Busch Gardens Summer Nights

For over 100 nights, guests can stay late and safely enjoy world-class coasters, electrifying entertainment throughout the park and more during extended hours at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay beginning May 28. On weekends and select dates, guests can look to the sky for the NEW “Spark! A Nighttime Spectacular”featuring an explosive NEW firework and special effects production, the biggest, brightest show ever!

Sizzling NEW Event Experiences!

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ALL NEW! Ignite the night with NEW “Spark! A Nighttime Spectacular”: For an epic finale to a coaster-filled day of adventure, guests will be drawn to the vibrant energy radiating from a unique new production on the Festival Field. As the most stunning show ever to light the park’s sky, “Spark!” will feature an explosive array of fireworks and exciting effects from dazzling lasers to graceful water elements and dramatic pyrotechnics.  “Spark!” is offered every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at 9:15 P.M. from May 28 to September 6, including extra presentations on May 31 for Memorial Day, July 1-4 for Independence Day, and September 6 for Labor Day.

Long before the first burst of “Spark!” covers the night sky, guests can join in the evening excitement with NEW entertainment, music, food and drinks for the park’s biggest and brightest summer celebration:

NEW! Pre-Party on the Festival Pathway: Greeted by glowing lights strung among the trees, live music and more, the stunning visual journey on the Festival Pathway will spark the spirit of summer in everyone.

NEW! Seasonal Summer Menu: Senses will ignite with delicious bursts of flavor from a special menu inspired by backyard summer cookouts with a Busch Gardens twist. Guests will discover a walkable take on grilled classics, decadent sweet treats and more along the festival pathway and new locations throughout the park. Adults 21+ can indulge in NEW glow-in-the-dark summer cocktails or refreshing non-alcoholic drinks that are equally beautiful and satisfying for the perfect end to a summer night.

NEW! DJ Block Parties: As the sun goes down, electric summer vibes amp up on the Festival Field. It’s an open-air dance party with DJs, dancing, and endless energy to build the excitement before “Spark!” ignites the sky.

NEW! Giraffe Bar: Combining a perfect Serengeti sunset, delicious cocktails and savory snacks is the best way to fuel a night of summer fun at the NEW Giraffe Bar located on the second floor of Serengeti Overlook.

ALL NEW! “Cirque Electric” show opens: For awe-inspiring feats that spark the imagination, the dynamic performance of “Cirque Electric”, an ALL-NEW acrobatic stunt show exclusively produced for Busch Gardens, opening May 28 at the Stanleyville Theater. From the daring airborne aerialist to stunning displays of balance and strength and a fascinating act on wheels that cannot be missed, guests will be dazzled by world-class performers during select dates for Summer Nights.

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MORE Fan-favorite summer experiences return this season!

Award-winning “Turn It Up!” ice skating show returns: Starting May 28, the Moroccan Palace Theater will once again be home to “Turn It Up!” the award-winning ice-skating show, including late shows on select dates for Summer Nights.  

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Back by popular demand! Open-air block parties throughout the park: Complete with seasonal eats and electric beats, guests will encounter sizzling summer entertainment throughout the spacious 300-acre park, including:

Cheetah Hunt Plaza: Between dashing through the night sky on Cheetah Hunt and Cobra’s Curse, guests can dance to DJ beats throughout the evening.

Stanleyville Plaza: After taking on the daring launches of Tigris, guests will find refreshing tunes and classic summer flavors with a twist in the shadow of SheiKra.

Party All Summer with a Busch Gardens Annual Pass or Fun Card!

Celebrate all summer long and visit again and again with a Busch Gardens Fun Card, where guests can pay for a day and play all year!* For the price of a single-day ticket to Busch Gardens, the Fun Card allows access throughout the year, so you can visit again and again, and experience great events like Summer Nights, Bier Fest, Christmas Town,  and more! For the best value and benefits, guests can upgrade to a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Annual Pass to enjoy the perks they want most throughout 2021. Annual Pass Members* receive 12 months of visits with the best benefits ever, including FREE parking, up to 6 free guest tickets, and up to 50-percent savings on merchandise, Quick Queue, and more!

For a limited time, guests can take advantage of Busch Gardens’ Memorial Sale and save up to 50% on tickets, Fun Cards and Annual Passes. The deal ends May 31.

Guests can visit www.BuschGardensTampa.com for more information and reservations—and to purchase tickets, Fun Cards, or Annual Passes. Fans can stay up to date with park events, attractions and more by following Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SAFETY:

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is committed to the health and safety of our guests, employees, and the animals in our care.  We have enhanced our already strict health, safety, and cleanliness standards to keep our guests safe. To learn more about our health and safety guidelines visit buschgardens.com/tampa/safety.

About Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay is the ultimate family adventure, offering 300 acres of fascinating attractions based on exotic explorations around the world. Busch Gardens is a unique blend of thrilling rides, AZA accredited zoo with thousands of animals representing more than 200 species, and exciting seasonal events all year providing unrivaled experiences for guests of every age. For more information, visit www.BuschGardensTampa.com. Busch Gardens is owned by SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: SEAS), a leading theme park and entertainment company providing experiences that matter and inspiring guests to protect animals and the wild wonders of our world.

Photo Key at SeaWorld and Aquatica

This weekend we’re doing a “two-for.” SeaWorld Spooktacular today, and Aquatica on Sunday. What with the gorgeous Orlando weather and all, indications point to a perfect weekend! One thing though: I’m usually taking pictures. Lots of ’em. I take them to chronicle wonderful memories with my friends and family. I take them to share on social media. I take them so relatives out of state can vicariously enjoy our visits. But… I take them. I’m not in a lot, because I’m behind the camera. Enter “The Photo Key.”

On my last visit I bought the new Photo Key, which replaces the Photo Pass of old (which I really enjoyed and doubted could be topped…) For a $99.99 you can buy an Annual PhotoKey pass for BOTH SeaWorld and Aquatica! (Single day passes are $59.99.) For a year from purchase, you get unlimited access to all of your digital photos (you can print them out anywhere from a drug store kiosk, at home, or use them on social media to your heart’s content).

Photos are taken by the staff photographers at key locations throughout the parks, including most roller coasters, Shark Encounter, Sky Tower, and more. I’m especially thrilled to have the Aquatica option, since it’s a bit tricky to take your own photo in the water, LOL. (And who wants to lug around a camera all day in your bathing suit?!)

Today I plan on stopping by many a photo photographer. My husband and I are dressed as Longshoremen, and our son is a police officer. Good times. And now, good times remembered digitally.

Here’s some more info from SeaWorld:

PhotoKey is available for purchase at several stations inside the park or you can purchase PhotoKey prior to arriving at the park at seaworldorlando.com. Take advantage of PhotoKey opportunities during your next family vacation and unlock a world of memories.

PhotoKey benefits:

• Unlimited Access – All photos can be viewed, shared and downloaded at any park PhotoKey location, on the PhotoKey mobile app or on the PhotoKey website.
• Save on Purchases – Receive discounts on in-park photo products that are available at any photo location.
• Professional Photographers – Take advantage of professional photographers roaming the park to capture your family memories.
• Keepsakes – Photos can be customized into various keepsakes through exclusive access to the PhotoKey website  Receive a free $10 online credit toward any customized PhotoKey product and unlimited $5 individual prints while PhotoKey pass is valid.

 

Preschoolers are FREE in 2012 at SeaWorld, Orlando and Busch Gardens

Preschoolers can enjoy all of 2012 for Free!

Children age 5 and younger get into SeaWorld AND Busch Gardens for all of 2012 for free! The Preschool Pass is good for unlimited admission with NO blackout dates the entire year. Every special event is included. Every festival. All of it! Click HERE to sign up.

Our resident preschooler is looking forward to the “Just for Kids!” festival featuring concerts by Lazy Town, Max & Ruby, the Doodlebops and Choo Choo Soul, along with plenty of family-friendly fun and activities on Saturdays, Jan. 14 through Feb. 4.

At Busch Gardens, Sesame Street Safari of Fun is ALWAYS a hit. New this year (and on our to do-list: Iceploration, premiering this February.

“Must-see” preschool attractions at SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld’s littlest guests can enjoy the wildly popular 4-acre play area, Shamu’s Happy Harbor.  It’s a kid’s dream come true, complete with kid-size rides, a 4-story net climb, and a great place for parents to relax while watching their kids have splashes of fun.  The park’s first family-oriented roller coaster, “Shamu Express” can be found here along with other kiddie rides to explore.

Of course no visit to SeaWorld is complete without being splashed by Shamu!  SeaWorld’s newest killer whale show, “One Ocean,” features majestic whales performing spectacular behaviors, including thrilling high-energy leaps, while educating and inspiring kids and their families to make a difference in this world.  And at “Blue Horizons” kids will be awed by graceful dolphins, false killer whales, a rainbow of exotic birds, and entire cast of divers and aerialists.

Kid-favorite “Pets Ahoy!” will leave children giggling as a menagerie of rescued dogs, cats, birds, rats, skunks, pot-belly pigs, and other animals performing a series of uproarious and amazing skits.

While older kids are flying, gliding and soaring on Manta, younger ones can experience the incredible underwater world of tropical fish and rays in the floor-to-ceiling aquariums.  Manta’s underwater viewing area is home to more than 3,000 species. Kids can even “pop up” in the middle of a small aquarium, surrounding themselves with hundreds of fish for some great photos.

At Dolphin Cove, kids (and parents) can touch and feed dolphins and also go below the surface for an underwater view where they just might see a dolphin blowing a bubble or two!

