Busch Gardens
March 28, 2009 – 3:04 am |
With two locations in Williamsburg, Virginia and Tampa Bay, Florida, Busch Gardens has garnered a lot of clout in the theme park industry. Formerly Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Tampa Bay, respectively, the two parks have been renamed Busch Gardens Europe (Williamsburg) and Busch Gardens Africa (Tampa Bay) based on the themes of each park. Both locations feature thrilling rides, great eats, and unique shopping opportunities and both have won multiple awards.
If one were forced to choose between the two parks and decide on one superior, one would probably select Busch Gardens Europe. It has been named “Most Beautiful Park” every year almost the past two decades! Additionally, it was named “World’s Best Theme Park” two years in a row. There have been numerous other awards given out, but these two accolades are by far the most impressive. What separates Busch Gardens Europe from the rest of the pack is the park’s commitment to excellence.
Busch Gardens Europe is probably best known for its roller coasters. The most recent addition to the park was the 2007 coaster “Griffon,” which features high speeds, sharp turns, and a 90 degree drop that will make you feel as if you are out of your seat. A coaster fan favorite, “Apollo’s Chariot” clocks in at almost 75 miles per hour. The park’s remaining coasters are “Big Bad Wolf,” “Loch Ness Monster,” and “Alpengeist” and all three are guaranteed to thrill and excite you in ways never thought possible.
All of this adulation for Busch Gardens Europe does not mean that Busch Gardens Africa fails to hold its own. Quite the contrary, in fact, the Tampa-based park boasts an even greater selection of rides and coasters. The “SheiKra” inspired the coaster “Griffon” and was the first 90-degree drop ride of its kind. The “Gwazi” is an old-fashioned wooden roller coaster with a twist: this ride features to coaster that races each other around the track. The “Cheetah Chase” and “Scorpion” are fairly straight-forward coasters, but to top things off, Busch Gardens Africa possesses the numbers three and seven ranked coasters in the world: “Kumba (7),” a steel coaster with seven pace changes and “Montu (3),” almost a ‘new and improved Kumba,’ as it boasts a higher rise, greater speeds, and also, seven changes of pace.
Both parks are divided in similar ways. For example, Busch Gardens Europe separates its park by naming certain areas after countries, in all, there are seven represented: England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, and French Canada. Busch Gardens Africa divides its park with code names of countries or just specific areas on the continent, including: Morocco, Egypt, Timbuktu, and Nairobi.
These parks provide arguably the greatest experiences offered in venues of this kind. Not only do both have the rides, attractions, food, and shopping to make customers want to come back for more, but they also have the awards and pedigree needed to reinforce this idea. There are many mediocre theme parks in the United States, but the duo Busch Gardens are not among them.
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