Orlando gets all the attention, but one of America's best-rated amusement parks sits 90 minutes away in Tampa. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay was named among the country's best amusement parks by U.S. News & World Report for 2025, and Tripadvisor's traveler-ranked list puts it ahead of Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney California Adventure. It even predates the Magic Kingdom: the park opened in 1959 as a bird sanctuary and hospitality garden tied to an Anheuser-Busch brewery, decades before Disney's Animal Kingdom existed.
The big draw for many visitors is what it isn't: packed. While the two Disney parks each pull over 10 million guests a year, Busch Gardens sees under 4 million. Shorter queues mean less time standing in line and less pressure to buy the Quick Queue line-skipping upgrade. Single-day tickets start at $61.99, a figure that makes family budgets breathe easier compared with Orlando pricing. One catch: it's a cashless venue, so bring a card.
Thrill-seekers are well catered for. Falcon's Fury is a 300-foot drop tower that tips you face-down over Tampa before letting go. The coaster lineup is the park's real strength, currently eight strong with Africa-themed names. Iron Gwazi, a wood-and-steel hybrid, and the SheiKra dive coaster both top 70 mph with drops of 200 feet or more. Montu, running since 1996, packs in seven inversions, while Cheetah Hunt's 4,400-foot triple-launch track runs past a live cheetah enclosure. The classic Kumba closed in August 2026 after 33 years, with a successor called Kumba's Revenge planned. Families with smaller kids aren't left out: Phoenix Rising and the spinning Cobra's Curse require just 42 inches, and Air Grover in the Sesame Street Safari of Fun area takes riders from 38 inches, with occasional Elmo and Cookie Monster meet-and-greets.
Then there's the zoo half of the equation. The free Serengeti Express Train loops a 65-acre plain where giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and antelopes roam, and the SkyRide cable car gives you an aerial view. Free habitats include Cheetah Run, Tiger Lodge, Kangaloom, plus gorillas in Morocco, elephants in Nairobi, and hippos and lions in Edge of Africa. For something extra, the $39.99 Serengeti Safari Tour puts you in an open-air vehicle hand-feeding giraffes — worth knowing it's an upcharge, unlike Animal Kingdom's included safari. Behind-the-scenes animal tours are available too, including at the park's Animal Care Center, once the subject of the TV show "The Wildlife Docs."
A nod to history survives in the Bird Gardens area: the old Hospitality House, where beer samples were once free, is now the Springs Taproom, pouring craft beer and frozen cocktails. The park occasionally revives the tradition with free beers during summer promos, and flamingos — real ones — still strut nearby.
For travellers who want theme-park thrills without Orlando crowds or prices, or families mixing coasters with animal encounters, Tampa makes a strong alternative base. Source: Explore.com.
