Busch Gardens
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Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States owned and operated by Busch Entertainment Corporation, a division of Anheuser-Busch. One of the parks is in Tampa, Florida and the other is in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Busch Gardens Africa, previously called Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, opened on March 31, 1959, and has an African theme. The park was originally tagged as "The Dark Continent". The theme park is one of America's largest zoological institutions, with more than 2,500 animals in its collection. Attractions include: Rhino Rally, Montu, Kumba, Python, Scorpion, Gwazi, Edge of Africa, and SheiKra, a vertical dive coaster opened in 2005. The theme park is located away from the downtown area in the northern part of the Tampa city limits, bordering the town limits of Temple Terrace.
Busch Gardens Europe, formerly known as Busch Gardens Williamsburg, opened on May 5, 1975, and has a European theme. The park was originally tagged "The Olde Country". Attractions at this park include Curse of DarKastle, Alpengeist, Escape from Pompeii, Apollo's Chariot, Loch Ness Monster, and Big Bad Wolf. The park is divided into seven sections, each themed to a different European country. As of 2006, Busch Gardens Williamsburg has been voted "The Most Beautiful Theme Park in America" 16 years running by the National Amusement Park Historical Association.
Both parks were renamed at the start of the 2006 season to reflect the theming used throughout those parks.
The Busch Gardens parks in three other cities have closed:
- Pasadena, California (1905-1937)
- Van Nuys, California (1964-1979)
- Houston, Texas (1971-1972)
Pop culture trivia
The Busch Gardens parks were spoofed in The Simpsons as the Duff Gardens, in an episode entitled Selma's Choice.See also
Anheuser-Busch owns several other parks:- The SeaWorld parks in San Diego, California, San Antonio, Texas and Orlando, Florida
- *SeaWorld Orlando
- *SeaWorld San Diego
- *SeaWorld San Antonio
- Discovery Cove, an exclusive, reservation-only park in Orlando
- Sesame Place, a children's play park themed after the long-running public broadcasting show Sesame Street
- Water Parks: Adventure Island (waterpark) and Water Country USA. A third water park is currently under construction adjacent to SeaWorld and Discovery Cove in Orlando
- Grant's Farm, an animal reserve park in St. Louis, Missouri, on land formerly owned by Ulysses S. Grant
External links
- [Official website]
- [Official website] of the Busch Entertainment Corporation
- [History timeline] from the Anheuser-Busch website
- Fan websites:
- * Roller coaster database entries for [Tampa] and [Williamsburg]
- * [Busch Gardens Escape (unofficial fansite)]
- * [Busch Adventure Zone (unofficial fansite)]
- * [Busch Gardens Tampa Guide (unofficial fansite)]
- * [Busch Gardens Van Nuys Site photos]
- [An Enchanted Park: Celebrating the Centennial of Busch Gardens], a Pasadena Museum of History exhibit on the original Busch Gardens in Pasadena, California
| Busch Entertainment Corporation Adventure Parks | ||
| Busch Gardens | Tampa Bay, Williamsburg | 
|
| SeaWorld | San Antonio, San Diego, Orlando | |
| Miscellaneous | Adventure Island, Discovery Cove, Sesame Place, Water Country USA | |
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