless roller coaster on June 16, 2007, following the opening of its sister Dive Coaster Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg that year.

This article is a list of events and openings related to amusement parks that occurred in 2016. These various lists are not exhaustive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PortAventura Park</span> Theme park in Spain

PortAventura Park is a theme park located in the PortAventura World Resort, 85 km southwest of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in the municipalities of Salou and Vila-seca, on the Costa Daurada. The park opened on 1 May 1995 under the management of the Tussauds Group which had a 40.01% share in the park, La Caixa (33.19%), Anheuser-Busch (19.9%) and FECSA (6.7%). It opened to the general public on 2 May 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigris (roller coaster)</span> Steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa

Tigris is a steel launched roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay theme park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Built on the former Tanganyika Tidal Wave water ride, Tigris officially opened on April 19, 2019 as the park's ninth roller coaster. Tigris is located within the Stanleyville section of the park. The roller coaster and surrounding area re-uses previous infrastructure and landscaping of the former attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sesame Place</span>

Sesame Place is a theme park chain based on the children's educational television program Sesame Street. In the United States, it is owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts under an exclusive license from Sesame Workshop, the non-profit owner of Sesame Street.

References

  1. 1 2 Roger Vincent (June 13, 2008). "Anheuser-Busch has deep ties to Southern California". Los Angeles Times.
  2. 1 2 "Houston Past: Busch Gardens (1971-1973)". Houstorian.wordpress.com. April 7, 2008. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Busch's long-brewing presence". Los Angeles Times. 2008-06-13. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Pasadena's Busch Gardens". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  5. 1 2 Hemmerlein, Sandi (2018-01-08). "Was Pasadena Once Home to the '8th Wonder of the World'?". KCET. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  6. ↑ Dan Parsons and Tyra M. Vaughn (2010-03-04). "Clydesdales are back at Busch Gardens - Daily Press". Articles.dailypress.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  7. ↑ "Busch Gardens, The Dark Continent, Tampa–exotic animals, thrilling rides, dazzling shows". The Milwaukee Sentinel. January 23, 1984. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  8. ↑ "Park Map | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay". Buschgardens.com. 2011-04-21. Archived from the original on 2011-11-24. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
  9. ↑ "Busch Gardens' new Cobra's Curse ride coming in 2016 (w/video)". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
  10. ↑ "Busch Gardens Williamsburg".
  11. ↑ Higham, Charles (1984). Sisters: The Story of Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine. Dell Publishing. p. 72. ISBN   0-440-17866-5.
  12. ↑ Sunset Travel Guide to Southern California. Menlo Park, Calif.: Lane Publishing Co. 1974. p. 47. SBN   376-06754-3.
  13. ↑ "WKT Locomotive Houston". Lagoon is fun. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ Richard Schweid (November 2, 1992). "Europe's Second Theme Park Planned in Spain". AP news Archive. Associated Press. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  15. ↑ Salvador Anton Clavé (April 16, 2007). The Global Theme Park Industry. CABI. p. 131. ISBN   978-1845932084.
  16. ↑ "Pearson Completes Tussauds Group Disposal". pearson.com. October 19, 1998. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018..
  17. ↑ Albright, Mark (February 28, 2008). "Busch plans four parks in Dubai". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  18. ↑ Kassab, Beth (February 4, 2009). "No Busch Gardens, SeaWorld for Dubai". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  19. ↑ Garcia, Jason (January 6, 2009). "Last call for free beer tasting at SeaWorld, Busch Gardens". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  20. ↑ Volkmann, Kelsey (January 5, 2009). "No more free beer at Busch theme parks". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  21. ↑ Eckert, Barton (January 5, 2009). "No more free beer at Busch Gardens Williamsburg". Washington Business Journal.
  22. ↑ Kennedy Wynne, Sharon (January 2, 2019). "Free beer is back at Busch Gardens for its 60th anniversary". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 15, 2019. The park offered the perk for 50 years when it was owned by Anheuser-Busch and ended the promotion in 2009
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.