Plus, SeaWorld features a cozy Baby Care Center located at Shamu’s Happy Harbor with top-of-the-line changing facilities, private feeding rooms and pint-sized potties.  This brightly-colored building gives parents the privacy and comfort of a home-away-from home in the middle of all the fun and is a one-stop shop for baby necessities.

Busch Garden loves kids, too!

Don’t forget this awesome new FREE Preschool Pass also includes Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Just a short hour’s drive away, in addition to all the  wondrous animal encounters at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, preschoolers will delight in Sesame Street Safari of Fun, a sunny funny play land, filled with moments that your family can share for the first time — like a first coaster experience aboard Air Grover. And everyday smiles can be repeated time after time —clapping along to original shows, splashing in our expansive water play area and enjoying kid-size rides.

Sign up today!

The Free SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Preschool Pass is an exclusive online offer, available at SeaWorldOrlando.com or BuschGardensTampaBay.com. It is exclusively for Florida residents ages 5 and younger and is valid for unlimited admission – with no blackout dates – through Dec. 31, 2012 at SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The Preschool Pass does not include parking or Premium Passport discounts or benefits.

After registering through either park’s website, registrants can pick up the Preschool Pass for their child by bringing a printed confirmation and a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate to any ticket window at SeaWorld’s or Busch Gardens’ front gate.

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Not Spooky at All: SeaWorld’s Spooktacular

Halloween is, for some, a time to get scared, to play “tricks,” and to dwell on the… shall we say… creepy things of this world… and things other-worldy. (Insert Vincent Price maniacal laugh here.) For me it’s none of those things. It’s about playing dress up, making new friends as you “forage” for candy and other tasty treats, and having an excuse to be just plain silly.

Last year my then 2-year-old really enjoyed Halloween Spooktacular at SeaWorld. He wore a pumpkin T-shirt since it was a bit hot for his “real” costume, but there were kids fully decked out as well as wearing street clothes. All were welcomed and treated as if they were the most adorable child there.  (In case you were wondering, his “real” costume was Smarticus the gladiator. His mom (yours truly) was “Mother of Boy” instead of Helen of Troy. Dad was… wait for it… Dadius Gladius–pronounced: Dad he is, glad he is. Yes, we’re that nerdy. And yes, he was adorable!)

Walking down the entrance to the “Spooktaclar walkway” (as we call it), we were greeted by bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles. For a toddler, this is one spectacular way to be welcomed to the festivities! Whoa. A fish on roller skates just whizzed by us. Or was that sea weed? And a butterfly catcher?!

Down a ways we came to the first candy stop. Big inflatable barrels shaped in an anemone-type shape are practically overflowing with tiny, tasty treats. Mister Shy-when-he-wants-to-be is hesitant to go up at first. “Hey there, little guy,” the SeaWorld worker says. Smiles are exchanged, and my young man is loosening up. He gets a bit more comfortable as he continues on and even gets “brave” enough to have his picture with a beautiful mermaid. (Usually mommy is the only girl lucky enough for this.) Fully acclimated to the sights and sounds, we were off to fill our goody bags. (Yes, parents are allowed to sample, too. Score!)

On the way to Abby Cadabby’s maze we pass by dog fish. And catfish. And other assorted creatures of the deep (and some from someone’s fabulous imagination!). Photo opportunities abound, and I took them up on every one!

Older kids were not as impressed with the maze as my toddler was, but for his age-group it was perfect. At different way points, Abby’s friends posted signs about which way to go. Parents read aloud and kids answered silly/cute questions. Eventually they reached the finish line and they all, including mine, seemed pleased with themselves.

Along the shore you can find the hysterical Longshoremen at SeaWorld

One of the highlights, however, was watching the Longshoremen perform their pumpkin routine. You won’t find their schedule posted on the daily map (rats!), but you can find them “along the shore” most afternoons making people laugh. I think we sat down for their show every weekend of the event. FYI: “pumpkin guts” can be made using rope, shaving cream, and a tiny bit of orange tempera paint. Who knew?

Next stop: Shamu’s Happy Harbor where Penny Penguin, Opie Otter, and other strolling characters show us their costumes. Shamu (the character version!) can also be seen donning a fanciful getup. (Say, I wonder what he’ll be for Halloween this year!) After a few photos, and rides!, we made our way to the Pets Ahoy theater.

Seasonally, the fun is changed for a couple of shows a day and the Sesame Street gang, not the pets, are the stars. The Count takes over for the “Countdown to Halloween” and delighted fans sing along. OK. Their parents sing along, too.

While no frightening laugh track is piped in over loudspeakers and the only things jumping out at you are the dolphins and whales out of the water, SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular is our kind of fall festival. Good, clean fun. Adorable children. Smiles. And pop! More bubbles.